Back in the 1990, my first PC was a second-hand machine with a dual boot.
On one side, a new Windows 3. The other has OS/2. After switching between the two for a few months, I found OS/2 to be the better operating system.
As part of the deal you got Rexx (restructured extended executor) developed at IBM by Mike Cowlishaw in 1979. I learned to use it, having previous experience with Fortran and Basic. The language is easy to understand and use. And with Hockware VisPro/Rexx (1996).
you could make event driven GUI programs. Over time, this proved to be the best IDE (Integrated Development Environment) I would ever use.
Unfortunately, due to a lot of mismanagemet at IBM and Microsoft OS/2 faded and left before the century ended.
Eventually I changed PC and got Windows (7?). Fortunately, there was a port of Rexx I could use, Regina Rexx. with this, old programs could be ported to the new PC.
But what to use for GUI programs…
Eventually I used Borland Delphi Borland (Pascal)
Borland spun off its development tools into CodeGear in 2006, which was acquired by Embarcadero Technologies in 2008. Embarcadero releases the product, but at continues to develop and sell modern releases of the platform today.
But at a starting price of $3,000 for Delphi 13 it is clearly not for the hobbyist market.
So what is the modern alternative.
After 30 years of programming progress there must be something like VisPro/Rexx.
BUT I have a few criteria
- It must work in Dark Mode (or emulate it)
- It should have an active user base in 2026.