SO, In anticipation of releasing a HP shortly (1 month?) after GHC 7.8... I'd like to get going on nailing down package versions.

I've been working intently on the new Haskell Platform build process (see the new-build branch), and have been building platforms against the release. Here is the description of versions I'm working with:

        [ incGHC                            "7.8"
        , incGHCLib "array"                 "0.5.0.0"
        , incGHCLib "base"                  "4.7.0.0"
        , incGHCLib "bytestring"            "0.10.4.0"
        , incGHCLib "Cabal"                 "1.18.1.3"
        , incGHCLib "containers"            "0.5.4.0"
        , incGHCLib "deepseq"               "1.3.0.2"
        , incGHCLib "directory"             "1.2.0.2"
        , incGHCLib "filepath"              "1.3.0.2"
        , incGHCLib "haskell2010"           "1.1.1.1"
        , incGHCLib "haskell98"             "2.0.0.3"
        , incGHCLib "hpc"                   "0.6.0.1"
        , incGHCLib "old-locale"            "1.0.0.6"
        , incGHCLib "old-time"              "1.1.0.2"
        , incGHCLib "pretty"                "1.1.1.1"
        , incGHCLib "process"               "1.2.0.0"
        , incGHCLib "template-haskell"      "2.9.0.0"
        , incGHCLib "time"                  "1.4.1"
        , incGHCLib "transformers"          "0.3.0.0"

        , notWindows $  incGHCLib "unix"    "2.7.0.1"
        , onlyWindows $ incGHCLib "Win32"   "2.3.0.1"

        , incLib "async"                    "2.0.1.5"
        , incLib "attoparsec"               "0.10.4.0"
        , incLib "case-insensitive"         "1.1.0.3"
        , incLib "cgi"                      "3001.1.7.5"
        , incLib "fgl"                      "5.4.2.4"
        , incLib "GLUT"                     "2.5.0.2"
        , incLib "GLURaw"                   "1.4.0.0"
        , incLib "haskell-src"              "1.0.1.5"
        , incLib "hashable"                 "1.2.1.0"
        , incLib "html"                     "1.0.1.2"
        , incLib "HTTP"                     "4000.2.10"
        , incLib "HUnit"                    "1.2.5.2"
        , incLib "mtl"                      "2.1.2"
        , incLib "network"                  "2.4.2.2"
        , incLib "OpenGL"                   "2.9.1.0"
        , incLib "OpenGLRaw"                "1.4.0.0"
        , incLib "parallel"                 "3.2.0.4"
        , incLib "parsec"                   "3.1.5"
        , incLib "primitive"                "0.5.2.1"
        , incLib "QuickCheck"               "2.6"
        , incLib "random"                   "1.0.1.1"
        , incLib "regex-base"               "0.93.2"
        , incLib "regex-compat"             "0.95.1"
        , incLib "regex-posix"              "0.95.2"
        , incLib "split"                    "0.2.2"
        , incLib "stm"                      "2.4.2"
        , incLib "syb"                      "0.4.1"
        , incLib "text"                     "1.1.0.0"
        , incLib "unordered-containers"     "0.2.3.3"
        , incLib "vector"                   "0.10.9.1"
        , incLib "xhtml"                    "3000.2.1"
        , incLib "zlib"                     "0.5.4.1"

        , incTool "cabal-install"           "1.18.0.3"
        , incTool "alex"                    "3.1.2"
        , incTool "happy"                   "1.19.2"

        , incTool "hscolour"                "1.20.3"
        , incTool "haddock"                 "2.14.0"
        ]

However, there are some issues to contend with:

Haddock - is there any reason not to use the version built and distributed with GHC 7.8?

Shipped w/GHC - GHC 7.8 ships with several more packages than we include in the platform. I want to review how these are handled:
possibly include in platform
        - binary-0.7.1.0
        - ghc-prim-0.3.1.0
        - hoopl-3.10.0.0
shouldn't include in platform
        - bin-package-db-0.0.0.0
        - integer-gmp-0.5.1.0
        - rts-1.0
shipped with GHC, but not registered in pkg-db, yet possible useful to include in platform:
        - haskeline-0.7.1.2
        - terminfo-0.4.0.0
        - xhtml-3000.2.1 -- already in platform, but HP re-builds it... seems silly?

cgi - no longer builds, and we've been unwilling to bring it forward because it pulls in MonadCatchIO-mtl

hscolour - never approved as part of platform, but we use it to generate the haddock in both GHC and the Platform - shouldn't we just include it?

New packages:
Last time we had a bunch we wanted... but timing, especially vis-a-vis 7.8 and the new Builder classes, caused us to delay them. Shall we include:
aeson
dlist (needed by aeson, which version?)
scientific (needed by aeson - or get aeson to subsume that code?)

anything else? now's the time to propose!

- Mark