REBOL/Pro
I've just purchased Rebol Pro, but I didn't really know where to find information on the specific features which are enabled. I asked at the [reboltalk](http://reboltalk.com/forums/) forums, and they gave me enough information to start this page. Thanks, folks!
What does your $99 US get you? I've summarized it below for my own good, but you can also look at a few pages on the Rebol site for the official details:
- [datasheet](http://rebol.com/prod-view.html)
- [documentation](http://www.rebol.com/docs-view.html)
Shell Access
Now you can use the call function, which
provides execution access to the other programs that have
been installed on your computer. This makes a lot of
tasks much simpler, as any shell scripter can tell you.
I've had a lot of fun using the shell access features
in Pro, and it's made this a fair degree more useful
at work. And it was pretty handy before!
[Shell Access Documentation](http://www.rebol.com/docs/shell.html)
Looks like shell access is part of Core with the latest releases. That's good, because I felt a little silly paying for it.
Library API
Rebol/Pro can link to external libraries. Like what? I guess the possibilities are nearly endless. It's all a little blurry to me, although I hope to figure out the Library stuff someday. For the meantime, there is a nice-looking [OpenGL example](http://www.rebol.org/cgi-bin/cgiwrap/rebol/view-script.r?script=opengl.r) at rebol.org. Hm. Looks like that one doesn't work under Linux. It's got a generous license, though, so an ambitious hacker could probably strip out the Win32 dependencies without making anyone angry.
[Library API Documentation](http://www.rebol.com/docs/library.html)
Encryption
In case you need to, you know, encrypt things. Or make
keys. Here is another topic that I don't know much
about. I've got a fine user perspective - make a key,
use ssh or scp, don't trust
a site that doesn't use https for the
money part of its transactions, stuff like that. But now
I guess I have something else I should learn about.
Encryption is a major requirement for usability in a
larger team or for services offered to the public.
[Encryption](http://www.rebol.com/docs/encryption.html)
Sound
The availability of sound can add a rich dimension to your View applications, and make it easier to write simple games. Okay, so maybe sound isn't such a big deal, but it's a nice little add-on to have.
[Sound API](http://www.rebol.com/docs/sound.html)
Support
Oh, and you're a paying customer, so you get some support from RT. I always forget to use it, but maybe you're smarter than me.
