On Wed, Aug 27, 2008 at 1:58 AM, Jason Dagit <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >> 2) Compile GHC yourself. You can even compile and install GHC (and most >> Haskell software) on a dedicated user account. In this way you avoid >> messing up you Debian installation if something goes wrong. > > I find with Debian this is the way to go. Install your system and use > Debian's packages for everything, and then install your own copy of > anything for which you care what version you're running. > > Not everyone will like this option, but I find it's a decent balance > between using what Debian provides and getting the satisfaction of > using the versions of things I care about.
I've always used the version of ghc that comes with debian. Part of creating decent software is making sure that it compiles with a stable non-bleeding-edge compiler that is readily available to users. But that's probably because I'm lazy, and would rather write software that just works than play with the latest bells and whistles. I have had to compile ghc myself on a few occasions to help the ghc folks track down compiler bugs (i.e. to check behavior under a different compiler), but for normal use, I would say the sane thing is to stick with the debian version of ghc. David _______________________________________________ Haskell-Cafe mailing list Haskell-Cafe@haskell.org http://www.haskell.org/mailman/listinfo/haskell-cafe