Hello everyone, As you likely know, over the last few months we have been discussing options for reforming the process for proposing language and compiler changes to GHC. After much discussion, we have a process [1] which, while not perfect, is acceptable to a majority of our contributor base and will be an improvement over the status quo. While we invite suggestions for future improvements, we are at a point where we can move ahead with implementation. Consequently, we are seeking nominations for the initial GHC steering committee. This body is responsible for overseeing the progression of proposals through the process, working with authors on refining their ideas, and evaluating proposals for acceptance. The committee will consist of five to eight members of diverse backgrounds. We would like to offer the following as a criteria for membership. Note that a candidate is not expected to satisfy all or even most of these criteria, but a good candidate should satisfy at least one: * A history of contributions to the design of new language features * Experience developing Haskell libraries and applications * A demonstrated track record of contributing code to GHC * A pedagogical background, with experience in either teaching or authoring educational materials * Experience in compiler development * Knowledge of functional programming language theory I'd like to emphasize that committee membership is as much a duty as it is a privilege. Membership is not intended to be a platform to be used by members to drive their own ideas; rather it is a way of serving the Haskell community by helping other community members refine and advance their proposals. This, of course, requires an investment of time and effort, which you should be willing and able to consistently put forth. If you'd like to be considered for committee membership then please write a statement describing why you feel you are well-qualified to serve, in terms of the criteria above and any others that you would like to offer. Please send your statements to ben@well-typed.com by September 30th. The initial committee selection will be made by the Simons soon thereafter. Thanks to everyone for their feedback and cooperation so far! Cheers, - Ben [1] http://github.com/ghc-proposals/ghc-proposals