ForeignPtr-related signatures

[Simon Marlow]

> That's what I expected. Would it be possible to include the 
> new functions
> in 5.04.2? OK, that's an API change, too, but simple 
> additions are rather
> harmless. If we don't include this stuff now, there is no 
> useful common ForeignObj API for GHC/Hugs/NHC in the near future.

Ok, I suppose we could bend the rules a little in this case, as long as
we don't change the behaviour of any existing functions.

> > [...] Also still unresolved is what to do about 
> atomicModifyIORef and
> > friends, BTW.
> 
> I remember atomicModifyIORef, but what are its "friends" 
> exactly? PVars
> have died, IIRC, and some cunning constraints on the 
> execution order of
> finalizers were rejected, too.

There was this, from Dean Herrington:

  http://haskell.cs.yale.edu/pipermail/ffi/2002-October/000940.html

I don't have any strong feelings (I rarely do, where names are
concerned).

Cheers,
	Simon