I seriously hope the plan is to move all *core* libraries (including GHC's cabal repo) etc over to git, too.
* one build system * one vcs This is a chance to make a big step towards accessibility, let's make that step.
Ultimately, I don't think git would make ghc any more accessible to new contributors. Darcs is not especially offputting to any beginner who already knows something about VCS in general. What the move to git is about, is making life easier for the *existing* HQ and core contributors. Evaluate it on that basis, and not in terms of unknown (and unknowable) benefits to current non- contributors. Indeed, you should also consider how many contributors you might lose in a move. I do hear some significant current contributors having doubts. I can certainly appreciate that having to run 2 VCS in parallel might be confusing and simply make matters worse than at present. The libraries question is a difficult one. We have made a lot of effort over the last 5 years to build infrastructure and code that is shared and portable across multiple implementations of the language. Is this the time to fork those supposedly "common" core libraries into ghc versions vs the rest? As someone who is not a contributor to GHC, and has never experienced anything more than trivial problems with darcs, I have not felt qualified to comment on the proposal to change GHC's VCS. But as a frequent fixer of breakage in the core libraries, I would be reluctant to have to move to a different VCS there. If the core libraries do move, it will be increasingly difficult to avoid also needing to move nhc98 and Hugs and goodness-knows how many other libraries. For me, it would be un-forced, annoying, and I may not have the extra time available to keep up. So there is a danger that the community will be left with a single (albeit very high quality) compiler, with no need for a Haskell Prime (or any other Standard) in future. If there are technical solutions that can reduce the pain, whilst keeping multiple stake-holders happy, then I think they should be investigated. Regards, Malcolm