REXX (Restructured Extended Executor) is a high-level programming language developed by IBM in the late 1970s. It is designed for ease of learning and reading, making it an excellent choice for both beginners and experienced programmers. REXX is widely used for scripting, automation, and data processing tasks.

1. Ease of Use: REXX is known for its simple and readable syntax, which makes it easy to learn and use.
2. Portability: REXX programs can run on various platforms, including mainframes, PCs, and Unix systems.
3. Interpreted Language: REXX is an interpreted language, meaning that it is executed line-by-line, which allows for quick testing and debugging.
4. String Manipulation: REXX has powerful string manipulation capabilities, making it ideal for text processing tasks.
5. Integration: REXX can easily interface with other programs and systems, allowing for extensive automation and integration capabilities.

• 1979: REXX was created by Mike Cowlishaw at IBM.
• 1982: The first implementation of REXX was released for the VM/CMS operating system.
• 1984: REXX was included in IBM's MVS operating system.
• 1990s: REXX gained popularity on various platforms, including OS/2, Windows, and Unix.
• 2000s: Open Object REXX (ooREXX) and NetRexx (a variant for the Java platform) were developed, extending REXX's capabilities.

1. Scripting and Automation: Automating repetitive tasks, such as file manipulation, system monitoring, and job scheduling.
2. Data Processing: Parsing, transforming, and analyzing data from various sources.
3. System Administration: Managing and configuring systems, including mainframes and servers.
4. Application Development: Creating utilities, tools, and applications for specific business needs.

To give you a taste of REXX, let's look at a simple script that prints "Hello, World!" to the console.

• /* Hello World in REXX */: This is a comment in REXX. Comments are enclosed in /* and */.
• say "Hello, World!": The say instruction outputs the specified string to the console.

Write a REXX script that prints your name and your favorite programming language.

• The say instruction is used to print each line of text.
• Replace "John Doe" with your actual name and "REXX" with your favorite programming language if it's different.

In this section, we introduced REXX, a high-level programming language known for its simplicity and versatility. We covered its key features, history, common uses, and provided a simple example script. Understanding what REXX is and its capabilities sets the foundation for diving deeper into the language in the upcoming modules.