Dear development aware cabal users
I request you to comment on a plan to gradually remove `v1-` commands.
Some users have commented about the notice in `v1-` commands' `--help`:
It is a legacy feature and will be removed in a future release of
cabal-install. Please file a bug if you cannot replicate a working v1- use
case with the nix-style commands.
This note is vague, and indeed we don't have any concrete plan *when*
something will be removed.
Lets have one.
At the moment, in upcoming `cabal-install-3.4.0.0` we have following
commands:
v1-build Compile all/specific components.
v1-configure Prepare to build the package.
v1-repl Open an interpreter session for the given component.
v1-run Builds and runs an executable.
v1-test Run all/specific tests in the test suite.
v1-bench Run all/specific benchmarks.
v1-freeze Freeze dependencies.
v1-haddock Generate Haddock HTML documentation.
v1-exec Give a command access to the sandbox package repository.
v1-update Updates list of known packages.
v1-install Install packages.
v1-clean Clean up after a build.
v1-doctest Run doctest tests.
v1-copy Copy the files of all/specific components to install
locations.
v1-register Register this package with the compiler.
v1-reconfigure Reconfigure the package if necessary.
I propose the following plan:
In 3.4.0.0 (to be officially released in a week from GHC-9.0.1 release,
i.e. soon)
we have already removed `v1-sdist`, as `v2-sdist` have completely
subsumed the
functionality, yet the interface is slightly different.
In 3.6.0.0 (to be release around GHC-9.2) we will remove
- v1-update: the v2-update should already completely subsume the
functionality
(but this have to be checked)
- v1-doctest: is a commeand which never worked properly
- v1-exec: its description mentions sandbox package repository,
as sandbox are already removed, v1-exec has no use
In 3.8.0.0 we will remove what I'd call "interactive" development
commands:
- v1-freeze
- v1-bench
- v1-reconfigure
- v1-repl
- v1-run
- v1-clean
These are commands which I don't expect to be heavily used in scripts.
That would leave us with what I consider essential commands.
I think these are sufficient if `v1-` commands are used in some
bigger build process. (Though, I'd suggest to use raw `./Setup`)
This can be removed in 3.10 (or more conservatively in 3.12).
- v1-build
- v1-configure
- v1-haddock
- v1-test
- v1-install
- v1-copy
- v1-register
These commands will be removed in 3.12 (skipping the 3.10).
In summary:
v1-sdist now 3.4
v1-build two years 3.12
v1-configure two years 3.12
v1-repl one year 3.8
v1-run one year 3.8
v1-test two years 3.12
v1-bench one year 3.8
v1-freeze one year 3.8
v1-haddock two years 3.12
v1-exec 6 months 3.6
v1-update 6 months 3.6
v1-install two years 3.12
v1-clean one year 3.8
v1-doctest 6 months 3.6
v1-copy two years 3.12
v1-register two years 3.12
v1-reconfigure one year 3.8
I should mention that we don't test any of `v1-` commands anymore.
The code is there, and if it works it is good, but if it doesn't,
we wont actively pursue fixing it (rather concentrating on whatever
issues are holding you from migration to v1-build).
I would value comments whether the list for 3.6
(v1-update, v1-doctest, v1-exec) is found controversial.
Very rough estimate is that 3.6 will be released early 2021,
in about a half a year from now.
3.8 would happen a year from now. (Fall 2021)
3.12 where the v1-build is gone would happen in two years from now.
(Fall 2022)
Disclaimers:
I don't want to set the plan in stone.
In other words, "All rights reserved",
but we would avoid removing anything earlier than agreed.
Yet, it's impossible to predict the future,
and we might be forced to diverge from that plan.
The version numbers are informative,
3.10 could be 4.0, or the release schedule could be accelarated or
slowed down.
We will stick to the time based definitions.
- Oleg
