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[REBOL] Re: Limited Core Features

From: henrik::webz::dk at: 12-Jan-2008 15:16

On 10/01/2008, at 00.42, Kaveh Shahbazian wrote:
> Thanks Gregg > I did not mean REBOL should go open source (I place REBOL core in > same train > with Adobe Flash Player itself which is closed source) and I have no > problem > with it's closed source core (Java for many years behaves this way > and that > was not a problem). But I mean some essential features are just > accessible > in (for example) REBOL/Command; and not in REBOL/Core. Thorning > apart the > language itself in separate components, is ugly. > > For instance a function type (which of course is a part of language) > named > Routine is just available in REBOL/Command; which I think should not > be this > way. This way in fact I am working for different languages and when > I am > programming I must be concerned about none-programming issues.
Yes, this has always been one of the disadvantages of REBOL2. It was a method in the past for REBOL Technologies to try to make money off REBOL by only making all advanced features available in REBOL/Command. With REBOL3 this will go away, as most of the system is entirely open, except the very core, to protect the language design. If the system is open, people can add these features themselves for free and bypass any such locking, hence it would be a waste of time to make certain features locked. Therefore REBOL3 will be free, as in beer. But I have no knowledge on the price on SDKs or products made with REBOL3. It's likely that these will still cost money, but don't quote me on it. And... Welcome to REBOL! :-) With the above in mind, I hope you'll take your time to study this amazing language, despite REBOL2's shortcomings. You can still get very far within its confines, because of it's depth. REBOL3 will address most of these shortcomings. It has just into public alpha and will develop throughout 2008 toward a full release. Alphas will be released on a regular basis and I hope you'll want to try them out, even to test the difference between REBOL2 and REBOL3. -- Regards, Henrik Mikael Kristensen