Integrating editline with ghc

[Yitzchak Gale]

Christian Maeder wrote:
> 3. if ghci is going to use editline... then readline would not
> need to be a core package und users might need to
> install package readline explicitly.

OK, I get it.

Even if we leave readline as it is, so that the package system will
theoretically not force the person to take action, in practice
action will be needed the next time the person upgrades
GHC. So you would like to minimize overall work of changing
packages over all users.

Even so, I think it is more important to minimize confusion
over users who are not aware of this whole discussion,
and may have minimal knowledge of the package system.
They don't want to have to figure things out - they just
want it to keep working as before.

The need to re-install some package due to the shrinking
GHC library core is an annoyance all GHC users are aware
of by now. You figure out what has disappeared, and you
install it. Changing the semantics of the readline package
would add to the confusion, I believe.

Also, I think in general we should do what makes the
most sense within the package system itself. GHC library
core shrinkage is an external issue, though I agree that
in practice it will affect everyone.

So I am still in favor of keeping readline as it is.

Thanks,
Yitz