Haskell to Thumb

[Simon Peyton-Jones]

Greg

Interesting.  There are some narrow issues, like actually generating ARM code.  (I'm not sure whether we have an ARM back end at all at the moment.)  Then some wider ones, which I call "platform issues" that often turn out to be more substantial than they look: getting GHC's runtime system to run on a mobile phone (the OS API is probably rather different to Unix), getting code size down so it fits, libraries, interfacing to the phone environment.   Actually generating the instructions might turn out to be the easy bit.

I can see various ways to proceed:

*         You could use our current C back end, using gcc to convert C to ARM code.  Then tackle the platform issues.

*         You could add an ARM back end.  As I say that's the easy bit - but still fun. Also NB that the code generation architecture is in flux.

*         Broadcast your interest on the Haskell mailing list.  Others might be interested or might have done stuff already.

Simon


From: Greg Fitzgerald [mailto:garious at gmail.com]
Sent: 01 November 2007 17:31
To: Simon Peyton-Jones
Subject: Haskell to Thumb

Simon,

I'm very interested in cross-compiling Haskell to ARM's Thumb architecture.  Between your work with STM and XMonad demonstrating how user-contributed code can be run safely within the same address space, Haskell suddenly looks very appealing in the embedded space.  I'd love to see Haskell code running on cell phones around the world and users freely contributing "untrusted" code, bypassing prohibitively expensive verification procedures.

Would it be possible for me to contribute here?  If so, how can I get started?

Thanks,
Greg


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