Ubuntu vs Mac: A Comparison of Import Syntax for Haskell

As a Haskell developer, getting started with the programming language can be overwhelming, especially when it comes to setting up an environment and installing necessary tools. In this article, we'll explore the differences in import syntax between Ubuntu and Mac systems.

Firstly, let's set up our Haskell project using Stack, the official build tool for Haskell projects. We'll create a new project called 'my-project' using the command `stack new my-project`. This will generate a basic directory structure for our project.

Next, we need to install the version of the Haskell IDE engine that corresponds to our compiler version 8.6.4. We can do this by cloning the repository and navigating to it using Git. The command is: `git clone -recurse-submodules haskell-ide-engine` followed by `cd haskell-ide-engine`.

Once we're in the Haskell IDE engine directory, we can check the version of our compiler using the command `stack ghc -version`. This should output 'The Glorious Glasgow Haskell Compilation System, version 8.6.4'.

Now that we have our project set up with the correct compiler version, let's explore the differences in import syntax between Ubuntu and Mac systems.

On an Ubuntu system, when importing modules in Haskell, you would use the following syntax:

```haskell

import Data.List (map)

```

This imports the `map` function from the `Data.List` module.

In contrast, on a Mac system using VS Code, the import syntax is slightly different. When installing the Haskell extension for VS Code, we need to install the Haskell IDE engine for our project's compiler version 8.6.4. This can be done by running the command `stack setup`.

After installing the Haskell IDE engine, we can use the following import syntax:

```haskell

import Data.List (map)

```

This is identical to the Ubuntu syntax.

However, if we're using a newer version of Xcode on our Mac system, we may need to update our Stack configuration to ensure that it's set up with the latest compiler and tools. To do this, make sure you're running the latest version of Xcode and then run the following command in your terminal:

```bash

stack setup

```

This will download the necessary components and configure our project for development.

In conclusion, while there are some differences between Ubuntu and Mac systems when it comes to setting up a Haskell environment, the import syntax remains largely unchanged. By following these steps, you can get started with Haskell programming on either an Ubuntu or Mac system and start exploring the benefits of functional programming.

Ubuntu vs mac import syntax