[Haskell-cafe] Haskell Weekly News: Issue 154 - October 13, 2010

14 Oct 2010

      Welcome to issue 154 of the HWN, a newsletter covering developments in
   the Haskell community in the week of October 03 - 09.

   This community does not stand still! The last section of the newsletter
   contains a list of new or updated packages this passed week. All 87 of
   them! I had my doubts about listing them all, but there was
   encouragement from IRC folk to showcase them all, at least this time.

   If you are having a hard time filling your day with Haskell stories,
   make sure to jump into Reddit and help everyone by posting comments and
   voting on stories that are meaninful. If you manage to have time left
   after that, the volume of postings on the mailing lists is more than
   one person can keep up with. Send threads that you think the rest of
   the community would benefit from. For those of you who manage to have
   extra-extra time, you can use [1]twitterfall to try to keep up with the
   many tweets about Haskell!

   So, what was hot this week?

Announcements

   Want to know what events are comming up in the community? Come and see
   the [2]Haskell Community Calendar. Send new events to dstcruz@gmail.com

   Michael Snoyman [3]announced and asked for advice on [4]Haskellers.com.
   If you are into Haskell, by all means, please stop by and make a
   profile on the site!

   A new version of the venerable Haskell XML Toolbox (version 9.0.0)
   [5]was announced by Uwe Schmidt.

   A package for tls, native TLS/SSL protocol implementation [6]was
   announced by Vincent Hanquez.

Interesting Threads on Haskell-Cafe

   Petr Pudlak Asked if there are any suggested/recommended Haskell coding
   conventions? Perhaps something like Java has? [7]see thread

   caseyh commented of difficulties with GUIs working under Windows. The
   thread included talk about the state of Haskell GUI programming in
   general. [8]see thread

   Don Steward and Duncan Coutts presented a status report on the Haskell
   distribution infrastructure: Hackage, Haskell Platform and Cabal,
   during the Haskell Implementors Workshop held in Baltimore. You can
   find the [9]slides and the [10]video of the presentation.

   Christopher Done [11]annouced that he has been doing some refactoring
   on Haskell web development entries on the Wiki.

   Max Bolingbroke [12]told us about a proposed haskell feature:
   lambda-case/lambda-if. There seems to be interest from multiple people
   to see this feature. Some modifications to the original syntax were
   also proposed in the thread.

Top Reddit Stories

     * Learn You a Haskell for Great Good! The Book!
       Domain: amazon.com
       Score: 72, Comments: 28
       On Reddit: http://bit.ly/dp07AZ
       Original: http://amzn.to/b1JYWM
     * LYAH: For A Few Monads More
       Domain: learnyouahaskell.com
       Score: 64, Comments: 25
       On Reddit: http://bit.ly/bLQMsD
       Original: http://bit.ly/dpkD0R
     * Real World Experiences with Long Running Haskell Servers?
       Domain: self.haskell
       Score: 34, Comments: 25
       On Reddit: http://bit.ly/9NTcLo
     * Want professional work in Haskell? Don't forget to register your skills
       Domain: haskellers.com
       Score: 28, Comments: 21
       On Reddit: http://bit.ly/9bqlhG
       Original: http://www.haskellers.com/
     * Enumerators Tutorial Part 3: Enumeratee
       Domain: docs.yesodweb.com
       Score: 25, Comments: 1
       On Reddit: http://bit.ly/d3RPP0
       Original: http://bit.ly/dwEOWO
     * Scheduling Lazy Evaluation on Multicore : Simon Marlow : Video
       Domain: vimeo.com
       Score: 24, Comments: 5
       On Reddit: http://bit.ly/cGXeFJ
       Original: http://vimeo.com/15573590
     * Scrap Your Zippers : Michael Adams : Video
       Domain: vimeo.com
       Score: 23, Comments:
       On Reddit: http://bit.ly/aco7b6
       Original: http://www.vimeo.com/15481513
     * [The Haskell Platform] libraries process is a trackless mire
       Domain: haskell.org
       Score: 21, Comments: 7
       On Reddit: http://bit.ly/cby0zw
       Original: http://bit.ly/a62xg0
     * Angel: a daemon that runs and monitors other processes, developed by Bump
       Domain: github.com
       Score: 19, Comments:
       On Reddit: http://bit.ly/9P8Ccm
       Original: http://github.com/jamwt/Angel#readme
     * The HTML purification manifesto (Inside 245s)
       Domain: blog.ezyang.com
       Score: 15, Comments:
       On Reddit: http://bit.ly/a6Bu4N
       Original: http://bit.ly/duCoSz

Top StackOverflow Questions

     * haskell regex substitution (votes: 8, answers: 1)
       http://bit.ly/b34nPB
     * What is the Haskell response to Node.js? (votes: 6, answers: 2)
       http://bit.ly/9YKRPj
     * Conventions for Stability field of Cabal packages (votes: 5,
       answers: 2)
       http://bit.ly/cxDksd
     * is there a lazy way to write the minus function (remove items from
       a list)? (votes: 4, answers: 3)
       http://bit.ly/c85gi9
     * "maybe"-like function for Bool and List? (votes: 3, answers: 3)
       http://bit.ly/biWCUl

Quotes of the Week

     * Cale: makes a fruit salad with some Abelian grapes and some
       Banananach spaces.
     * Cale: If you don't feel at sea most of the time that you're
       studying something, you're probably not learning fast enough.
     * jamy: windows Keyboard doesn't found. To rescan - press any key
     * kmc: we put the fun in -fundecidable
     * sipa: asking for experts before asking your questions prevents
       non-experts who know the answer as well from answering
     * monochrom: but yes there is hope that haskell 2039 becomes haskell
       1971, all is not lost.

Now or Updates Hackage Packages

     * anansi 0.2.1 - Simple literate programming preprocessor
       (JohnMillikin)
     * archlinux 0.3.3 - Support for working with Arch Linux packages
       (DonaldStewart)
     * aterm 0.1.0.0 - serialisation for Haskell values with sharing
       support (ChristianMaeder)
     * authenticate 0.6.6.1 - Authentication methods for Haskell web
       applications. (MichaelSnoyman)
     * bff 0.3.1.1 - Bidirectionalization for Free! (POPL'09)
       (DanielSeidel)
     * bidispec 0.1.3 - Specification of generators and parsers
       (StefanWehr)
     * bidispec-extras 0.1 - Extra helper functions for bidirectional
       specifications (StefanWehr)
     * bindings-apr 0.1 - Low level bindings to Apache Portable Runtime
       (APR) (MasatakeDaimon)
     * bindings-apr-util 0.1 - Low level bindings to Apache Portable
       Runtime Utility (APR Utility) (MasatakeDaimon)
     * bindings-libzip 0.1 - Low level bindings to libzip. (SergeyAstanin)
     * cabal2arch 0.7.4 - Create Arch Linux packages from Cabal packages
       (DonaldStewart)
     * certificate 0.3 - Certificates and Key Reader/Writer
       (VincentHanquez)
     * collada-output 0.2 - Generate animated 3d objects in COLLADA
       (TillmannVogt)
     * Crypto 4.2.2 - Collects together existing Haskell cryptographic
       functions into a package (CreightonHogg)
     * cuda 0.2.2 - FFI binding to the CUDA interface for programming
       NVIDIA GPUs (TrevorMcDonell)
     * dataenc 0.13.0.4 - Data encoding library (MagnusTherning)
     * deepseq 1.1.0.1 - Fully evaluate data structures (SimonMarlow)
     * ecu 0.0.4 - Tools for automotive ECU development. (TomHawkins)
     * enumerator 0.4.1 - Implementation of Oleg Kiselyov's left-fold
       enumerators (JohnMillikin)
     * equivalence 0.2.1 - Maintaining an equivalence relation implemented
       as union-find using STT. (PatrickBahr)
     * exception-monads-fd 0.2 - Exception monad transformer instances for
       monads-fd classes. (GeoffreyMainland)
     * exception-monads-tf 0.2 - Exception monad transformer instances for
       monads-tf classes. (GeoffreyMainland)
     * exception-mtl 0.2 - Type classes and monads for unchecked
       extensible exceptions. (GeoffreyMainland)
     * exception-transformers 0.2 - Type classes and monads for unchecked
       extensible exceptions. (GeoffreyMainland)
     * explicit-iomodes-text 0.1.0.2 - Extends explicit-iomodes with Text
       operations (BasVanDijk)
     * extemp 0.0.1 - automated printing for extemp speakers
       (SamAnklesaria)
     * fibon 0.1.0 - A reworking of the classic nofib benchmark suite
       (DavidPeixotto)
     * free-theorems-counterexamples 0.3.0.1 - Automatically Generating
       Counterexamples to Naive Free Theorems (DanielSeidel)
     * Fungi 1.0.4 - An interpreter for Funge-98 programming languages,
       including Befunge. (ThomasEding)
     * hakismet 0.1 - Akismet spam protection library (NilsSchweinsberg)
     * haskelldb 2.0 - A library of combinators for generating and
       executing SQL statements. (JustinBailey)
     * haskelldb-hdbc 2.0 - HaskellDB support for HDBC. (JustinBailey)
     * haskelldb-hdbc-odbc 2.0 - HaskellDB support for the HDBC ODBC
       driver. (JustinBailey)
     * haskelldb-hdbc-postgresql 2.0 - HaskellDB support for the HDBC
       PostgreSQL driver. (JustinBailey)
     * haskelldb-hdbc-sqlite3 2.0 - HaskellDB support for the HDBC SQLite
       driver. (JustinBailey)
     * haskelldb-th 2.0 - Template Haskell utilities for HaskellDB.
       (JustinBailey)
     * haskell-qrencode 1.0.2 - Haskell bindings for libqrencode.
       (JamesSanders)
     * haskell-src-exts 1.9.4 - Manipulating Haskell source: abstract
       syntax, lexer, parser, and pretty-printer (NiklasBroberg)
     * haskell-src-meta 0.2 - Parse source to template-haskell abstract
       syntax. (BenMillwood)
     * haskoon 0.3.1.1 - Web Application Abstraction (StefanWehr)
     * haskoon-httpspec 0.5.0.1 - Integrating HttpSpec with Haskoon
       (StefanWehr)
     * haskoon-salvia 0.4.0.2 - Integrating HttpSpec with Haskoon
       (StefanWehr)
     * hothasktags 0.1.1 - Generates ctags for Haskell, incorporating
       import lists and qualified imports (LukePalmer)
     * hsc3-process 0.3.1 - Create and control scsynth processes
       (StefanKersten)
     * HTF 0.5.0.0 - The Haskell Test Framework (StefanWehr)
     * httpspec 0.3.0.1 - Specification of HTTP request/response
       generators and parsers (StefanWehr)
     * hums 0.3.1 - Haskell UPnP Media Server (BardurArantsson)
     * hws 1.1.0.1 - Simple Haskell Web Server (SimonMarlow)
     * hxt-extras 0.4 - Extra functions for HXT (TonyMorris)
     * hxthelper 0.2.2 - Helper functions for HXT (StefanWehr)
     * language-c-comments 0.1 - Extracting comments from C code
       (MatthewSottile)
     * libpq 0.4.0 - libpq binding for Haskell (GrantMonroe)
     * LibZip 0.2.0 - Bindings to libzip, a library for manipulating zip
       archives. (SergeyAstanin)
     * loli 2010.10.9 - A minimum web dev DSL in Haskell (JinjingWang)
     * mainland-pretty 0.1.0.1 - Pretty printing designed for printing
       source code. (GeoffreyMainland)
     * memscript 0.0.1.0 - Command line utility for memorizing scriptures
       or any other text (KiYungAhn)
     * multiset 0.2.1 - The Data.MultiSet container type
       (TwanVanLaarhoven)
     * network-bytestring 0.1.3.1 - Fast, memory-efficient, low-level
       networking (JohanTibell)
     * parallel 3.1.0.1 - Parallel programming library (SimonMarlow)
     * persistent-sqlite 0.2.2.1 - Backend for the persistent library
       using sqlite3. (MichaelSnoyman)
     * plot 0.1.2 - A plotting library, exportable as eps/pdf/svg/png or
       renderable with gtk (VivianMcPhail)
     * polyseq 0.1.2.1 - Taming Selective Strictness (DanielSeidel)
     * proc 0.0.8 - Parse process information for Linux (AndyStewart)
     * pureMD5 2.1.0.1 - A Haskell-only implementation of the MD5 digest
       (hash) algorithm. (ThomasDuBuisson)
     * random-extras 0.18 - Additional functions for random values.
       (AristidBreitkreuz)
     * safer-file-handles-text 0.1.0.3 - Extends safer-file-handles with
       Text operations (BasVanDijk)
     * shaker 0.4.3 - simple and interactive command-line build tool
       (AnthoninBonnefoy)
     * smartGroup 0.2.1 - group strings by words in common (SamAnklesaria)
     * spata 2010.10.10 - brainless form validation (JinjingWang)
     * stream-monad 0.3 - Simple, Fair and Terminating Backtracking Monad
       (SebastianFischer)
     * tls 0.2 - TLS/SSL protocol native implementation (Server and
       Client) (VincentHanquez)
     * tree-monad 0.3 - Non-Determinism Monad for Tree Search
       (SebastianFischer)
     * uni-events 2.2.0.0 - Event handling for the uniform workbench
       (ChristianMaeder)
     * uni-graphs 2.2.0.0 - Graphs (ChristianMaeder)
     * uni-htk 2.2.0.0 - Graphical User Interface for Haskell Programs
       (ChristianMaeder)
     * uni-posixutil 2.2.0.0 - Posix utilities for the uniform workbench
       (ChristianMaeder)
     * uni-reactor 2.2.0.0 - Reactors for the uniform workbench
       (ChristianMaeder)
     * uni-uDrawGraph 2.2.0.0 - Graphs binding (ChristianMaeder)
     * uni-util 2.2.0.0 - Utilities for the uniform workbench
       (ChristianMaeder)
     * usb 0.6.0.2 - Communicate with USB devices (BasVanDijk)
     * wumpus-basic 0.10.0 - Common drawing utilities built on
       wumpus-core. (StephenTetley)
     * wumpus-core 0.35.0 - Pure Haskell PostScript and SVG generation.
       (StephenTetley)
     * wumpus-microprint 0.10.0 - Microprints - "greek-text" pictures.
       (StephenTetley)
     * wumpus-tree 0.9.0 - Drawing trees (StephenTetley)
     * xilinx-lava 5.0.1.4 - The Lava system for Xilinx FPGA design with
       layout combinators. (SatnamSingh)
     * xsd 0.3.3 - XML Schema data structures (TonyMorris)
     * yesod-auth 0.1.1 - Authentication for Yesod. (MichaelSnoyman)

 About the Haskell Weekly News

   New editions are posted to [13]the Haskell mailing list as well as to
   [14]the Haskell Sequence and [15]Planet Haskell. [16]RSS is also
   available, and headlines appear on [17]haskell.org.

   To help create new editions of this newsletter, please send stories to
   dstcruz * at * gmail * dot * com. The code used to produce this version
   of the newsletter is not yet publicly available, as it is a complete
   hack designed to get things started again.

Until next time,
Daniel Santa Cruz

References

   1. http://twitterfall.com/
   2. https://sites.google.com/site/haskellcommunitycalendar/home
   3. http://article.gmane.org/gmane.comp.lang.haskell.cafe/81530
   4. http://haskellers.com/
   5. http://osdir.com/ml/haskell-cafe@haskell.org/2010-10/msg00286.html
   6. http://osdir.com/ml/haskell-cafe@haskell.org/2010-10/msg00252.html
   7. http://article.gmane.org/gmane.comp.lang.haskell.cafe/81083
   8. http://article.gmane.org/gmane.comp.lang.haskell.cafe/81225
   9. http://donsbot.wordpress.com/2010/10/01/hackage-cabal-and-the-haskell-platfo...
  10. http://www.vimeo.com/15462768
  11. http://article.gmane.org/gmane.comp.lang.haskell.cafe/81345
  12. http://article.gmane.org/gmane.comp.lang.haskell.cafe/81366
  13. http://www.haskell.org/mailman/listinfo/haskell
  14. http://sequence.complete.org/
  15. http://planet.haskell.org/
  16. http://sequence.complete.org/node/feed
  17. http://haskell.org/