#11349: [TypeApplications] Create Proxy-free alternatives of functions in base -------------------------------------+------------------------------------- Reporter: Iceland_jack | Owner: Type: feature request | Status: new Priority: normal | Milestone: Component: Core Libraries | Version: 7.10.3 Resolution: | Keywords: | TypeApplications Operating System: Other | Architecture: | Unknown/Multiple Type of failure: None/Unknown | Test Case: Blocked By: | Blocking: Related Tickets: | Differential Rev(s): Wiki Page: | -------------------------------------+------------------------------------- Comment (by ekmett): Using unsigned types for size and having random wraparound issues is a huge source of user error in the C++ world, to the point where it is arguably a worse problem than dealing with negative values, since there it is an easy check. On the other hand using a type with undefined overflow once you start dealing with arithmetic and have `x + y - z` situations the logic gets rather complicated and very branchy. The number of branches involved gets even sillier if that type is actually a `Natural` and it has to deal with both small and large code paths behind the scenes. Using `Natural` there would turn such code from two assembly operations and an optional bounds check to something involving up to 16 cases which can't be avoided without getting too clever about it. Like it or not `Int` took on the role of sizes in the Haskell community, and it pushes the bad corner cases far away from the domain of actual use as noted by Reid. I don't see that changing in the foreseeable future. I think I'm going to echo Richard's suggestion of doing this "outside `base`", but without the positive outlook about it being merged back. Switching `KnownNat` to `Natural` and the like is on the agenda, however. -- Ticket URL: http://ghc.haskell.org/trac/ghc/ticket/11349#comment:8 GHC http://www.haskell.org/ghc/ The Glasgow Haskell Compiler