Issue with type families

[Tyson Whitehead]

On March 3, 2010 18:35:26 Daniel Fischer wrote:
> Because:
>
> instance Applicative ((->) a) -- Defined in Control.Applicative
>
> so, from the instance Z (a -> b), with b == c -> d, we have an
>
> instance Z (a -> (b -> c))
>
> and from instance Z (m (u -> v)), we have, with m == ((->) x), an
>
> instance Z (x -> (u -> v))

Thanks Daniel,

That makes sense.  Strangely enough though, I had actually originally tried it 
with my own Applicative class just in case I was being tripped up by something 
like the (->) instance you pointed out, and it still didn't work.  That is

  {-# LANGUAGE FlexibleInstances, TypeFamilies #-}

  newtype I a = I a

  class A t where
      ap :: t (a -> b) -> t a -> t b

  class Z t where
      type W t
      z :: t -> W t

  instance A I where
      ap (I f) (I x) = I $ f x 

  instance Z (a -> b) where
      type W (a -> b) = a -> b
      z = id

  instance A t => Z (t (a -> b)) where
      type W (t (a -> b)) = t a -> t b
      z = ap

also gives me

  Temp.hs:17:9:
      Conflicting family instance declarations:
        type instance W (a -> b) -- Defined at Temp.hs:17:9
        type instance W (t (a -> b)) -- Defined at Temp.hs:21:9
  Failed, modules loaded: none.

Is the compiler somehow anticipating that I could add an instance for (->) to 
A and thus be back to the Applicative class situation?

Thanks!  -Tyson

PS:  I asked this here because type classes is a GHC issue, would the haskell-
cafe list been a more appropriate place?
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