[Haskell-cafe] Global Package Install

[Johannes Waldmann]

Hi. Interesting discussion. Thanks for data points
on using cabal-install for the classroom.


> the work-around described in the second linked cabal issue (#6515),
> namely setting `store-dir` and `remote-repo-cache`
> to a global read-only location,  works very well in practice.

Good to know. I will look into it.

This "setting" has to be done by each student (once)?
Well, they have to create/change other configurations as well
(e.g., put proper PATH in .bashrc) so it's probably OK.

And, students can then not cabal-install extra private packages?
(With global package installs, they could. But perhaps it's better
that they cannot, for all the reasons mentioned.)


> .. helping students when we were clearly using the same codebase

this is solved by `stack --resolver=<...>` but that eats space
and requires another extra tool (stack) besides ghc(i).


> I saw no reason to try an alternative version [to the global install]

Well I did, and that reason was "cabal hell", where "global hell"
is the worst, as it regularly requires a fresh ghc install.

So for my own work of course I do use per-user install,
and other forms of isolation.


Best regards, Johannes.