[Haskell-cafe] Why distinct tyvars in instance declarations?

[robert dockins]

>>but GHC complains:
>>
>>>    Illegal instance declaration for `Foo (Either b b)'
>>>        (The instance type must be of form (T a b c)
>>>         where T is not a synonym, and a,b,c are distinct type variables)
>>>    In the instance declaration for `Foo (Either b b)'
> 
> 
> unless I'm totally mistaken, your problem isn't the distinction thingy, but 
> rather an error like supplying an Int for where you need (Int -> Int -> Int). 
> That is, you're trying make (Either String String) an instance of Foo, 
> (Either String String) already being a fully constructed type; Foo, on the 
> other hand, seems to require a type constructor that is yet to parameterize 
> over three more types (e.g. StateT).

I think that you are mistaken.  The OP listed:

 > class Foo a
 > instance Foo (Either b b)

Without further information, Haskell compilers will assume that the 
type(s) in a class declaration has/have kind * (Report section 4.6). 
Either b b does have kind *, so that's not the problem.