# Teaching kids computing stuff...is there a simple OS?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teaching-kids-computing-stuff-is-there-a-simple-os/375815
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [October 9, 2006, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teaching-kids-computing-stuff-is-there-a-simple-os/375815 "2006-10-09T16:38:15Z")
**Posts on this page:** 2
**Page:** 2
### Author:  [@robcaro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robcaro)
#### Post date: [October 12, 2006, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teaching-kids-computing-stuff-is-there-a-simple-os/375815/21 "2006-10-12T23:50:39Z")
I found REXX to be quite easy. Here is a program that I wrote some time ago in REXX:
/\* \*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\* _/
/_ Conversion of Dollars, pounds, kilos, ounces, miles, yards, feet, inches, _/
/_ kilometers. _/
/_ Rob Caro - Sept 1986 _/
/_ \*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\* _/
parse upper arg val1 val2 units rate
cls
if val1=‘’ | val1=‘?’ | val1=‘help’ then signal help;
numeric digits 10;
do 15;say’‘;end;
if val1=‘DOL’ then say’========\>’ units ‘DOLLARS =’ units_rate val2
if val2=‘DOL’ then say’========\>’ units val1 ‘=’ units/rate ‘dollars’
if val2=‘P’ then say’========\>’ val1 ‘pounds =’ val1/2.2 ‘kilos’
if val2=‘P’ then say’========\>’ val1 ‘pounds =’ val1_16 ‘ounces’
if val2=‘K’ then say’========\>’ val1 ‘kilos =’ val1_2.2 ‘pounds’
if val2=‘K’ then say’========\>’ val1 ‘kilos =’ val1_2.2_16 ‘ounces’
if val2=‘O’ then say’========\>’ val1 ‘ounces =’ val1/16 ‘pounds’
if val2=‘O’ then say’========\>’ val1 ‘ounces =’ val1/16/2.2 ‘kilos’
if val2=‘M’ then say’========\>’ val1 ‘miles =’ val1_1.6 ‘kilometers’
if val2=‘M’ then say’========\>’ val1 ‘miles =’ val1_5280 ‘feet’
if val2=‘M’ then say’========\>’ val1 ‘miles =’ val1_5280/3 ‘yards’
if val2=‘Y’ then say’========\>’ val1 ‘yards =’ val1_3 ‘feet’
if val2=‘Y’ then say’========\>’ val1 ‘yards =’ val1\*3/5280 ‘miles’
if val2=‘F’ then say’========\>’ val1 ‘feet =’ val1/3 ‘yards’
if val2=‘F’ then say’========\>’ val1 ‘feet =’ val1/5280 ‘miles’
if val2=‘I’ then say’========\>’ val1 ‘inches =’ val1/12 ‘feet’
if val2=‘I’ then say’========\>’ val1 ‘inches =’ val1/36 ‘yards’
if val2=‘KM’ then say’========\>’ val1 ‘kilometers =’ val1/1.6 ‘miles’
numeric digits 4
if val2=‘FH’ then
do;
if val1=‘32’ then
do;
say’========\>’ val1 ‘deg f = 0 deg c’;
exit;
end;
say’========\>’ val1 ‘deg f =’ (val1-32)_5/9 ‘deg c’;
end;
if val2=‘C’ then say’========\>’ val1 ‘deg c =’ val1_9/5+32 ‘deg f’;
exit;
HELP:
say’ EXAMPLE ENTRIES = EXAMPLE RESULTS’
say’cv dol yen 10225 233 = 10225 dollars = 2382425 yen’
say’cv dol pesos 35000 165 = 35000 dollars = 5775000 pesos’
say’cv pesos dol 245000 160 = 245000 pesos = 1431.25 dollars’
say’cv 435 p = 435 pounds = 197.727273 kilos’
say’ 435 pounds = 6960 ounces’
say’cv 720 k = 720 kilos = 1584 pounds’
say’ 720 kilos = 25344 ounces’
say’cv 235 o = 235 ounces = 14.6875 pounds’
say’ 235 ounces = 6.67613636 kilos’
say’cv 820 m = 820 miles = 1312 kilometers’
say’ 820 miles = 4329600 feet’
say’ 820 miles = 1443200 yards’
say’cv 9000 km = 9000 kilometers = 5625 miles’
say’cv 4250 y = 4250 yards = 12750 feet’
say’ 4250 yards = 2.41477273 miles’
say’cv 12540 f = 12540 feet = 4180 yards’
say’ 12540 feet = 2.375 miles’
say’cv 85 fh = 85 deg f = 29.4444444 deg c’
say’cv 28 c = 28 deg c = 82.4 deg f’
exit;
You can get REXX at [www.quercus-sys.com](http://www.quercus-sys.com)
---
### Author:  [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)
#### Post date: [October 12, 2006, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teaching-kids-computing-stuff-is-there-a-simple-os/375815/22 "2006-10-12T23:56:03Z")
Win 3.1 was essentially a set of DOS apps. Is it possible to run Win 3.1 inside something like DOSBox?
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