X-Git-Url: http://git.megacz.com/?a=blobdiff_plain;f=ghc%2FANNOUNCE;h=c7a0904696fa960c703c533e21a8701b3993f1d3;hb=bbc670f4ac4428a3a13ab34c2843381a82698ff4;hp=3ff9f580f274704411a2fcc1f240889889d6d5cf;hpb=9cc0cc873be3a24f725f34a578997a117f71565b;p=ghc-hetmet.git diff --git a/ghc/ANNOUNCE b/ghc/ANNOUNCE index 3ff9f58..c7a0904 100644 --- a/ghc/ANNOUNCE +++ b/ghc/ANNOUNCE @@ -1,20 +1,23 @@ - The Glasgow Haskell Compiler -- version 4.08 - ============================================== -We are pleased to announce a new release of the Glasgow Haskell -Compiler (GHC), version 4.08. The source distribution is freely + The (Interactive) Glasgow Haskell Compiler -- version 5.00 + ============================================================ + +We are pleased to announce a new major release of the Glasgow Haskell +Compiler (GHC), version 5.00. The source distribution is freely available via the World-Wide Web and through anon. FTP, under a BSD-style license. See below for download details. Pre-built packages for Linux, FreeBSD, Solaris and Win32 are also available. -Haskell is "the" standard lazy functional programming language; the +Haskell is a standard lazy functional programming language; the current language version is Haskell 98, agreed in December 1998. -GHC is a state-of-the-art optimising compiler for Haskell, generating -good code for a variety of platforms. The distribution includes space -and time profiling facilities, a large collection of libraries, and -support for various language extensions, including concurrency, exceptions, -and foreign language interfaces (C, C++, whatever). +GHC is a state-of-the-art programming suite for Haskell. Included is +an optimising compiler generating good code for a variety of +platforms, together with an interactive system for convenient, quick +development. The distribution includes space and time profiling +facilities, a large collection of libraries, and support for various +language extensions, including concurrency, exceptions, and foreign +language interfaces (C, C++, whatever). A wide variety of Haskell related resources (tutorials, libraries, specifications, documentation, compilers, interpreters, references, @@ -27,60 +30,73 @@ GHC's Web page lives at http://www.haskell.org/ghc/ -+ What's new -============= -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 + What's new +============ + +5.00 has been majorly revamped since the previous stable version, 4.08.2. +This should be a stable release. Major changes since 4.08.2 are: + + - An interactive system, similar in style to Hugs. You can interactively + load and unload modules, run expressions, ask the types of things. + Module dependencies are tracked and chased automatically. + Combinations of compiled and interpreted modules may be used. + All the GHC libraries are available in interactive mode, as are + most of the Glasgow extensions to Haskell 98. Compilation in + interactive mode (to bytecode) is about three times faster than + compiling to object code. - - New profiling subsystem, based on cost-centre stacks. + - Batch compilation of multiple modules at once, with automatic + dependency chasing. For large programs this can halve compilation + times, and removes the need for Makefiles. - - 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). + - Enhanced package (library) management system. Packages may be + installed and removed from an installation using the ghc-pkg tool. - - Implicit parameters (i.e. dynamic scoping without the pain). + - Initial Unicode support - the Char type is now 31 bits. - - DEPRECATED pragma for marking obsolescent interfaces. + - Sparc native code generator, giving much faster compilation on sparcs. + (Native code generation for x86s has been available for a while). - - In the wake of hslibs, a new package system for - libraries. -package should now be used instead of -syslib. + - Improved heap profiling - you can restrict heap profiles + by type, closure description, cost centre, and module. - - Result type signatures work. + - Support for the latest Foreign Function Interface (FFI) + proposals. Marcin Kowalczyk's hsc2hs tool is included. - - Many tiresome long-standing bugs and problems (e.g. the trace - problem) have been fixed. + - Language extensions: parallel list comprehensions and functional + dependencies. - - Many error messages have been made more helpful and/or - accurate. + - The usual huge collection of bug fixes. Most reported bugs have + been fixed. For full details see the release notes: - http://www.haskell.org/ghc/docs/4.08/set/release-4-08.html + http://www.haskell.org/ghc/docs/5.00/set/release-5-00.html -+ Mailing lists -================ -We run mailing lists for GHC users and bug reports; to subscribe, use -the web interfaces at - http://www.haskell.org/mailman/listinfo/glasgow-haskell-users - http://www.haskell.org/mailman/listinfo/glasgow-haskell-bugs + How to get it +=============== -There are several other haskell and ghc-related mailing lists on -www.haskell.org; for the full list, see +The easy way is to go to the WWW page, which should be +self-explanatory: - http://www.haskell.org/mailman/listinfo/ + http://www.haskell.org/ghc/ + +We supply binary builds in the native package format for various +flavours of Linux and BSD, and in InstallShield form for Windows +folks. Everybody else gets a .tar.gz which can be installed where you +want. + +Once you have the distribution, please follow the pointers in the +README file to find all of the documentation about this release. -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 -================================ + + On-line GHC-related resources +=============================== Relevant URLs on the World-Wide Web: @@ -88,32 +104,21 @@ 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.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: -preserve modification times when un-tarring the files (no `m' option -for tar, please)! -+ System requirements -====================== + System requirements +===================== To compile programs with GHC, you need a machine with 32+MB memory, GNU C and perl. This release is known to work on the following platforms: - * i386-unknown-{linux,freebsd,netbsd,cygwin32,mingw32} + * i386-unknown-{linux,freebsd,mingw32} * sparc-sun-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: + * hppa1.1-hp-hpux{9,10} * i386-unknown-solaris2 * alpha-dec-osf{2,3} * mips-sgi-irix{5,6} @@ -122,4 +127,29 @@ wunderhacker), but haven't been tested due to lack of time/hardware: The builder's guide included in distribution gives a complete run-down of what ports work; an on-line version can be found at - http://www.haskell.org/ghc/docs/4.08/building/building-guide.html + http://www.haskell.org/ghc/docs/5.00/building/building-guide.html + + + + Mailing lists +=============== + +We run mailing lists for GHC users and bug reports; to subscribe, use +the web interfaces at + + http://www.haskell.org/mailman/listinfo/glasgow-haskell-users + http://www.haskell.org/mailman/listinfo/glasgow-haskell-bugs + +There are several other haskell and ghc-related mailing lists on +www.haskell.org; for the full list, see + + http://www.haskell.org/mailman/listinfo/ + +Please report bugs using our SourceForge page at + + http://sourceforge.net/projects/ghc/ + +or send them 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.