ForeignPtr-related signatures

[Sven Panne]

Malcolm Wallace wrote:
> [...] there was considerable sympathy for using new names for the
> C-finaliser-only functions, preferably incorporating the word "unsafe"
> [...]

I'd really prefer that, too.

Simon Marlow wrote:
> GHC 5.04.2 won't adopt any library changes, as it's only a patchlevel
> release (we don't make API changes between patchlevels, only major
> releases).

That's what I expected. Would it be possible to include the new functions
in 5.04.2? OK, that's an API change, too, but simple additions are rather
harmless. If we don't include this stuff now, there is no useful common
ForeignObj API for GHC/Hugs/NHC in the near future.

> [...] Also still unresolved is what to do about atomicModifyIORef and
> friends, BTW.

I remember atomicModifyIORef, but what are its "friends" exactly? PVars
have died, IIRC, and some cunning constraints on the execution order of
finalizers were rejected, too.

Cheers,
   S.