Like Scheme, Haskell has a couple of different implementations. The dominant one, and the one we recommend you install, is called [GHC](https://wiki.haskell.org/GHC), short for "Glasgow Haskell Compiler". To install this on your machine, there are a couple of different strategies. It's helpful to understand some lingo as you begin this process:
* As mentioned, **GHC** is the main Haskell engine or compiler you'll be installing. The current version is 7.8.4, from December 2014.
* **gcc** and **llvm/clang** and **Xcode** and **MinGW** are names for other compilers on various systems. Oftentimes these will be used during the installation process to get GHC up and running. Some of the strategies described below will help you install these if they're not already on your machine.
* **alex** and **happy** and **haddock** are names of various Haskell helper programs that GHC uses to get up and running.
* **cabal** is a "package manager" for Haskell. It allows you to install libraries or extensions that other people have built. (Usually those are published at the [Hackage](https://hackage.haskell.org) Package Database.) Some of these are experimental and may not always work; others are quite fundamental and are almost de facto parts of what people expect in a Haskell system.
Like Scheme, Haskell has a couple of different implementations. The dominant one, and the one we recommend you install, is called [GHC](https://wiki.haskell.org/GHC), short for "Glasgow Haskell Compiler". To install this on your machine, there are a couple of different strategies. It's helpful to understand some lingo as you begin this process:
* As mentioned, **GHC** is the main Haskell engine or compiler you'll be installing. The current version is 7.8.4, from December 2014.
* **gcc** and **llvm/clang** and **Xcode** and **MinGW** are names for other compilers on various systems. Oftentimes these will be used during the installation process to get GHC up and running. Some of the strategies described below will help you install these if they're not already on your machine.
* **alex** and **happy** and **haddock** are names of various Haskell helper programs that GHC uses to get up and running.
* **cabal** is a "package manager" for Haskell. It allows you to install libraries or extensions that other people have built. (Usually those are published at the [Hackage](https://hackage.haskell.org) Package Database.) Some of these are experimental and may not always work; others are quite fundamental and are almost de facto parts of what people expect in a Haskell system.