blame: mtl MonadReader instance for ContT

Nicolas Frisby nicolas.frisby at gmail.com
Mon Dec 22 13:19:44 EST 2008


This mtl instance is in conflict with a usage of shift/reset that I'm
porting from ML (Sheard's type-directed partial evaluator).

> instance (MonadReader r' m) => MonadReader r' (ContT r m) where
>     local f m = ContT $ \c -> do
>         r <- ask
>         local f (runContT m (local (const r) . c))

I need to remove the "local (const r)" bit. I think this is just a
different point in the diverse design space of dynamic
binding/delimited control. Since Haskell lacks visibility management
for importing instances, I'm forced to duplicate the rest of the ContT
code in order to replace this instance with my own.

1) I am hoping this list can recall the reason for putting this design
decision into the mtl. Perhaps there's a reason to prefer this
particular side-effect interaction.

2) I am suggesting that the mtl be restructured such that this
instance be delegated to a separate module so that
      i) I can avoid importing it along with the other useful instances
      ii) and the mtl could provide alternative instances.
    An alternative to breaking out the modules would be to not provide
the instance.
    Another, more radical alternative could involve phantom types.

I don't know of any in the mtl, but this same consideration might be
applicable to other libraries with "arbitrary" instances.


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