diff --git a/random-fu.cabal b/random-fu.cabal
--- a/random-fu.cabal
+++ b/random-fu.cabal
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 name:                   random-fu
-version:                0.2.7.3
+version:                0.2.7.4
 stability:              provisional
 
 cabal-version:          >= 1.6
diff --git a/src/Data/Random/Distribution/Bernoulli.hs b/src/Data/Random/Distribution/Bernoulli.hs
--- a/src/Data/Random/Distribution/Bernoulli.hs
+++ b/src/Data/Random/Distribution/Bernoulli.hs
@@ -5,6 +5,8 @@
     TemplateHaskell
   #-}
 
+{-# OPTIONS_GHC -fno-warn-simplifiable-class-constraints #-}
+
 module Data.Random.Distribution.Bernoulli where
 
 import Data.Random.Internal.TH
diff --git a/src/Data/Random/Distribution/Beta.hs b/src/Data/Random/Distribution/Beta.hs
--- a/src/Data/Random/Distribution/Beta.hs
+++ b/src/Data/Random/Distribution/Beta.hs
@@ -5,6 +5,8 @@
     TemplateHaskell
   #-}
 
+{-# OPTIONS_GHC -fno-warn-simplifiable-class-constraints #-}
+
 module Data.Random.Distribution.Beta where
 
 import Data.Random.Internal.TH
diff --git a/src/Data/Random/Distribution/Binomial.hs b/src/Data/Random/Distribution/Binomial.hs
--- a/src/Data/Random/Distribution/Binomial.hs
+++ b/src/Data/Random/Distribution/Binomial.hs
@@ -5,6 +5,8 @@
     BangPatterns
   #-}
 
+{-# OPTIONS_GHC -fno-warn-simplifiable-class-constraints #-}
+
 module Data.Random.Distribution.Binomial where
 
 import Data.Random.Internal.TH
diff --git a/src/Data/Random/Distribution/Categorical.hs b/src/Data/Random/Distribution/Categorical.hs
--- a/src/Data/Random/Distribution/Categorical.hs
+++ b/src/Data/Random/Distribution/Categorical.hs
@@ -4,6 +4,8 @@
     CPP
   #-}
 
+{-# OPTIONS_GHC -fno-warn-simplifiable-class-constraints #-}
+
 module Data.Random.Distribution.Categorical
     ( Categorical
     , categorical, categoricalT
@@ -21,7 +23,6 @@
 import Control.Arrow
 import Control.Monad
 import Control.Monad.ST
-import Control.Applicative
 import Data.Foldable (Foldable(foldMap))
 import Data.STRef
 import Data.Traversable (Traversable(traverse, sequenceA))
@@ -112,7 +113,7 @@
 
 instance (Fractional p, Ord p, Distribution Uniform p) => Distribution (Categorical p) a where
     rvarT (Categorical ds)
-        | V.null ds = fail "categorical distribution over empty set cannot be sampled"
+        | V.null ds = error "categorical distribution over empty set cannot be sampled"
         | n == 1    = return (snd (V.head ds))
         | otherwise = do
             u <- uniformT 0 (fst (V.last ds))
@@ -158,7 +159,9 @@
     
     -- I'm not entirely sure whether this is a valid form of failure; see next
     -- set of comments.
+#if __GLASGOW_HASKELL__ < 808
     fail _ = Categorical V.empty
+#endif
     
     -- Should the normalize step be included here, or should normalization
     -- be assumed?  It seems like there is (at least) 1 valid situation where
diff --git a/src/Data/Random/Distribution/ChiSquare.hs b/src/Data/Random/Distribution/ChiSquare.hs
--- a/src/Data/Random/Distribution/ChiSquare.hs
+++ b/src/Data/Random/Distribution/ChiSquare.hs
@@ -2,6 +2,9 @@
         MultiParamTypeClasses, FlexibleInstances, FlexibleContexts,
         UndecidableInstances
   #-}
+
+{-# OPTIONS_GHC -fno-warn-simplifiable-class-constraints #-}
+
 module Data.Random.Distribution.ChiSquare where
 
 import Data.Random.RVar
@@ -22,7 +25,7 @@
     rvarT (ChiSquare 0) = return 0
     rvarT (ChiSquare n)
         | n > 0     = gammaT (0.5 * fromInteger n) 2
-        | otherwise = fail "chi-square distribution: degrees of freedom must be positive"
+        | otherwise = error "chi-square distribution: degrees of freedom must be positive"
 
 instance (Real t, Distribution ChiSquare t) => CDF ChiSquare t where
     cdf (ChiSquare n) x = incompleteGamma (0.5 * fromInteger n) (0.5 * realToFrac x)
diff --git a/src/Data/Random/Distribution/Exponential.hs b/src/Data/Random/Distribution/Exponential.hs
--- a/src/Data/Random/Distribution/Exponential.hs
+++ b/src/Data/Random/Distribution/Exponential.hs
@@ -4,6 +4,8 @@
     UndecidableInstances
   #-}
 
+{-# OPTIONS_GHC -fno-warn-simplifiable-class-constraints #-}
+
 module Data.Random.Distribution.Exponential where
 
 import Data.Random.RVar
diff --git a/src/Data/Random/Distribution/Gamma.hs b/src/Data/Random/Distribution/Gamma.hs
--- a/src/Data/Random/Distribution/Gamma.hs
+++ b/src/Data/Random/Distribution/Gamma.hs
@@ -4,6 +4,8 @@
     UndecidableInstances, BangPatterns
   #-}
 
+{-# OPTIONS_GHC -fno-warn-simplifiable-class-constraints #-}
+
 module Data.Random.Distribution.Gamma
     ( Gamma(..)
     , gamma, gammaT
diff --git a/src/Data/Random/Distribution/Normal.hs b/src/Data/Random/Distribution/Normal.hs
--- a/src/Data/Random/Distribution/Normal.hs
+++ b/src/Data/Random/Distribution/Normal.hs
@@ -3,6 +3,9 @@
     UndecidableInstances, ForeignFunctionInterface, BangPatterns, 
     RankNTypes
   #-}
+
+{-# OPTIONS_GHC -fno-warn-type-defaults #-}
+
 module Data.Random.Distribution.Normal
     ( Normal(..)
     , normal, normalT
diff --git a/src/Data/Random/Distribution/Pareto.hs b/src/Data/Random/Distribution/Pareto.hs
--- a/src/Data/Random/Distribution/Pareto.hs
+++ b/src/Data/Random/Distribution/Pareto.hs
@@ -2,6 +2,9 @@
 {-# LANGUAGE FlexibleInstances #-}
 {-# LANGUAGE MultiParamTypeClasses #-}
 {-# LANGUAGE UndecidableInstances #-}
+
+{-# OPTIONS_GHC -fno-warn-simplifiable-class-constraints #-}
+
 module Data.Random.Distribution.Pareto where
 
 import Data.Random
diff --git a/src/Data/Random/Distribution/Poisson.hs b/src/Data/Random/Distribution/Poisson.hs
--- a/src/Data/Random/Distribution/Poisson.hs
+++ b/src/Data/Random/Distribution/Poisson.hs
@@ -4,6 +4,8 @@
     TemplateHaskell
   #-}
 
+{-# OPTIONS_GHC -fno-warn-simplifiable-class-constraints #-}
+
 module Data.Random.Distribution.Poisson where
 
 import Data.Random.Internal.TH
diff --git a/src/Data/Random/Distribution/Rayleigh.hs b/src/Data/Random/Distribution/Rayleigh.hs
--- a/src/Data/Random/Distribution/Rayleigh.hs
+++ b/src/Data/Random/Distribution/Rayleigh.hs
@@ -4,6 +4,8 @@
         UndecidableInstances
   #-}
 
+{-# OPTIONS_GHC -fno-warn-simplifiable-class-constraints #-}
+
 module Data.Random.Distribution.Rayleigh where
 
 import Data.Random.RVar
diff --git a/src/Data/Random/Distribution/Simplex.hs b/src/Data/Random/Distribution/Simplex.hs
--- a/src/Data/Random/Distribution/Simplex.hs
+++ b/src/Data/Random/Distribution/Simplex.hs
@@ -11,7 +11,6 @@
     , fractionalStdSimplex
     ) where
 
-import Control.Applicative
 import Control.Monad
 import Data.List
 import Data.Random.RVar
diff --git a/src/Data/Random/Distribution/StretchedExponential.hs b/src/Data/Random/Distribution/StretchedExponential.hs
--- a/src/Data/Random/Distribution/StretchedExponential.hs
+++ b/src/Data/Random/Distribution/StretchedExponential.hs
@@ -4,6 +4,8 @@
     UndecidableInstances
   #-}
 
+{-# OPTIONS_GHC -fno-warn-simplifiable-class-constraints #-}
+
 module Data.Random.Distribution.StretchedExponential where
 
 import Data.Random.RVar
diff --git a/src/Data/Random/Distribution/T.hs b/src/Data/Random/Distribution/T.hs
--- a/src/Data/Random/Distribution/T.hs
+++ b/src/Data/Random/Distribution/T.hs
@@ -10,6 +10,8 @@
 {-# OPTIONS_GHC -fno-warn-missing-methods  #-}
 {-# OPTIONS_GHC -fno-warn-orphans          #-}
 
+{-# OPTIONS_GHC -fno-warn-simplifiable-class-constraints #-}
+
 module Data.Random.Distribution.T where
 
 import Data.RVar
@@ -34,7 +36,7 @@
             x <- stdNormalT
             y <- chiSquareT n
             return (x * sqrt (fromInteger n / y))
-        | otherwise = fail "Student's t-distribution: degrees of freedom must be positive"
+        | otherwise = error "Student's t-distribution: degrees of freedom must be positive"
 
 instance (Real a, Distribution T a) => CDF T a where
     cdf (T n) t = incompleteBeta v2 v2 x
diff --git a/src/Data/Random/Sample.hs b/src/Data/Random/Sample.hs
--- a/src/Data/Random/Sample.hs
+++ b/src/Data/Random/Sample.hs
@@ -4,6 +4,8 @@
         IncoherentInstances
   #-}
 
+{-# OPTIONS_GHC -fno-warn-simplifiable-class-constraints #-}
+
 module Data.Random.Sample where
 
 import Control.Monad.State 
diff --git a/src/Data/Random/Vector.hs b/src/Data/Random/Vector.hs
--- a/src/Data/Random/Vector.hs
+++ b/src/Data/Random/Vector.hs
@@ -3,8 +3,7 @@
 import           Data.Random.RVar
 import           Data.Random.Distribution.Uniform
 import qualified Data.Vector  as V
-import           Control.Applicative
 
 -- | Take a random element of a vector.
 randomElement :: V.Vector a -> RVar a
-randomElement words = (words V.!) <$> uniform 0 (V.length words - 1)
+randomElement wrds = (wrds V.!) <$> uniform 0 (V.length wrds - 1)