RE: cvs commit: fptools/hdirect/mk config.mk fptools/green-card/m k config.mk

Hi Alastair.

I've CC'ed to Simon and Sigbjorn so that there are no surprises for anyone.


My CVS entry:

> > Towards a complete build including utilities and compiler.


You asked:

> Is this part of a move to get a fresh GreenCard out the door?


No.  I'm after a self consistent installation of GHC and the main tools.

I particularly want a version of HDirect which builds with and generates
code for the current compiler.  I believe that this is more likely to happen
if the tools can optionally be drawn into the nightly build.

Greencard and Happy are basically coming along for the ride, although
Greencard is important from my prespective because the Win32 library depends
on it.

> If so, it'd be good to also:

> - update StdDIS so that it is shared between Hugs and GHC (NHC too?)
>  and so that it supports the new FFI types (Ptr, ForeignPtr, etc.) as
>  well or instead of the old FFI types.

> - kill the Hugs-specific backend since the ffi backend is at least
>  as good and will be the only one supported in future releases.

> The first is most important but also most delicate unless we want to
> have to update X11 and Win32 at the same time.  (Updating them is good,
> having to do it concurrently is less good.)

The problem is that I don't know much about Greencard, even less about NHC
and almost nothing about Hugs.  Any spare time I have for this particular
project will probably be aimed at getting the HDirect tree to build and work
with GHC 5.04.x/5.05 - even this aim has been stalled for a few months due
to lack of time.

Cheers

Mike thomas.