Integrating editline with ghc

[Isaac Dupree]

Yitzchak Gale wrote:
> Christian Maeder wrote:
>> The extended packages "2" could go under extra libs or hackageDB, while
>>    "1" remains a boot package for ghc that can link to editline on macs
>> and readline under linux, but has the same interface and package name!
> 
> I would hope that ghc will link to editline-ext on all platforms.
> That gives ghc the functionality it needs without getting
> into legal trouble with the license. Then those who want the full
> readline interface can install readline-ext, and those who
> want the full editline interface can install editline.

GHC is in no legal trouble whatsoever... only if proprietary Haskell 
code uses the readline library and doesn't switch to using the editline 
backend.  On Linux here I have readline installed and not editline 
currently, so it seems silly to require installing editline by default 
("default" meaning "if I don't want to, I have to figure out the right 
configure flag to give to allow readline to be used").  It makes sense 
to use editline by default for Mac and Windows builds though, where 
readline isn't native, I guess.  Statically linking to editline for 
binary builds would be alright (not exporting any readline to 
ghc-compiled programs by default?).  How is "Search for editline first; 
if not found, try to use readline"?

~Isaac