returning to instance overlap

[Serge D. Mechveliani]

Dear GHC developers,

can you exaplain, please, how to use overlapping instances? 

For example, the following program uses overlapping instances for  
DShow [a]  and  DShow String,  but ghc-6.8.2 reports an error:

-----------------------------------------------------------------
class DShow a where  dShows :: a -> String -> String

instance DShow Char where  dShows = showChar 
instance DShow Int  where  dShows = shows 

instance DShow a => DShow [a]                                   -- (1)
  where 
  dShows _ = showString "contrived show value"    

instance DShow String where  dShows = shows                     -- (2)

f :: DShow a => [a] -> String 
f               xs  =  dShows xs "" 
                       -- dShows (head xs) ""    -- compare to this

main = putStr (shows (f "abc", f [1, 2, 3 :: Int]) "\n")
-----------------------------------------------------------------

I compile this under 
  -fglasgow-exts -fallow-overlapping-instances 
  -fallow-undecidable-instances  
  -fno-warn-overlapping-patterns -fwarn-unused-binds 
  -fwarn-unused-matches -fwarn-unused-imports

But the  ghc-6.8.2  compiler reports  

   Overlapping instances for DShow [a]
      arising from a use of `dShows' at IOverlap.hs:21:23-34
    Matching instances:
      instance [overlap ok] (DShow a) => DShow [a]
        -- Defined at IOverlap.hs:(14,0)-(16,45)
      instance [overlap ok] DShow String
        -- Defined at IOverlap.hs:18:0-42
    (The choice depends on the instantiation of `a'
     To pick the first instance above, use -fallow-incoherent-instances
     when compiling the other instance declarations)
    In the expression: dShows xs ""
    In the definition of `f': f xs = dShows xs ""


1. Will  ghc-5.02.3  find this program correct?

2. Applying   -fallow-incoherent-instances   leads to the result

   "(contrived show value, contrived show value)"

for the function `main', which is not the point.
My idea was that in the above program  f "abc"  will choose the 
instance (2), because  String  is a special case of  [a]. 

3. Also DoCon uses overlapping instances, and works under ghc-6.8.2, 
   somehow (probably, I need to recall what precisely this usage is). 

4. Maybe, it is good compile the above declaration

  f :: DShow a => [a] -> String 
  f xs = dShows xs "" 

by relating to  dShows  the _set_   S = {dShows of (1), dShows of (2)}   
of two instances,
putting to the code the set of two implementations.
And when the complier comes (maybe in other module) to 
                                       (f "abc",  f [1, 2, 3 :: Int]),

it chooses from  S   dShows of (2)  for  f  in   f "abc",
-- because [Char] is more special than [a].
And in   f [1, 2, 3 :: Int],  it chooses  dShows of (1).

Thank you in advance for your explanation,

-----------------
Serge Mechveliani
mechvel at botik.ru