-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 The obvious "evaluate x = x `seq` return x" fails one of the following laws for evaluate: " evaluate x `seq` y ==> y evaluate x `catch` f ==> (return $! x) `catch` f evaluate x >>= f ==> (return $! x) >>= f Note: the first equation implies that (evaluate x) is not the same as (return $! x). " However, strictness does not obey the monad laws. A correct definition for IO would be "evaluate x = (x `seq` return x) >>= return", or equally, "(return $! x) >>= return", or even more horrible-looking, "fmap id (return $! x)"! This works because (at least in present Haskell implementations) IO's (>>=) is not strict in its first argument. Noticing that this function has been implemented (slightly wrongly) for NHC in base, so I mention this odd suggestion. Isaac -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v1.4.6 (GNU/Linux) Comment: Using GnuPG with Mozilla - http://enigmail.mozdev.org iD8DBQFGPHKtHgcxvIWYTTURAmT2AKC+pipeHff1jVOCqxjOOz2p+6/JqQCeNqAN bjkaLwbn+BRVCya2e49diF4= =J9iV -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----