shithub: MicroHs

--- a/README.md

+++ b/README.md

@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@

 Also note that there is no need to have a Haskell compiler to run MicroHs.

 All you need is a C compiler, and MicroHs can bootstrap, given the included combinator file.

-To install `mhs` use `make install`.  This will install `mhs` in `~/.mcabal` in the same

+To install `mhs` use `make minstall`.  This will install `mhs` in `~/.mcabal` in the same

 way as `mcabal` (MicroCabal) would have.  It will install a compiler binary and a compiled base package.

 You will have to add `~/.mcabal/bin` to your `PATH`.

@@ -99,6 +99,7 @@

    * UndecidableInstances

    * UndecidableSuperClasses

    * ViewPatterns

+ * The only extension that is not always on is `CPP`.

  * `main` in the top module given to `mhs` serves at the program entry point.

  * Many things that should be an error (but which are mostly harmless) are not reported.

  * Text file I/O uses UTF8, but the source code does not allow Unicode.

@@ -176,7 +177,7 @@

 * `-a` set package search path to empty

 * `-aDIR` prepend `DIR` to package search path

 * `-PPKG` create package `PKG`

-* `-LFILE` list all modules in a package

+* `-L[FILE]` list all modules in a package

 * `-Q FILE [DIR]` install package

 *  `--` marks end of compiler arguments

@@ -333,6 +334,20 @@

 and use `-a` to control it.  There is absolutely no checks for consistency among packages.

 There is also no compatibility between packages compiled with different versions of the compiler.

+### Hackage

+Hackage is full of great packages, unfortunately most of them contain some GHC specific code.

+There is a handful packages that works with mhs out of the box, or have been converted:

+* `containers`

+* `cpphs`

+* `hscolour`

+* `mtl` changes not merged yet, use [github.com/augustss/mtl](https://github.com/augustss/mtl)

+* `parsec` changes not merged yet, use [github.com/augustss/aprsec](https://github.com/augustss/parsec)

+* `polyparse`

+* `pretty`

+* `time`

+* `transformers`

+Some of these might not have be released on hackage yet, but the github repo works.

 ## Files

 There is a number of subdirectories:

 * `Tools/` a few useful tools for compressions etc.

@@ -359,6 +374,8 @@

 * `-KSIZE` set stack size to `SIZE` entries, can be suffixed by `k`, `M`, or `G`, default is`100k`

 * `-rFILE` read combinators from `FILE`, instead of `out.comb`

 * `-v` be more verbose, flag can be repeated

+* `-T` generate profiling stats (if compiled with `-T` as well)

+* `-oFILE` just read the input, run garbage collection, and write out the resulting graph to file.

 For example, `bin/mhseval +RTS -H1M -v -RTS hello` runs `out.comb` and the program gets the argument `hello`,

 whereas the runtime system sets the heap to 1M cells and is verbose.

@@ -368,6 +385,8 @@

 When running the program directly (using `-r`) or when generating a `.comb` file only the functions in the table built

 into `src/runtime/eval.c` can be used.  When generating a `.c` file or an executable any C function can be called.

+There is a lot of missing FFI functionality compared to GHC.

 ### Records

 MicroHs implements the record dot extensions.

 So accessing a field `a` in record `r` is written `r.a`, as well as the usual `a r`.

@@ -382,10 +401,11 @@

 Note that record updates cannot change the type of polymorphic fields.

-### Features

+### Serialization

 The runtime system can serialize and deserialize any expression

 and keep its graph structure (sharing and cycles).

-The only exceptions to this are C pointers (e.g., file handles), which cannot be serialized (except for `stdin`, `stdout`, and `stderr`).

+The only exceptions to this are C pointers (e.g., file handles),

+which cannot be serialized (except for `stdin`, `stdout`, and `stderr`).

 ### Memory layout

 Memory allocation is based on cells.  Each cell has room for two pointers (i.e., two words, typically 16 bytes),

@@ -434,7 +454,7 @@

 # FAQ

   * Q: When will it get _insert feature_?

-  * A: Maybe some time, maybe never.

+  * A: Maybe some time, maybe never.  But it doesn't hurt to ask for it.

   * Q: Why are the error messages so bad?

   * A: Error messages are boring.

@@ -442,10 +462,3 @@

   * Q: Why is the so much source code?

   * A: I wonder this myself.  10000+ lines of Haskell seems excessive.

        6000+ lines of C is also more than I'd like for such a simple system.

-*

-  * Q: Why are the binaries so big?

-  * A: The combinator file is rather verbose.  The combinator file

-       for the compiler shrinks from 350kB to 75kB when compressed with upx.

-       The evaluator alone is about 70kB (26kB compressed with upx).