> I don't understand this. For old programmes, the right thing to do
> would surely be to use the compiler to determine which modules require
> the addition of "import Int", and if the standard prelude has the
> above declaration, wouldn't it make it harder? Probably one would put
> an explicit "default (Int)" in all the modules, which doesn't seem too
> much of a hardship.
The thrust of my mail message was to either do one of two things. It is plain
to see that having two integer types is in some sense a bad thing and so it
would be desirable to move adopt a proper integer type as the standard,
i.e., to fix on the current `Integer' type as the standard integral type.
Essentially what I am asking for (if any change is to be made) is for all the
current scripts that mention the Int type to be valid and do the right thing in
old and new Haskell, the only difference being that they will run (one hopes)
perhaps a little bit more slowly when compiled with the new compiler.
Maybe the best way to do this would be to move the current Int type into a
library module, renaming it to something appropriate (e.g. `FixedInt'), and
rename the `Integer' type to `Int' and to install the type synonym:
type Integer = Int
(I think I may have had `type Int = Integer' in the previous message...)
This type synonym could be transitional, to be deleted in the next revision of
the language, if there is one.
> I don't understand this. For old programmes, the right thing to do
> would surely be to use the compiler to determine which modules require
> the addition of "import Int", and if the standard prelude has the
> above declaration, wouldn't it make it harder?
What I am advocating (pleading for) is to be able to use whatever compiler, old
or new, to compile old programs that refer to Int.
If we cannot agree to this, or something equally simple that will not break
programs, then can we just make no change at all.
Sorry for any confusion caused by my previous rather telegraphic posting.
Cheers,
Chris Dornan [EMAIL PROTECTED]
University College Cork +353 21 903165
