please release cabal-install with bootstrap.sh that works for ghc-8.8.3

[jwaldmann]

with ghc-8.8.3, bootstrapping cabal-install does not work since the version for HTTP is incompatible with the version of base for that compiler.

I see that you already addressed and solved this in b6f7ec5

This issue here is about releasing the resulting source tarball on hackage.

If that's not possible -- is there some other work-around (short of patching the file manually)? E.g., can we put --allow-newer somewhere during bootstrapping, and would that help?

NB: My use case is is first-time users (students - who do this at home because of the lockdown). They want to build everything on the same ghc version, similar to #6327 (packagers). I know there are alternatives, e.g.,

• bootstrap cabal-install with previous ghc
• use Haskell platform binary (does it exist for 8.8.3?)
• use other binary distribution mechanism (stack)
• use some online service instead of local installation.

none of which I really like, e.g., I don't want to teach "wget .. | sudo sh". Well, I guess that's my problem then.

[phadej]

Please don't use bootstrap.sh script if you have older cabal.

The primary way of installation of cabal-install from source is cabal install cabal-install.

[phadej]

I'm tempted to remove bootstrap.sh from source distribution. It's not meant for large public.

[phadej]

Thanks to @m-renaud we now have Getting started page in the users guide. It says

To install the Haskell toolchain follow the ghcup instructions if you’re using Linux or Mac, or follow this guide if you’re using Windows.

[hvr]

@jwaldmann I'd like to understand your problem a bit better; by which means do you procure the GHC binaries? And why doesn't the same mechanism suffice for cabal as well?

[jwaldmann]

Thanks. I didn't know about ghcup. It solves the cabal-install bootstrapping problem by picking a binary from https://downloads.haskell.org/cabal/cabal-install-3.2.0.0/
I didn't know such a resource exists.

[jwaldmann]

@hvr didn't notice your question at first.

• ghc: install binary package from haskell.org/ghc
• cabal-install: I didn't know there are "offical" binary packages.

I wanted to avoid third-party binaries.

[hvr]

@jwaldmann I'm glad your concern was actually addressed then! :-)

Btw, is there anything we can do to improve the discoverability in a way that would have saved you from not being aware of this?

PS: Speaking of official binary dists; there's also https://downloads.haskell.org/debian/