diff --git a/bin/compile b/bin/compile
index 8daa19a..4a512ab 100755
--- a/bin/compile
+++ b/bin/compile
@@ -5,45 +5,58 @@ set -e
 
 source $(dirname $0)/../scripts/functions
 
-loginfo() { echo "Info: $*"; }
-error() { echo "Error: $*" >&2; exit 1; }
-
 BUILD_DIR=$1
-echo "Info: BUILD_DIR=$BUILD_DIR"
+loginfo "BUILD_DIR=$BUILD_DIR"
 CACHE_DIR=$2
-echo "Info: CACHE_DIR=$CACHE_DIR"
+loginfo "CACHE_DIR=$CACHE_DIR"
+
 
 ## CHECK BUILDPACK_GHC_BASE_URL is set
-if [ "$BUILDPACK_GHC_BASE_URL" = "" ]; then
-    BUILDPACK_GHC_BASE_URL="http://www.haskell.org/ghc/dist"
-    loginfo "BUILDPACK_GHC_BASE_URL is not set; use $BUILDPACK_GHC_BASE_URL"
-fi
-
-## CHECK GHC_BOOTSTRAP_VERSION is set
-if [ "$GHC_BOOTSTRAP_VERSION" == "" ]; then
-  GHC_BOOTSTRAP_VERSION="7.0.4" 
-  loginfo "GHC_BOOTSTRAP_VERSION is not set; use $GHC_BOOTSTRAP_VERSION"
-fi
+setIfUnset BUILDPACK_GHC_BASE_URL "http://www.haskell.org/ghc/dist"
+setIfUnset GHC_BOOTSTRAP_VERSION "7.0.4"
+setIfUnset HASKELL_PLATFORM_BASE_URL "http://lambda.haskell.org/platform/download"
+setIfUnset HASKELL_PLATFORM_VERSION "2011.4.0.0"
 
 arch=$(uname -m)
 ghcver=$GHC_BOOTSTRAP_VERSION
 bsdir=$CACHE_DIR/bootstrap
-ghcurl="$BUILDPACK_GHC_BASE_URL/$ghcver/ghc-$ghcver-$arch-unknown-linux.tar.bz2"
+ghcurl="$BUILDPACK_GHC_BASE_URL/$ghcver/ghc-$ghcver-$arch-unknown-linux.tar.gz"
+platformver="$HASKELL_PLATFORM_VERSION"
+platformurl="$HASKELL_PLATFORM_BASE_URL/$platver/haskell-platform-$platformver-tar.gz"
 
 loginfo "bootstrap directory: ${bsdir}";
 loginfo "bootstrap URL: $ghcurl";
 
-if [ -f "$bsdir.downloaded" ]; then
+if [ -f "$bsdir.ghc.downloaded" ]; then
   loginfo "already downloaded GHC bootstrap version ${ghcver}";
 else
   loginfo "downloading GHC $ghcver from $ghcurl";
   $(downloadAndExtract $bsdir $ghcurl) && \
-  touch $bsdir.downloaded;
+    touch $bsdir.ghc.downloaded;
 fi
+# GHC source is downloaded
 
-if [ -f "$bsdir.compiled" ]; then
+if [ -f "$bsdir.ghc.compiled" ]; then
   loginfo "already compiled GHC bootstrap version ${ghcver}";
 else
   $(configureMakeInstall $bsdir/ghc-$ghcver $BUILD_DIR/bootstrap/ghc-$ghcver) && \
-    touch $bsdir.compiled;
+    touch $bsdir.ghc.compiled;
 fi
+# GHC is compiled
+
+if [ -f "$bsdir.platform.downloaded" ]; then
+  loginfo "already downloaded GHC bootstrap version ${platformver}";
+else
+  loginfo "downloading GHC $platformver from $platformurl";
+  $(downloadAndExtract $bsdir $platformurl) && \
+    touch $bsdir.platform.downloaded;
+fi
+# Haskell Platform source is downloaded
+
+if [ -f "$bsdir.platform.compiled" ]; then
+  loginfo "already compiled GHC bootstrap version ${platformver}";
+else
+  $(configureMakeInstall $bsdir/platform-$platformver $BUILD_DIR/bootstrap/platform-$platformver) && \
+    touch $bsdir.platform.compiled;
+fi
+# Haskell platform is compiled is compiled
diff --git a/scripts/functions b/scripts/functions
index dc9869f..8208f1c 100644
--- a/scripts/functions
+++ b/scripts/functions
@@ -1,3 +1,13 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+
+loginfo() { echo "Info: $*"; }
+error() { echo "Error: $*" >&2; exit 1; }
+
+setIfUnset() {
+    varname="$1"
+    defaultValue="$2"
+    eval "if [ \"\$$varname\" = \"\" ]; then $varname=$defaultValue; loginfo \"$varname unset; use \$$varname\"; fi"
+}
 
 function indent() {
   c='s/^/       /'
@@ -17,6 +27,8 @@ function downloadAndExtract() {
 
 function configureMakeInstall() {
   pushd $1;
+  # create build directory
+  mkdir -p $2
   cmd="./configure --prefix=$2 && make && make install"
   echo -n "Info: $cmd";
   eval $cmd
@@ -30,3 +42,4 @@ function mkCompilerDir() {
   echo $compilerDir;
 }
 
+