[Haskell-cafe] an idea for modifiyng data/newtype syntax: use `::=` instead of `=`

[Tom Ellis]

On Sun, Aug 09, 2015 at 12:16:27AM +0200, MigMit wrote:
> >> 1) This might be the code written by someone using your library/framework.
> >> In which case it would know about A and B.
> > 
> > Then it's up to me to define and document whatever strictness properties I
> > want for my constructors.
> 
> Of course. But it's NOT up to you to restrict the user from using whatever
> techniques xe wants

Can you explain how any of this "restricts the user from using whatever
techniques he wants"?

> > in existing code.  Of course that won't work.  But for *new* datatypes
> > choosing one rather than the other gives no difference in terms of
> > denotational semantics.
> 
> If it makes the difference for the old code, then it would make the
> difference for the new code as well.

I fail to see how.  Breaking an API makes a difference for old code, but new
code is written to the new API.

> >> 2) It might be generated by the Template Haskell — which is free to use
> >> whatever constructor is fed into it.
> > 
> > OK, so show me what goes wrong!
> 
> {-# LANGUAGE TemplateHaskell #-}
> module TH where
> import Language.Haskell.TH
> check :: Name -> ExpQ
> check c = [|let x = case x of $(conP c [[p|_|]]) -> $(conE c) 1 in x|]

Right, you can distinguish data declarations from newtype declarations this
way, but by using Template Haskell you can also distinguish

    * data A = A Int
    * data A = A { a :: Int }
    * data A = A' Int
    * data A = A Int !(), and
    * newtype B = B A (where A has one of the above definitions)

from each other.  My claim is that

    * data B = B !A

is as indistinguishable from the above four as they are from each other.

Tom