GHC now runs in the browser

The Haskell world just tossed a glitter bomb into the browser: GHC — the language’s main compiler — now runs fully client‑side thanks to WebAssembly (a tech that lets non‑JavaScript code run on the web). There’s even a playground demo, delivered with a cheeky ‘terms and conditions apply’ — translation: expect some jank. Early testers reported Brave loads after a mini freeze and throws a warning about the Monaco editor worker, while Safari leaves the Run button sitting there like a prop. So, yes, it’s flashy… with a few gremlins.

The comments? Deliciously split. One camp is pure "but what is this for?" skepticism, led by practical‑minded voices asking for real‑world uses. Another camp is pumped: one educator says this could’ve massively simplified teaching Haskell online, hinting at instant coding lessons without installs. Meanwhile, the tech‑heads dove straight into the weeds: is this using WasmGC (a new memory cleanup feature for WebAssembly) or rolling its own garbage collector? And then the comparison questions arrived: how is this different from Microsoft’s Blazor Wasm, which lets you write websites without JavaScript?

Cue the drama: is this the start of serious in‑browser Haskell development, or just a very cool science fair project? Either way, the spectacle has everyone clicking, questioning, and arguing — which is half the fun. For the confused, a kind soul even linked what GHC is: the official Haskell compiler.