Haskell library infrastructure coordinator

[Ketil Z. Malde]

Alastair Reid <alastair@reid-consulting-uk.ltd.uk> writes:

>> There should probably be test suites to cover dependencies to
>> ensure that all libraries are adequately in sync -- I'm not sure
>> how easy this is to do in practice.

> It's best done as the library is being written because it could
> actually help development and because the author likely has a better
> idea of what a function is supposed to do.

(I was thinking of cross-module dependencies, quite possibly involving
multiple authors)

> But test suites are usually ignored or built long after the fact.

Like documentation?  I suppose this is a programmers' mindset thing.

> Since quickcheck is quite easy to use, I wonder what's missing?  Is
> it infrastructure (a handy driver program and some make targets) or
> some well-worked examples to cut and paste from?  Where do I find
> examples of how to quickly add quickcheck to my library?

Examples to cut and paste from, would be my vote.  Which is why I like
to stress installing libraries as source.

> Debian does use numbered releases though.

Of individual components, but not of the whole repository as such.

Anyway, I'm not sure dependencies will be so crucial for Haskell
source, most incompatibilities should be caught at compile time by
type checking, a luxury Linux distributions don't have to the same
extent.  

Some dependencies on specific behaviour is caused by the need to work
around bugs, this could be alleviated by having source and an obvious
path for updates -- i.e. instead of working around a bug, I can fix
it, and send the fix upstream.

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