8.1. Tools¶

Install the mentioned Haskell tools.

8.1.1. Installing the compiler¶

Method 1 - platform first
1. Install the correct Haskell platform distribution for your system (for instance the package cabal-install).
2. Install stack. Either from source with cabal install stack or by downloading it from the website.
Advantages:

With this approach you’ll have the ghc and ghci as well as cabal and haddock commands directly available to you on the command line after installation.

Disadvantages:

You’ll have to keep your installation of these tools up to date. If you later run stack install haddock to get a newer version of haddock it will shadow the previously globally installed tool.
Method 2 - stack first
1. Install stack from the website.
2. Use the stack setup command on the command line to have stack install ghc for you.
Advantages:

No stray ghc etc. executables.

Disadvantages:

You have to separately install haddock with stack install haddock if you need haddock directly.
Make sure the stack executable is on your $PATH.

Stack can update itself (if you want to). In this case it’ll always install the new version in some user-local binary directory (~/.local/bin on UNIX). Therefore you also have to ensure this directory is on your $PATH. This is also important as all other executables which you install with stack are placed in this directory (including the ones you wrote yourself).

You may ask for help for finding said support.