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[ghc-hetmet.git] / InstallShield / Setup Files / Compressed Files / Language Independent / OS Independent / ANNOUNCE

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+            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
+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 Haskell 98, agreed in December 1998.
+Haskell related information is available from the Haskell home page at
+
+       http://www.haskell.org/
+
+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
+
+   - 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.
+
+   - Many error messages have been made more helpful and/or
+     accurate.
+
+For full details see the release notes:
+
+       http://www.haskell.org/ghc/docs/4.08/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-{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.  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.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
+======================
+
+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,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}
+  * {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
+
+   http://www.haskell.org/ghc/docs/4.08/building/building-guide.html