Hi all, Jeremy wrote:
There seems to be a fair amount of friction between those who want to introduce new features or fix significant historical warts in the base libraries - even if this requires breaking changes - and those who insist on no significant breaking changes in new releases, regardless of the reason or how much warning was given.
With respect, and without commenting on the merits of the proposal that is then outlined (Long-Term Support Haskell), I don't think this is an accurate description of the two main positions in the debate at all. Most of those who have argued against MRP, for example, have made it very clear that they are not at all against any breaking change. But they oppose breaking changes to Haskell itself, including central libraries, as defined by the Haskell report, unless the benefits are very compelling indeed. Speaking for myself, I have had to clarify this position a number of times now, as there has been a tendency by the some proponents of the proposed changes to suggest that those who disagree are against all changes, the long term implication being that Haskell would "stagnate and die". And in the light of the above, I felt compelled to clarify this position again. It's not about no more changes ever. It is about ensuring that changes are truly worthwhile and have wide support. Best, /Henrik -- Henrik Nilsson School of Computer Science The University of Nottingham nhn@cs.nott.ac.uk This message and any attachment are intended solely for the addressee and may contain confidential information. If you have received this message in error, please send it back to me, and immediately delete it. Please do not use, copy or disclose the information contained in this message or in any attachment. Any views or opinions expressed by the author of this email do not necessarily reflect the views of the University of Nottingham. This message has been checked for viruses but the contents of an attachment may still contain software viruses which could damage your computer system, you are advised to perform your own checks. Email communications with the University of Nottingham may be monitored as permitted by UK legislation.