diff --git a/prettyprinter.cabal b/prettyprinter.cabal
--- a/prettyprinter.cabal
+++ b/prettyprinter.cabal
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 name:                prettyprinter
-version:             1.1.1
+version:             1.2
 cabal-version:       >= 1.10
 category:            User Interfaces, Text
 synopsis:            A modern, easy to use, well-documented, extensible prettyprinter.
@@ -62,9 +62,9 @@
 
     if impl(ghc >= 8.0)
         ghc-options: -Wcompat
-    if impl(ghc < 8.0)
+    if !impl(ghc >= 8.0)
         build-depends: semigroups >= 0.1
-    if impl(ghc < 7.10)
+    if !impl(ghc >= 7.10)
         build-depends: void
 
 
@@ -124,7 +124,7 @@
     ghc-options: -threaded -rtsopts -with-rtsopts=-N -Wall
     default-language: Haskell2010
 
-    if impl(ghc < 8.0)
+    if !impl(ghc >= 8.0)
         build-depends: semigroups >= 0.6
 
 
diff --git a/src/Data/Text/Prettyprint/Doc.hs b/src/Data/Text/Prettyprint/Doc.hs
--- a/src/Data/Text/Prettyprint/Doc.hs
+++ b/src/Data/Text/Prettyprint/Doc.hs
@@ -178,6 +178,7 @@
 
     -- * Basic functionality
     Pretty(..),
+    viaShow, unsafeViaShow,
     emptyDoc, nest, line, line', softline, softline', hardline, group, flatAlt,
 
     -- * Alignment functions
diff --git a/src/Data/Text/Prettyprint/Doc/Internal.hs b/src/Data/Text/Prettyprint/Doc/Internal.hs
--- a/src/Data/Text/Prettyprint/Doc/Internal.hs
+++ b/src/Data/Text/Prettyprint/Doc/Internal.hs
@@ -235,13 +235,14 @@
 
     prettyList = pretty . (id :: Text -> Text) . fromString
 
--- | Convert a 'Show'able value to a 'Doc'. If the 'String' does not contain
--- newlines, consider using the more performant 'unsafeViaShow'.
+-- | Convenience function to convert a 'Show'able value to a 'Doc'. If the
+-- 'String' does not contain newlines, consider using the more performant
+-- 'unsafeViaShow'.
 viaShow :: Show a => a -> Doc ann
 viaShow = pretty . T.pack . show
 
--- | Convert a 'Show'able value /that must not contain newlines/ to a 'Doc'.
--- If there may be newlines, use 'viaShow' instead.
+-- | Convenience function to convert a 'Show'able value /that must not contain
+-- newlines/ to a 'Doc'. If there may be newlines, use 'viaShow' instead.
 unsafeViaShow :: Show a => a -> Doc ann
 unsafeViaShow = unsafeTextWithoutNewlines . T.pack . show
 
@@ -576,7 +577,7 @@
 -- >>> let open        = flatAlt "" "{ "
 -- >>> let close       = flatAlt "" " }"
 -- >>> let separator   = flatAlt "" "; "
--- >>> let prettyDo xs = group ("do" <+> encloseSep open close separator xs)
+-- >>> let prettyDo xs = group ("do" <+> align (encloseSep open close separator xs))
 -- >>> let statements  = ["name:_ <- getArgs", "let greet = \"Hello, \" <> name", "putStrLn greet"]
 --
 -- This is put into a single line with @{;}@ style if it fits,
@@ -671,12 +672,12 @@
 --
 -- The documents are laid out horizontally if that fits the page,
 --
--- >>> let doc = "list" <+> encloseSep lbracket rbracket comma (map pretty [1,20,300,4000])
+-- >>> let doc = "list" <+> align (encloseSep lbracket rbracket comma (map pretty [1,20,300,4000]))
 -- >>> putDocW 80 doc
 -- list [1,20,300,4000]
 --
 -- If there is not enough space, then the input is split into lines entry-wise
--- therwise they are aligned vertically, with separators put in the front:
+-- therwise they are laid out vertically, with separators put in the front:
 --
 -- >>> putDocW 10 doc
 -- list [1
@@ -684,6 +685,9 @@
 --      ,300
 --      ,4000]
 --
+-- Note that @doc@ contains an explicit call to 'align' so that the list items
+-- are aligned vertically.
+--
 -- For putting separators at the end of entries instead, have a look at
 -- 'punctuate'.
 encloseSep
@@ -695,7 +699,7 @@
 encloseSep l r s ds = case ds of
     []  -> l <> r
     [d] -> l <> d <> r
-    _   -> align (cat (zipWith (<>) (l : repeat s) ds) <> r)
+    _   -> cat (zipWith (<>) (l : repeat s) ds) <> r
 
 -- | Haskell-inspired variant of 'encloseSep' with braces and comma as
 -- separator.
@@ -1474,9 +1478,9 @@
 -- example.
 --
 -- >>> defaultLayoutOptions
--- LayoutOptions {layoutPageWidth = AvailablePerLine 80 0.4}
+-- LayoutOptions {layoutPageWidth = AvailablePerLine 80 1.0}
 defaultLayoutOptions :: LayoutOptions
-defaultLayoutOptions = LayoutOptions { layoutPageWidth = AvailablePerLine 80 0.4 }
+defaultLayoutOptions = LayoutOptions { layoutPageWidth = AvailablePerLine 80 1 }
 
 -- | This is the default layout algorithm, and it is used by 'show', 'putDoc'
 -- and 'hPutDoc'.
@@ -1514,7 +1518,7 @@
 -- Considre the following python-ish document,
 --
 -- >>> let fun x = hang 2 ("fun(" <> softline' <> x) <> ")"
--- >>> let doc = (fun . fun . fun . fun . fun) (list ["abcdef", "ghijklm"])
+-- >>> let doc = (fun . fun . fun . fun . fun) (align (list ["abcdef", "ghijklm"]))
 --
 -- which we’ll be rendering using the following pipeline (where the layout
 -- algorithm has been left open),
@@ -1558,7 +1562,7 @@
     -> SimpleDocStream ann
 layoutSmart = layoutWadlerLeijen
     (FittingPredicate (\pWidth minNestingLevel maxWidth sdoc -> case maxWidth of
-        Nothing -> False
+        Nothing -> True
         Just w -> fits pWidth minNestingLevel w sdoc ))
   where
     -- Search with more lookahead: assuming that nesting roughly corresponds to
diff --git a/test/Testsuite/Main.hs b/test/Testsuite/Main.hs
--- a/test/Testsuite/Main.hs
+++ b/test/Testsuite/Main.hs
@@ -48,6 +48,10 @@
         , testCase "fillSep performance"
                    fillSepPerformance
         ]
+    , testGroup "Regression tests"
+        [ testCase "layoutSmart: softline behaves like a newline (#49)"
+                   regressionLayoutSmartSoftline
+        ]
     ]
 
 fusionDoesNotChangeRendering :: FusionDepth -> Property
@@ -179,3 +183,12 @@
   where
     pathological :: Int -> Doc ann
     pathological n = iterate (\x -> fillSep ["a", x <+> "b"] ) "foobar" !! n
+
+regressionLayoutSmartSoftline :: Assertion
+regressionLayoutSmartSoftline
+  = let doc = "a" <> softline <> "b"
+        layouted :: SimpleDocStream ()
+        layouted = layoutSmart (defaultLayoutOptions { layoutPageWidth = Unbounded }) doc
+    in assertEqual "softline should be rendered as space page width is unbounded"
+                   (SChar 'a' (SChar ' ' (SChar 'b' SEmpty)))
+                   layouted