Bug#946102: ghc: Please add unregisterised binary package

[Asher Gordon]

Package: ghc
Version: 8.8.1+dfsg2-1~exp1
Severity: wishlist

Dear Maintainer,

The GHC packaged with Debian is registerised (or "not unregisterised"?),
meaning that it cannot compile to C code (with the -C option). While
being unregisterised is usually good (generates faster code), it is
sometimes useful to generate C code. For example, to examine how Haskell
programs work if you know C but are learning Haskell (my situation) or
if you just want to understand Haskell better. It could also be useful
for cross compilation and maybe other things too.

My suggestion is to build a new binary package (from the same source
package) called "ghc-unregisterised". Then you could have
"/usr/bin/ghc-unregisterised" so as not to conflict with the regular ghc
package. Maybe even use update-alternatives. You would also have to
rename "/usr/lib/ghc" to "/usr/lib/ghc-unregisterised".


Thanks,
Asher


-- 
Reader, suppose you were an idiot.  And suppose you were a member of
Congress.  But I repeat myself.
                -- Mark Twain

GPG fingerprint: 38F3 975C D173 4037 B397  8095 D4C9 C4FC 5460 8E68


-- System Information:
Debian Release: bullseye/sid
  APT prefers testing
  APT policy: (500, 'testing')
Architecture: amd64 (x86_64)

Kernel: Linux 5.3.0-2-amd64 (SMP w/2 CPU cores)
Kernel taint flags: TAINT_FIRMWARE_WORKAROUND
Locale: LANG=en_US.UTF-8, LC_CTYPE=en_US.UTF-8 (charmap=UTF-8), LANGUAGE=en_US.UTF-8 (charmap=UTF-8)
Shell: /bin/sh linked to /bin/dash
Init: systemd (via /run/systemd/system)
LSM: AppArmor: enabled

Versions of packages ghc depends on:
ii  dpkg                              1.19.7
ii  gcc                               4:9.2.1-3.1
ii  libbsd-dev                        0.10.0-1
ii  libc6                             2.29-3
ii  libc6-dev                         2.29-3
ii  libffi-dev                        3.2.1-9
ii  libffi6                           3.2.1-9
ii  libgmp-dev                        2:6.1.2+dfsg-4
ii  libgmp10                          2:6.1.2+dfsg-4
ii  libncurses-dev [libncurses5-dev]  6.1+20191019-1
ii  libncurses5-dev                   6.1+20191019-1
ii  libtinfo6                         6.1+20191019-1

ghc recommends no packages.

Versions of packages ghc suggests:
it  ghc-doc      8.8.1+dfsg1+is+8.6.5+dfsg1-2
pn  ghc-prof     <none>
ii  haskell-doc  20061128
ii  llvm-7       1:7.0.1-9+b2
ii  perl         5.30.0-9

-- no debconf information
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