diff --git a/pkgs/development/compilers/ghc-6.8/default.nix b/pkgs/development/compilers/ghc-6.8/ghc-6.8.2.nix
similarity index 100%
rename from pkgs/development/compilers/ghc-6.8/default.nix
rename to pkgs/development/compilers/ghc-6.8/ghc-6.8.2.nix
diff --git a/pkgs/development/compilers/ghc-6.8/snapshot.nix b/pkgs/development/compilers/ghc-6.8/ghc-6.8.3.nix
similarity index 84%
rename from pkgs/development/compilers/ghc-6.8/snapshot.nix
rename to pkgs/development/compilers/ghc-6.8/ghc-6.8.3.nix
index 8258e45e6bb..96655d5d7b3 100644
--- a/pkgs/development/compilers/ghc-6.8/snapshot.nix
+++ b/pkgs/development/compilers/ghc-6.8/ghc-6.8.3.nix
@@ -1,15 +1,15 @@
 {stdenv, fetchurl, readline, ghc, perl, m4, gmp, ncurses}:
 
 stdenv.mkDerivation (rec {
-  name = "ghc-6.8.2.20080602";
+  name = "ghc-6.8.3";
   homepage = "http://www.haskell.org/ghc";
 
   src = map fetchurl [
     { url    = "${homepage}/dist/stable/dist/${name}-src.tar.bz2";
-      sha256 = "06374d2a65671a21b4ce44a84333cedf4a5f5e0adbb837e8985c6b46b5de4249";
+      sha256 = "1fc1ff82a555532f1c9d2dc628fd9de5e6ebab2ce6ee9490a34174ceb6f76e6b";
     }
     { url    = "${homepage}/dist/stable/dist/${name}-src-extralibs.tar.bz2";
-      sha256 = "0dfea592d6be5838fa7db85a65b7d38b97451b829afe3b03a790350a9591b470";
+      sha256 = "ee2f5ba6a46157fc53eae515cb6fa1ed3c5023e7eac15981d92af0af00ee2ba2";
     }
   ];
 
diff --git a/pkgs/development/compilers/ghc-6.8/head.nix b/pkgs/development/compilers/ghc-6.8/head.nix
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..21f5859d28a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkgs/development/compilers/ghc-6.8/head.nix
@@ -0,0 +1,46 @@
+{stdenv, fetchurl, readline, ghc, perl, m4, gmp, ncurses}:
+
+stdenv.mkDerivation (rec {
+  name = "ghc-6.9.20080615";
+  homepage = "http://www.haskell.org/ghc";
+
+  src = map fetchurl [
+    { url    = "${homepage}/dist/current/dist/${name}-src.tar.bz2";
+      sha256 = "705a43506a4e4c2449c26eb5179c810dbeab7eda519c222670e67313eae167c1";
+    }
+    { url    = "${homepage}/dist/current/dist/${name}-src-extralibs.tar.bz2";
+      sha256 = "39c573e57346069d80adff61cea239d382f66c43201948e4cee4305bb58eca88";
+    }
+  ];
+
+  buildInputs = [ghc readline perl m4 gmp];
+
+  # The setup hook is executed by other packages building with ghc.
+  # It then looks for package configurations that are available and
+  # build a package database on the fly.
+  setupHook = ./setup-hook.sh;
+
+  meta = {
+    description = "The Glasgow Haskell Compiler";
+  };
+
+  configureFlags=[
+    "--with-gmp-libraries=${gmp}/lib"
+    "--with-gmp-includes=${gmp}/include"
+    "--with-readline-libraries=${readline}/lib"
+    "--with-gcc=${gcc}/bin/gcc"
+  ];
+
+  # preConfigure = "
+  #   # still requires a hack for ncurses
+  #   sed -i \"s|^\\\(ld-options.*$\\\)|\\\1 -L${ncurses}/lib|\" libraries/readline/readline.buildinfo.in
+  # ";
+
+  preConfigure = ''
+    # should not be present in a clean distribution
+    rm utils/pwd/pwd
+  '';
+
+  inherit (stdenv) gcc;
+  inherit readline gmp ncurses;
+})
diff --git a/pkgs/top-level/all-packages.nix b/pkgs/top-level/all-packages.nix
index f7061b36bfc..1b2a1498747 100644
--- a/pkgs/top-level/all-packages.nix
+++ b/pkgs/top-level/all-packages.nix
@@ -1528,18 +1528,23 @@ let pkgs = rec {
   #  m4 = gnum4;
   #};
 
-  ghc = ghc68;
+  ghc = ghc683;
 
-  ghc68 = import ../development/compilers/ghc-6.8 {
+  ghc682 = import ../development/compilers/ghc-6.8/ghc-6.8.2.nix {
     inherit fetchurl stdenv readline perl gmp ncurses m4;
     ghc = ghcboot;
   };
 
-  ghc683snapshot = import ../development/compilers/ghc-6.8/snapshot.nix {
+  ghc683 = import ../development/compilers/ghc-6.8/ghc-6.8.3.nix {
     inherit fetchurl stdenv readline perl gmp ncurses m4;
     ghc = ghcboot;
   };
 
+  ghc69snapshot = import ../development/compilers/ghc-6.8/head.nix {
+    inherit fetchurl stdenv readline perl gmp ncurses m4;
+    ghc = ghc683;
+  };
+
   ghc661 = import ../development/compilers/ghc-6.6.1 {
     inherit fetchurl stdenv readline perl58 gmp ncurses m4;
     ghc = ghcboot;
@@ -3648,12 +3653,19 @@ let pkgs = rec {
 
   # cabal is a utility function to build cabal-based
   # Haskell packages
-  cabal68 = import ../development/libraries/haskell/cabal/cabal.nix {
+  cabal682 = import ../development/libraries/haskell/cabal/cabal.nix {
     inherit stdenv fetchurl;
-    ghc = ghc68;
+    ghc = ghc682;
   };
 
-  cabal = cabal68;
+  # cabal is a utility function to build cabal-based
+  # Haskell packages
+  cabal683 = import ../development/libraries/haskell/cabal/cabal.nix {
+    inherit stdenv fetchurl;
+    ghc = ghc683;
+  };
+
+  cabal = cabal683;
 
   Crypto = import ../development/libraries/haskell/Crypto {
     inherit cabal;