date sorting II

[Ketil Z. Malde]

"Michael Ruth" <meruth@hotmail.com> writes:

> start:: IO()
> start = do {
> 	putStr   "Enter a filename: ";
> 	theFile <- getLine;
> 	myfile <- openFile theFile ReadMode;
> 	myList <- getInput myfile;
> 	myDates <- stripSpaces myList;
> 	myDates <- qSort myDates;
> 	myList <- formatOutput myDates;
> 	writeFile "output.txt" (getOutput (myList));
> }

You might want to look up the function "readFile" in the Prelude.  

I must admit that while I've been using Haskell for odd bits and ends
for a while now, I've not yet used a file handle -- still a lot of
posted code seems to use them.  Is this a creeping C-ism, or are
handles genuinely useful, even if you simply are reading the content
of a file to process it (i.e. typical Unix shell util usage)?

-kzm
-- 
If I haven't seen further, it is by standing in the footprints of giants