X-Git-Url: http://git.megacz.com/?a=blobdiff_plain;f=ghc%2FANNOUNCE;h=87417db34817527fe70ba846f92bf0aa290302ab;hb=db27f931017d98e4927f5638726f85368396d5a1;hp=809df2d91e593204b62b22dc4ff9ebeb84e53f6a;hpb=62cb9a07d020c5935335cf325addae1cfdc34d0f;p=ghc-hetmet.git diff --git a/ghc/ANNOUNCE b/ghc/ANNOUNCE index 809df2d..87417db 100644 --- a/ghc/ANNOUNCE +++ b/ghc/ANNOUNCE @@ -1,8 +1,8 @@ - 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 @@ -18,40 +18,37 @@ GHC's Web page lives at + 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 ================ @@ -59,10 +56,15 @@ For full details see the release notes: 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- Your Name + subscribe glasgow-haskell-{users,bugs} Your Name + +or + + subscribe cvs-ghc Your Name -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 @@ -72,7 +74,7 @@ Relevant URLs on the World-Wide Web: 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 @@ -92,22 +94,23 @@ for tar, please)! + 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