| However, even if NT were completely stable, Haskell would still suffer
| from being limited to the win32 platform. Haskell will be a success if
| it is supported by the larges community possible. Since Haskell is
| relying on an opensource model, it should support the platforms most used
| by open source developers e.g. linux/unix. I know that MSFT is
| effectively subsidizing haskell development, but that doesn't mean that
| Haskell should not be cross platform. In our case, some of our developers
| work on win32, and others work on linux or solaris. We cannot use tools
| that are platform specific.
I'd hate to think that anyone might misinterpret Alex's comments here.
Haskell is not limited to the Win32 platform, and neither are the tools
that I think Alex was refering to. Both Hugs and GHC can be used on a
range of different platforms, including linux and unix. Things have
been this way for a long time and, to the best of my knowledge, everyone
involved with these systems is committed to continuing cross-platform
support and development for the foreseeable future.
Microsoft has indeed demonstrated its support for Haskell, for example,
by appointing Simon to his current position, but this is a comparatively
recent development. For a long time prior to that, and still continuing
today, I think you'll find that the biggest sponsor for GHC and Hugs is
actually the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) in
the UK. And let me not forget the additional funds from US Government
sources and others to fund the work of Paul Hudak's group at Yale, as well
as the investment that OGI is now making to support Hugs. So please let's
give credit where it is due!
As I said in the Hugs update that I posted last month:
"We remain committed to making Hugs available on as wide a range
of platforms as we can; our goal is to make high-quality, robust
functional programming tools available to as large an audience as
possible. Of course, we will always be grateful for contributions
and assistance that help us to meet these goals."
I hope this clarifies the situation.
Mark
