- The Glasgow Haskell Compiler -- version 4.06
+ The Glasgow Haskell Compiler -- version 4.08
==============================================
We are pleased to announce a new release of the Glasgow Haskell
-Compiler (GHC), version 4.06. The source distribution is freely
+Compiler (GHC), version 4.08. The source distribution is freely
available via the World-Wide Web and through anon. FTP; details below.
Haskell is "the" standard lazy functional programming language; the
+ What's new
=============
-This should be a stable release. We have not made major changes
-since 4.04 to the core compiler, but we have fixed lots of bugs.
-We believe that 4.06 is in a nice stable well-tested state. (Ha!)
+This should be a stable release. There have been many enhancements
+since 4.06, and shed-loads of bug-fixes (one shed (imperial) ~ one ton
+(US)).
-Apart from that, there are the following changes
+There are the following changes
- - Major library reorganisation. All libraries, except the ones that
- are part of the Haskell 98 *language* specification, have moved to
- fptools/hslibs/. The hslibs tree is independent of GHC, shared between
- GHC, Hugs, and (we hope) other Haskell implementations.
- The idea is to make it easier for people to contribute and maintain
- libraries.
+ - New profiling subsystem, based on cost-centre stacks.
- The hslibs/ tree is organised in a Java-like fashion. Details in
- the new Library guide:
- http://www.haskell.org/ghc/docs/4.06/hslibs/book1.html
+ - Working x86 native code generator: now it works properly, runs
+ about twice as fast as compiling via C, and is on a par for
+ run-time speed (except in FP-intensive programs).
- Existing programs that use the -syslib flag may need to change which
- syslibs they include.
+ - Implicit parameters (i.e. dynamic scoping without the pain).
- - Support for "foreign export dynamic".
+ - DEPRECATED pragma for marking obsolescent interfaces.
- - Clean up of concurrent I/O system; in particular, I/O is now non-blocking,
- except (alas) on stdout/stderr for tiresome reasons.
+ - In the wake of hslibs, a new package system for
+ libraries. -package should now be used instead of -syslib.
- - Some refinements to the exceptions mechanism:
- http://www.haskell.org/ghc/docs/4.06/users_guide/release-4-06.html#exc-changes-406
+ - Result type signatures work.
- - More performance tuning: compiled programs now allocate 10% less memory
- than 4.04
+ - Many tiresome long-standing bugs and problems (e.g. the trace
+ problem) have been fixed.
+
+ - Many error messages have been made more helpful and/or
+ accurate.
For full details see the release notes:
- http://www.haskell.org/ghc/docs/4.06/users_guide/release-4-06.html
+ http://www.haskell.org/ghc/docs/4.08/users_guide/release-4-08.html
+
+ Mailing lists
================
We run mailing lists for GHC users and bug reports; to subscribe, send
mail to majordomo@haskell.org; the msg body should be:
- subscribe glasgow-haskell-<which> Your Name <your-email@where.you.are>
+ subscribe glasgow-haskell-{users,bugs} Your Name <you@where.soever>
+
+or
+
+ subscribe cvs-ghc Your Name <you@where.soever>
-Please send bug reports about GHC to glasgow-haskell-bugs@haskell.org ; GHC
-users hang out on glasgow-haskell-users@haskell.org
+Please send bug reports about GHC to glasgow-haskell-bugs@haskell.org;
+GHC users hang out on glasgow-haskell-users@haskell.org. Bleeding
+edge CVS users party on cvs-ghc@haskell.org.
+ On-line GHC-related resources
GHC home page http://www.haskell.org/ghc/
Haskell home page http://www.haskell.org/
-comp.lang.functional FAQ http://www.cs.nott.ac.uk/Department/Staff/mpj/faq.html
+comp.lang.functional FAQ http://www.cs.nott.ac.uk/~gmh/faq.html
+ How to get it
+ System requirements
======================
-To compile up this source-only release, you need a machine with 32+MB
-memory, GNU C (`gcc'), `perl' plus a version of GHC installed (3.02 at
-least). This release is known to work on the following platforms:
+To compile the sources, you need a machine with 32+MB memory, GNU C
+(`gcc'), `perl' plus a version of GHC installed (3.02 at least). This
+release is known to work on the following platforms:
- * i386-unknown-{linux,solaris2,freebsd,netbsd,cygwin32}
+ * i386-unknown-{linux,freebsd,netbsd,cygwin32,mingw32}
* sparc-sun-{sunos4,solaris2}
* hppa1.1-hp-hpux{9,10}
-Ports to the following platforms should be relatively easy, but
-haven't been tested due to lack of time/hardware:
+Ports to the following platforms should be relatively easy (for a
+wunderhacker), but haven't been tested due to lack of time/hardware:
+ * i386-unknown-solaris2
* alpha-dec-osf{2,3}
* mips-sgi-irix{5,6}
* {rs6000,powerpc}-ibm-aix
The builder's guide included in distribution gives a complete
-run-down of what-ports-work; an on-line version can be found at
+run-down of what ports work; an on-line version can be found at
- http://www.haskell.org/ghc/docs/4.06/building_guide/installing.html
+ http://www.haskell.org/ghc/docs/4.08/building/building-guide.html
projects / ghc-hetmet.git / blobdiff