Proposal #23: instance force: rejected

Based on the feedback received on the ”instance force” proposal https://github.com/ghc-proposals/ghc-proposals/pull/23 I conclude that the committee has decided to reject that proposal in its current form. In summary, we agree that the proposal tries to address a real problem, namely (1) to add additional constraints to simplify diagnostics and type queries (especially for teaching) as well as (2) specify a local default for classes like ’IsString’. However, we don’t think that the proposed mechanism is the right one to address this problem, and we should try to find a better solution. In summary the power-to-weight ratio of the proposal is not sufficient; specifically, * Problem (1) might be solved better outside of the language (e.g., with a compiler option or similar); * Problem (2) only seems to be solved partially; and * there remain questions about details concerning the type system and import/exports. Manuel
participants (1)
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Manuel M T Chakravarty