Linked by Eugenia Loli-Queru on Mon 22nd Oct 2001 18:16 UTC
REBOL is a powerful software technology (ever thought that you could write a full blown GUI Instant Messenger in only 7 kb of source code?) designed from the ground up to enable a new era of distributed Internet applications. The technology provides a ubiquitous, lightweight model of distributed computing that operates across all types of computer systems. REBOL is a true distributed computing architecture. Applications and data become distributed across all devices. REBOL is completely device independent, so it does not matter what operating system or hardware is being used. Every system of the Internet becomes an independent resource that can process and communicate information. The REBOL kernel currently runs on more than 40 different operating systems -- everything from large Sun Solaris servers, to Windows and Macintosh PCs, to Linux, BeOS, down to CE handheld devices. And it is here to revolutionize the Internet, by introducing the X Internet (also called as 'XNet') through the REBOL Internet Operating System (IOS). Read more of what Carl Sassenrath, Rebol Tech's CTO and founder, has to say about the future, Rebol and the race against Microsoft's .NET Services.
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I've followed REBOL since it's inception (coincidentally they actually asked me to interview for the job of programming the UNIX version(s)). I recently evaluated it properly for a web based application service I'm developing that will have many concurrent users. I really wanted to use it, for all the reasons that have been promoted, but regrettably had to turn it down, mainly because of performance concerns:- * As I understand it, it handles CGI like Perl, PHP etc. i.e. a new process gets launched for every concurrent web user. I am really not sure (and don't have the facilities to prove) how it stands up providing a web service under heavy load with lots of users. This also applies to session persistence. * I doesn't connect to enough databases. * It won't compile, again affecting performance. * The BIG ONE: I have to pay a licence fee for every copy I produce. No problem, ultimately, but my distribution model requires free distribution of my software followed by a per-usage charge. REBOL wants payment up front, and it seems to be expensive per user. I don't want to contradict the praise REBOL has already received - I agree, but this is just an example of areas it needs improvement in: cost and performance. Stacking it against Java Servlets, I know they will take longer and be harder to write, but I am much more confident of their performance, efficiency, connectivity, price and load balancing capability. If REBOL addresses these concerns I'd be delighted to switch across. Alex