[arch-haskell] trying to understand haskell-platform on Arch

[Don Stewart]

thomas:
> Hi list,
> 
> I have questions about how the haskell-platform is working with Arch. I must be
> missing something, please correct me :
> 
> - The haskell-platform package is a bundle of libraries/tools of specific
>   versions that works well together
> - Each new version of the haskell-platform updates those libraries/tools to a
>   more recent versions
> 
> But then, when I look at the PKGBUILD of haskell-platform, why does it have all
> the content of the platform declared as dependencies ? And if everything is
> installed as dependencies, why is the haskell-platform tarball downloaded
> anyway ?
> 
> > depends=('gmp' 'ghc' 'haskell-cabal' 'haskell-glut=2.1.1.2'
> > 'haskell-http=4000.0.6' 'haskell-opengl=2.2.1.1' 'haskell-cgi=3001.1.7.1'
> > 'haskell-editline=0.2.1.0' 'haskell-fgl=5.4.2.2' 'haskell-network=2.2.1.4'
> > 'haskell-time=1.1.2.4' 'haskell-zlib=0.5.0.0' 'cabal-install' 'alex' 'happy'
> > 'haddock')
> 
> Right now haskell-platform fails to install because community repo contains
> haskell-http version 4000.0.7, while AUR contains the 4000.0.6 version, and
> yaourt somehow fails to pick the right version - the problem can be solved
> easily, but needs human intervention. 
> 
> As all libraries/tools included in haskell-platform have their own independent
> release-cycles on Hackage, does it mean that the "Hackage -> AUR bridge" delays
> the releases of haskell-platform dependencies so they match the
> haskell-platform release cycle ?
> 
> I wonder why the haskell-platform PKGBUILD doesn't declare its content by using
> the "provides" parameter, and avoid conflicts with the latest versions of those
> libraries on AUR by also listing them in the "replaces" parameter.
> 
> Anyway, thanks for all the work you are achieving !

I think our goal is for the Haskell Platform to be provided in binary
form via [community]. AUR will then be soley a hackage bridge for
everything else.