[REBOL] English translation of http://rebolfrance.org/propagande/argumentaire.ht
From: jason::cunliffe::verizon::net at: 19-Sep-2002 16:19
Translation of original French web page at
http://rebolfrance.org/propagande/argumentaire.html
Please contact me with corrections or comments. Thank you.
./Jason
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Ten good reasons to use Rebol !
R1: Rebol is cross-platform.
R2: Rebol is a polyvalent language.
R3: Rebol includes an XML parser.
R4: Rebol uses current technology standards.
R5: Rebol is a productive language.
R6: Rebol is not just a language, it's a coherent solution.
R7: Rebol does not need a powerful machine to run well.
R8: Dialects allow one to build specialized sub-languages.
R9: Rebol does not need an edit/compile/run cycle.
R10: The virtual desktop of Rebol/View is a unique way to share information and
distribute applications over a network.
R1: Rebol is cross-platform.
It is avaialable on at least 40 operating systems. For the first time, your
products will benefit from maximum distribution with requiring you to do any
more work. With Rebol, you can at last develop free from concerns about
operating system tricks, or about the architecture of the target machine your
application will run on. Based on a virtual machine, the Rebol language behaves
identically regardless of its environment. You can propgram on Linux and
distribute for Windows CE with any changes or compiling your project!
R2: Rebol is a polyvalent language.
It's not just used for generating HTML pages. With Rebol, you can certainly
create applications designed to work with a web browser, but you can also
develop office software (text editors, spreadsheets, ...) even games. For system
administrators, Rebol is an excellent alternative for shell programming
languages. It helps you automate numerous operations and build utilities
quickly. Because of its network programming capabilites, Rebol is perfect for
client and server programming and thereby sharing information between computer
systems.
R3: Rebol includes an XML parser.
A single word transforms an XML document into a data block ready for Rebol
processing. The XML parser is integrated with all versions of Rebol, and needs
bo other additions to be used.
R4: Rebol uses current technology standards.
Network oriented, Rebol is based fully on the set of TCP/IP protocols (HTTP,
FTP, SMTP, POP3, IMAP,...) Databases are accessible throught the ODBC protocol
for Windows family of servers. If you do not wish to that software platform, you
can also directly access Oracle or MYSQL databases. The integrated XML parser
lets one implement strong interoperability with other products.
R5: Rebol is a productive language.
It's a recognized and proven phenomenon: a Rebol program is generally much, much
more concise than its equivalent in another language. Rebol code smaller, easier
to maintain, faster to write and send accross networks. An HTTP server can be
written in Rebol with just thirty lines of code! A single lines is sufficient to
create a window with a button to dislay a message on the screen :
view layout [ button "Message" [ print "Rebol is cool" ] ]
{Note: display illustration from http://rebolfrance.org/argumentaire1.jpg}
R6: Rebol is not just a language, it's a coherent solution.
Rebol is not just a language, it's a complete solution from client station to
enterprise server. This adaptability is possible thanks to the four different
versions of the Rebol interpreter, each being more or less specialized in a
domain of capabilities :
Rebol/Core is a very light product especially suitable for creating n-tier
applications on an HTTP server. The user interface for such is managed by a
browser using HTML. Processing is dobne server-side. You may also use Rebol/Core
to build network utilities or maintenance tools (generating HTML pages,
monitoring server activity, manipulating e-mail mailboxes, ... )
Rebol/View makes graphic intefaces. This makes it an excelletn solution for
writing desktop apps (tst editor, spreadheet, ...) but also games for both
off-line and on-line use. To support its virtual desktop, it also lets one use
Rebol applcaitions stored on an HTTP server. Rebol/View is thus more than an
interpreter, it's really a workflow environment for sharing user data and
programs.
The Rebol/View plug-in is a module for Microsoft Internet Explorer and Netscape
Navigator. It runs a Rebol script directly in the browser. This extension is
above all intended for people using Rebol/View applcations over Internet.
{Note: This page was clearly written some time ago. Tragically, last year
Microsoft killed prior Explorer plug-ins, so the Rebol/View web plugin will not
work in Internet Explorer beyond version 5. You need to verify about Netscape,
Mozilla and others }
Rebol/Command lets you create graphic interfaces and access the major databases,
thus enabling 2-tier applications (direct client access to database), and n-tier
applications (client access to database via middleware server apps).
{note: English version in HTML of comparison table to come. Meanwhile..}
Core View View/Pro Plug-in View Command Command/View
Application type
Local X X X X X
Distrbuted X X X X X X
CGI scripting X X X X X
Graphic Interface X X X X
Virtual Desktop X X X
Data acces
TCP/IP protocols X X X X X X
XML X X X X X X
ODBC X X
Oracle X X
MySQL X X
Advanced Features
Security X X X X X X
Use of native dyunamic libraries X X X
Shell access X X X
Encryption X X X
R7: Rebol does not need a powerful machine to run well.
The installed Rebol interpreter uses only a few hundred Kb of disk space. For
graphic applications with a user interface, any 200Mhz x86 processor and 32Mb
RAM is sufficient. Needless to say, Rebol applications don't force you to
upgrade your computer!
R8: Dialects allow one to build specialized sub-languages.
Dialects are one of the most special and interesting features of Rebol. In fact,
Rebol lets you define other languages, in other words, to build interpreters.
For example, contructing graphic interfaces in Rebol/View is done through a
dialect called VID. You can define dialects according to your needs and use them
in different project. One can conceive dialects to build games, to describe
program installation steps, to write a BASIC interpreter whose code is combined
within Rebol, define management rules, etc..
R9: Rebol does not need an edit/compile/run cycle.
Rebol does not need an edit/compile/run cycle. However, Rebol is not accurately
described as an interpreted langauge. It uses a dictionary where the words you
have defined in your application are compiled. This compilation stage is
immediate and performed every time your program runs. So it is not necessary to
spend a long time compiling before testing your work. If your program needs to
be distributed but without revealing the source code, you can use the RunTime
module {Encap} which packages your program into a single self-contained
independent executable.
R10: The virtual desktop of Rebol/View is a unique way to share information and
distribute applications over a network. To do this, you can connect with your
enterprise Intranet or to the Internet. You can access web documents along with
applications (Reblets) and information resources (Rebsites). For example, visit
the RebolFrance Rebsite.
