Version control systems

[Manuel M T Chakravarty]

Listen to Don, he is a wise man!

Manuel

Don Stewart:
>> I agree with this.
>>
>> As Audrey says, you have to lower the barrier to entry. That means:
>>
>>    * one build system
>>    * one vcs
>>
>> to build ghc (and anything it requires, such as the core libraries).
>>
>> This is a chance to make a big step towards accessibility, let's  
>> make that step.
>
> I just want to add to this. We're offering an unusual product: a lazy,
> purely functional language. This already separates us from the
> mainstream. So how to we ensure we minimise the stress of adopting
> something so unfamiliar?
>
> By ensuring that in all other respects the environment they have to
> learn is familiar and simple.
>
> I think we risk isolating oursevles yet further -- and creating new
> barriers to adoption, beyond those we can't avoid -- by adding more
> complicated dependencies (two revision control systems, one of which,
> darcs, is now firmly out of the maintstream).
>
> Instead, if we just use ubiquitous, common tools -- like git -- for
> everything, we minimise the pain for people, and sit firmly in the
> mainstream of open source.
>
> If anything has been learnt by Spencer and I while working on xmonad,
> is:
>    dependencies, dependencies, dependencies
>
> reduce these, and you gain eyeballs, and ultimately developers.  
> Increase
> these, and you end up isolated and marginalised.
>
> So let's capitalise on this switch to git, and take the opportunity to
> remove one big dependency from the system.
>
> -- Don