Bug#603529: RFP: scala2.8 -- The Scala programming language (version 2.8)

[Ken Bloom <kbloom@gmail.com>]

Package: wnpp
Severity: wishlist

* Package name    : scala2.8
  Version         : 2.8.1
  Upstream Author : Martin Odersky <martin.odersky@epfl.ch>
* URL             : http://www.scala-lang.org/
* License         : BSD-like
  Programming Lang: Java/Scala
  Description     : The Scala programming language (version 2.8)

 Scala is a Java-compatible programming language with many
 modern language features.  It is Java-compatible in that
 Scala and Java classes can directly reference each other and
 subclass each other with no glue code needed.  It
 includes modern language features such as closures,
 pattern-matching, parametric types, and virtual type members.
 .
 This package includes the various tools used to develop
 code written in Scala.  It includes a compiler (scalac),
 an interpreter and script runner (scala), the offline
 compiler (fsc), and source-scanning documentation
 generator (scaladoc).

-- END DESCRIPTION --

This is version 2.8 of the Scala programming language. It is different
from Scala 2.7.7 currently in the Debian archive (packaged simply as
"scala"). The extent of the differences is roughly similar to the
differences between Ruby 1.8 vs Ruby 1.9, or the different versions of
python currently in the archive. Therefore, scala 2.8 should be
packaged separately from Scala 2.7 so that both can coexist.

Scala 2.8 is definitely binary-incompatible with Scala 2.7.7 (in fact,
all of the Scala 2.7.x releases were mutually binary-incompatible),
and breaks backward-compatiblity at the source level as well (though
many programs will need few or no changes).
Scala 2.8.x is intended to remain binary-compatible and
source-compatible throughout the lifetime of the 2.8.x series.