- The Glasgow Haskell Compiler -- version 3.01
+ The Glasgow Haskell Compiler -- version 4.08
==============================================
We are pleased to announce a new release of the Glasgow Haskell
-Compiler (GHC), version 3.01. 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
-current language version is 1.4, agreed in April, 1997. Haskell
-related information is available from the Haskell home page at
+current language version is Haskell 98, agreed in December 1998.
+Haskell related information is available from the Haskell home page at
- http://haskell.org/
+ http://www.haskell.org/
+
+GHC's Web page lives at
+
+ http://www.haskell.org/ghc/
+ What's new
=============
-GHC 3.01 is a source-only release. Major news items:
+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)).
+
+There are the following changes
+
+ - New profiling subsystem, based on cost-centre stacks.
+
+ - 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).
+
+ - Implicit parameters (i.e. dynamic scoping without the pain).
+
+ - DEPRECATED pragma for marking obsolescent interfaces.
+
+ - In the wake of hslibs, a new package system for
+ libraries. -package should now be used instead of -syslib.
+
+ - Result type signatures work.
+
+ - Many tiresome long-standing bugs and problems (e.g. the trace
+ problem) have been fixed.
- * Lots of bug-fixes for the mult-parameter type class support.
+ - Many error messages have been made more helpful and/or
+ accurate.
- * Re-organisation of libraries, and hslibs nuked. (see the
- release notes/documentation for the full story).
+For full details see the release notes:
+
+ http://www.haskell.org/ghc/docs/4.08/users_guide/release-4-08.html
- * The User's Guide is now in SGML, and the literate tools are
- no longer required to format any of the documentation in the
- tree, hence we removed them from the distribution.
+ Mailing lists
================
We run mailing lists for GHC users and bug reports; to subscribe, send
-mail to majordomo@dcs.gla.ac.uk; the msg body should be:
+mail to majordomo@haskell.org; the msg body should be:
+
+ subscribe glasgow-haskell-{users,bugs} Your Name <you@where.soever>
+
+or
- subscribe glasgow-haskell-<which> Your Name <your-email@where.you.are>
+ subscribe cvs-ghc Your Name <you@where.soever>
-Please send bug reports about GHC to glasgow-haskell-bugs@dcs.gla.ac.uk ; GHC
-users hang out on glasgow-haskell-users@dcs.gla.ac.uk
+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
Relevant URLs on the World-Wide Web:
-GHC home page http://www.dcs.gla.ac.uk/fp/software/ghc/
-Haskell home page http://haskell.org/
-Glasgow FP group page http://www.dcs.gla.ac.uk/fp/
-comp.lang.functional FAQ http://www.cs.nott.ac.uk/Department/Staff/mpj/faq.html
+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/~gmh/faq.html
+ How to get it
The easy way is to go to the WWW page, which should be
self-explanatory:
- http://www.dcs.gla.ac.uk/fp/software/ghc/
+ http://www.haskell.org/ghc/
Once you have the distribution, please follow the pointers in the
README file to find all of the documentation about this release. NB:
+ System requirements
======================
-To compile up this source-only release, you need a machine with 16+MB
-memory, GNU C (`gcc'), `perl' plus a version of GHC installed (version
-2.10 at least). We have seen GHC work on these 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:
- * alpha-dec-osf{2,3}
- * hppa1.1-hp-hpux{9,10}
+ * 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 (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}
- * i386-unknown-{linux,solaris2,freebsd,cygwin32}.
* {rs6000,powerpc}-ibm-aix
-Similar platforms should work with minimal hacking effort. The installer's
-guide included in distribution gives a complete run-down of what-ports-work;
-an on-line version can be found at
-
- http://www.dcs.gla.ac.uk/fp/software/ghc/3.01/installation_guide/installing_toc.html
+The builder's guide included in distribution gives a complete
+run-down of what ports work; an on-line version can be found at
-EOF
+ http://www.haskell.org/ghc/docs/4.08/building/building-guide.html
projects / ghc-hetmet.git / blobdiff