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Diffstat (limited to 'ghc/docs/release_notes/0-16-notes.lit')
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diff --git a/ghc/docs/release_notes/0-16-notes.lit b/ghc/docs/release_notes/0-16-notes.lit deleted file mode 100644 index ba2d504062..0000000000 --- a/ghc/docs/release_notes/0-16-notes.lit +++ /dev/null @@ -1,106 +0,0 @@ -Release~0.16 was the second public release of this compilation system. -It was primarily a bug-fixing and ``solidifying'' release. - -The announcement for this release is distributed as \tr{ANNOUNCE-0.16} -in the top-level directory. - -%************************************************************************ -%* * -\subsection[0-16-new-docs]{New documentation} -%* * -%************************************************************************ - -We're providing a few more papers, in \tr{ghc/docs/papers}. See -\tr{ghc/docs/README} for a full list of documentation. - -%************************************************************************ -%* * -\subsection[0-16-new-in-compiler]{New in the compiler proper} -%* * -%************************************************************************ - -New strictness analyser and update analyser; their use will be -reflected in the pragmas in your interface files. The format of these -interface pragmas {\em will probably change}. - -Errors related to misuse of Prelude identifiers are more likely to be -caught. - -For some unknown reason, our ``wired-in'' default declaration in 0.10 was -\tr{default (Integer,Double)}. We changed it to -\tr{default (Int,Double)}, as the Report suggests (which is less safe). - -We've switched from basing our derived instances on a non-standard -@cmp3@ method (class @Ord@), to basing them on another non-standard -method @tagCmp@. The relevant types and things are... -\begin{verbatim} -cmp3 :: b -> b -> b -> a -> a -> b - -tagCmp :: a -> a -> CMP_TAG -data CMP_TAG = LT_TAG | EQ_TAG | GT_TAG -\end{verbatim} -If you peer into the \tr{ghc/lib/prelude/*.hs} code, it will be -obvious what's going on here. We hope to make further improvements -on comparison code in the foreseeable future. - -%************************************************************************ -%* * -\subsection[0-16-new-in-libraries]{In the prelude and runtime support} -%* * -%************************************************************************ - -The libraries underpinning Glasgow monadic I/O, sequencing, primitive -arrays, and variables have been reworked, with some consequent -changes. If you encounter difficulties, you should consult the -@PreludeGlaIO.hi@ and @PreludeGlaArray.hi@ interfaces in your -\tr{imports} directory. - -Andy Gill's proposal for access to standard Haskell I/O functions from -the monadic I/O world has been implemented. So you have functions -such as @getArgsIO@, @appendChanIO@, etc., etc. - -The stuff you used to get from @Stdio.hi@ now comes directly from -@PreludeGlaIO.hi@. - -The @packString#@ function has been moved into a module of its own, -@PackedString@, and {\em its type has changed}. The functions now in -that module are (to be elaborated...): -\begin{verbatim} -packString :: String -> PackedString -packString# :: String -> Arr# Char# -\end{verbatim} -The latter is very useful to preparing @String@ arguments to pass to C. - -The HBC library modules that compile readily with GHC are available, -you'll need to give a \tr{-lHShbc} option to the driver. These -modules are: -\begin{verbatim} -Either, Hash, ListUtil, Maybe, Miranda, Number, Parse, Pretty, QSort, -Random, Time, Word -\end{verbatim} - -The GNU multi-precision (GMP) package which underpins our @Integer@ -support has been upgraded to version 1.3.2. - -%************************************************************************ -%* * -\subsection[0-16-new-elsewhere]{New elsewhere} -%* * -%************************************************************************ - -0.16 has a new and much uglier ``assembler mangler'' -(\tr{ghc/driver/ghc-asm-*.lprl}), which is what converts GCC-produced -assembly-language output into the stuff you actually run. Besides -throwing away function prologues/epilogues, it parks ``info tables'' -next to entry code, and fast-entry code right next to slow-entry code. - -The net effect of this assembler-mangler is that there is {\em very -little runtime penalty} for compiling via GCC. - -The way we go about mapping ``STG registers'' to real machine -registers (\tr{ghc/imports/StgRegs.lh}) is different. It should be -particularly better for machines with few registers (though we still -don't have a good solution for x86 machines). - -We can now ``steal'' caller-save registers; in the past, we could only -steal callee-save registers. |