Bootstrapping with HC files

[Donald Bruce Stewart]

andrew:
> I run a source based linux distro called Heretix, and I want to make a ghc 
> package which will install with or without an existing ghc. At the moment, we 
> supply a binary-ghc package, whch is a prerequisite of the from-source ghc 
> package.
> 
> It seems to me that I can prepare HC tarballs for my target platforms (x86, 
> x86_64) which will remove the need for the ghc-binary package. My questions:
> 
> 1) Can I produce 'registered' hc files? The build manual bangs on about cross 
> compiling unregistered hc files, which isn't really what I need.
> 
> 2) Would a ghc built from registered hgc files every bit as good and complete 
> as a normally bootstrapped ghc?

Yes, the OpenBSD versions of GHC build from registerised .hc tar balls.
It's fast.

If you're interested in this path, check out:
    http://www.openbsd.org/cgi-bin/cvsweb/ports/lang/ghc/

> If 1) and 2) then
> 
> 3) Why don't you guys supply hc tarballs for bootstrapping on common 
> platforms? They would seem to be rather more versatile than the usual rpms 
> and binary tarballs.

Most distros are using binary bootstrapping. I think OpenBSD is the only
one building from .hc src.

-- Don