<div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:times new roman,serif;font-size:large">+1<br><br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:times new roman,serif;font-size:large">An important example of the last point is an introductory programming course using Haskell. The students will mostly have Windows and Mac laptops. Having a very simple (click here) way to get students set up with Haskell is important for such a course.<br></div></div><div class="gmail_extra"><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Mon, Mar 23, 2015 at 7:01 AM, Simon Peyton Jones <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:simonpj@microsoft.com" target="_blank">simonpj@microsoft.com</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:36.0pt">I notice that in the new Haskell pages, the Platform is definitely not the recommended way to go:
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</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">Like Richard, I was astonished by this. I always thought that the Haskell Platform was
<b><i>the</i></b> route of choice to install GHC, together with a respectable set of libraries. It’s certainly what I install on a new machine!<u></u><u></u></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">Let’s not forget the large but non-vocal set of ill-informed and/or would-be users, who want a simple answer to “How do I install GHC?”. It may be that the HP formula
needs re-visiting, but I think it’s very important that we continue to give a very simple (click here) answer to that question.<u></u><u></u></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">Simon<u></u><u></u></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif" lang="EN-US">From:</span></b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif" lang="EN-US"> Libraries [mailto:<a href="mailto:libraries-bounces@haskell.org" target="_blank">libraries-bounces@haskell.org</a>]
<b>On Behalf Of </b>Mark Lentczner<br>
<b>Sent:</b> 21 March 2015 17:54<br>
<b>To:</b> <a href="mailto:ghc-devs@haskell.org" target="_blank">ghc-devs@haskell.org</a>; Haskell Libraries; <a href="mailto:haskell-platform@projects.haskell.org" target="_blank">haskell-platform@projects.haskell.org</a>; <a href="mailto:haskell-infrastructure@community.galois.com" target="_blank">haskell-infrastructure@community.galois.com</a><br>
<b>Subject:</b> wither the Platform<u></u><u></u></span></p>
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I'm wondering how we are all feeling about the platform these days....<u></u><u></u></p>
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I notice that in the new Haskell pages, the Platform is definitely not the recommended way to go: The main download pages suggests the compiler and base libraries as the first option - and the text for the Platform (second option) pretty much steers folks away
from it. Of the per-OS download pages, only the Windows version even mentions it.<u></u><u></u></p>
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Does this mean that we don't want to consider continuing with it? It is a lot of community effort to put out a Platform release - we shouldn't do it if we don't really want it.<u></u><u></u></p>
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That said, I note that the other ways to "officially get" Haskell look, to my eye, very ad hoc. Many of the options involve multiple steps, and exactly what one is getting isn't clear. It hardly looks like there is now an "official, correct" way to setup Haskell.<u></u><u></u></p>
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The Platform arose in an era before sandboxes and before curated library sets like Stackage and LTS. Last time we set direction was several years ago. These new features and development have clearly changed the landscape for use to reconsider what to do.<u></u><u></u></p>
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I don't think the status quo for the Platform is now viable - mostly as evidenced by waning interest in maintaining it. I offer several ways we could proceed:<u></u><u></u></p>
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<b>1) Abandon the Platform.</b> GHC is release in source and binary form. Other package various installers, with more or less things, for various OSes.<u></u><u></u></p>
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<b>2) Slim the Platform.</b> Pare it back to GHC + base + a smaller set of "essential" libs + tools. Keeps a consistent build layout and installation mechanism for Haskell.<u></u><u></u></p>
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<b>3) Re-conceive the Platform.</b> Take a very minimal install approach, coupled with close integration with a curated library set that makes it easy to have a rich canonical, stable environment. This was the core idea around my "GPS Haskell" thoughts from
last September - but there would be much to work out in this direction.<u></u><u></u></p>
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Thoughts?<u></u><u></u></p>
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— Mark<u></u><u></u></p>
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