Garry Hodgson writes: "Isaac Jones" wrote:

Haskell' will be a conservative refinement of Haskell 98. It will be the work of this committee to adopt a set of language extensions and modifications and to standardize *a new set of libraries.* [emphasis mine]

excellent. just please please please don't give short shrift to the libraries, as this is what will make or break any effort to make haskell more useful to the development community at large. have a look at the set of libraries that come with python to get an idea of a useful starting point. i recognize that libs are not academically sexy, and that this would require a great amount of resources. but starting with the notion that haskell should have an equivalent set, and then giving ground where necessary, would be far better than assuming a minimal set that users will augment. because they won't. they'll just use python.

This standard will reflect the realities of developing practical applications in the Haskell language.

excellent. play close attention to the "out of the box" experience. if i can install it, run the examples, maybe have some useful command among them, i'm far more likely to invest the effort to go further. make sure it plays well with others. if i can write code that i can use alongside my other code in other languages, integrate into my build system, and distribute in running form without requiring handstands from my users, i'm far more likely to use it for actual work. there's a threshold of effort required to adopt any new language. the lower you can make that threshold, the more people will take that first step. note: please don't anyone take this as a python flame, or an invitation to start one. i love python. i love haskell. i use python on a daily basis because i can get stuff done with it. ---- Garry Hodgson, Technical Consultant, AT&T Labs