The GHC users guide has some more info on packages that may help: http://www.haskell.org/ghc/docs/latest/html/users_guide/packages.html
In answer to your question "what is a package?", it says "A package is a library of Haskell modules known to the compiler". -David On May 14, 2011, at 10:22 AM, Jake Penton wrote: > Greetings. > > What is a package? > > The reason I ask this question is stated below. If I am posting to the wrong > list, let me know. Also, my tone by be slightly abrasive: I am rather > frustrated. If I have misread the Cabal user's guide, or am otherwise have my > head up my butt, feel free to let me know. Also if I can help (which I doubt, > as a beginner) tell me how. > > My work involves becoming reasonably accomplished in haskell, at which I am a > relative beginner. As it is important to be able to use a language in its > natural ecosystem, I sat down yesterday to study packages, Cabal, and > ghc-pkg. I found this to be rather hard going, mostly because of the > documentation - particularly the Cabal user's guide. I appreciate the fact > that one of more people went to considerable effort to compose the user's > guide, which I get for free. However, I feel that editorial improvements are > in order. > > I find the user's guide unhelpful for several reasons, but I shall only point > out one thing in this post: The user's guide fails to provide, early on, > information that is IMHO essential to a clear understanding of cabal: What IS > a package, i.e. what does the physical implementation of a package look like? > > The user's guide dances all around this. It mentions the "aims" of cabal, > that it provides interfaces, that "developers write packages", that "users > install Cabal packages", etc. Under the subheading "Packages" the user's > guide says that a "package is the unit of distribution", etc. Ok.... > > The first hint that a package might possibly be implemented as a hierarchy of > directories/files is under the subheading "Creating a package", which makes > reference to adding files to the root directory of a package. If that is what > a package is (which I remain unsure about) this is too little information, > and far too late. To add to the confusion, the examples of packages given in > this subsection are NOT examples of packages. They are displays of some kind > of file or other - a package description file, or something - whatever a > .cabal file might be. > > In summary, I think the user's guide stands in need of a substantial rewrite. > > Thanks. > > - Jake - > > > > _______________________________________________ > cabal-devel mailing list > cabal-devel@haskell.org > http://www.haskell.org/mailman/listinfo/cabal-devel > _______________________________________________ cabal-devel mailing list cabal-devel@haskell.org http://www.haskell.org/mailman/listinfo/cabal-devel
