GNU bug report logs - #29731
configure to distinguish makeinfo present-but-broken from missing-or-old

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Message #5 received at submit <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: "Mutiny " <mutiny.mutiny <at> rediffmail.com>
To: <bug-gnu-emacs <at> gnu.org>
Subject: emacs build broken (makeinfo)
Date: 16 Dec 2017 07:38:52 -0000

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since today the emacs build fails on makeinfo >= 4.13, however texinfo-6.4-6 is installed:checking for setfattr... yesconfigure: error: You do not seem to have makeinfo >= 4.13, and yoursource tree does not seem to have pre-built manuals in the 'info' directory.Either install a suitable version of makeinfo, or re-run configurewith the '--without-makeinfo' option to build without the manuals.Installed PackagesName         : texinfoVersion      : 6.4Release      : 6.fc27Arch         : x86_64Size         : 4.8 MSource       : texinfo-6.4-6.fc27.src.rpmRepo         : @SystemFrom repo    : updatesSummary      : Tools needed to create Texinfo format documentation filesURL  &n
 bsp;       : http://www.gnu.org/software/texinfo/License      : GPLv3+Description  : Texinfo is a documentation system that can produce both online             : information and printed output from a single source file. The GNU             : Project uses the Texinfo file format for most of its documentation.             :             : Install texinfo if you want a documentation system for producing both             : online and print documentation from the same source file and/or if             : you are going to write documentation for the GNU Project. 

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Message #8 received at 29731 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Eli Zaretskii <eliz <at> gnu.org>
To: "Mutiny " <mutiny.mutiny <at> rediffmail.com>
Cc: 29731 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#29731: emacs build broken (makeinfo)
Date: Sat, 16 Dec 2017 10:59:04 +0200

> Date: 16 Dec 2017 07:38:52 -0000
> From: "Mutiny " <mutiny.mutiny <at> rediffmail.com>
> 
> since today the emacs build fails on makeinfo >= 4.13, however texinfo-6.4-6 is installed:

Which branch of the Emacs repository produces this?

> checking for setfattr... yes
> configure: error: You do not seem to have makeinfo >= 4.13, and your
> source tree does not seem to have pre-built manuals in the 'info' directory.
> Either install a suitable version of makeinfo, or re-run configure
> with the '--without-makeinfo' option to build without the manuals.
> 
> Installed Packages
> Name         : texinfo
> Version      : 6.4

What does "makeinfo --version" display on your system?

Message #11 received at 29731 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: "Mutiny " <mutiny.mutiny <at> rediffmail.com>
To: <29731 <at> debbugs.gnu.org>
Subject: resolved&&advice
Date: 16 Dec 2017 21:44:14 -0000

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I did some deep testing and found out that following perl(sic) modules were missing:(excerpt from my setup perl modules script)cpan install Locale::Messages # emacs buildcpan install Text::Unidecode # emacs buildcpan install Unicode::EastAsianWidth # emacs buildThereafter ./configure and make&&make install working.Nevertheless the error message generated by ./configure is totally misleading. Please correct that! 

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Message #18 received at 29731 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Lars Ingebrigtsen <larsi <at> gnus.org>
To: "Mutiny " <mutiny.mutiny <at> rediffmail.com>
Cc: 29731 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#29731: configure to distinguish makeinfo present-but-broken
 from missing-or-old
Date: Fri, 13 Aug 2021 15:01:58 +0200

"Mutiny " <mutiny.mutiny <at> rediffmail.com> writes:

> I did some deep testing and found out that following perl(sic) modules were
> missing:
> (excerpt from my setup perl modules script)
>
> cpan install Locale::Messages # emacs build
> cpan install Text::Unidecode # emacs build
> cpan install Unicode::EastAsianWidth # emacs build
>
> Thereafter ./configure and make&&make install working.

Does the Emacs build use Perl?  I looked through configure and Makefile
and didn't see any Perl mentions.

Anybody know?

-- 
(domestic pets only, the antidote for overdose, milk.)
   bloggy blog: http://lars.ingebrigtsen.no

Message #23 received at 29731 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Robert Pluim <rpluim <at> gmail.com>
To: Lars Ingebrigtsen <larsi <at> gnus.org>
Cc: Mutiny  <mutiny.mutiny <at> rediffmail.com>, 29731 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#29731: configure to distinguish makeinfo present-but-broken
 from missing-or-old
Date: Fri, 13 Aug 2021 15:31:10 +0200

>>>>> On Fri, 13 Aug 2021 15:01:58 +0200, Lars Ingebrigtsen <larsi <at> gnus.org> said:

    Lars> "Mutiny " <mutiny.mutiny <at> rediffmail.com> writes:
    >> I did some deep testing and found out that following perl(sic) modules were
    >> missing:
    >> (excerpt from my setup perl modules script)
    >> 
    >> cpan install Locale::Messages # emacs build
    >> cpan install Text::Unidecode # emacs build
    >> cpan install Unicode::EastAsianWidth # emacs build
    >> 
    >> Thereafter ./configure and make&&make install working.

    Lars> Does the Emacs build use Perl?  I looked through configure and Makefile
    Lars> and didn't see any Perl mentions.

    Lars> Anybody know?

No. Some of the admin scripts do, but theyʼre not required to build
emacs. makeinfo requires perl last time I checked.

Robert
-- 

Message #26 received at 29731 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Lars Ingebrigtsen <larsi <at> gnus.org>
To: Robert Pluim <rpluim <at> gmail.com>
Cc: Mutiny  <mutiny.mutiny <at> rediffmail.com>, 29731 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#29731: configure to distinguish makeinfo present-but-broken
 from missing-or-old
Date: Fri, 13 Aug 2021 15:40:31 +0200

Robert Pluim <rpluim <at> gmail.com> writes:

> No. Some of the admin scripts do, but theyʼre not required to build
> emacs. makeinfo requires perl last time I checked.

Aha.  Hm.  Oh, Glenn had renamed this to:

retitle 29731 configure to distinguish makeinfo present-but-broken from missing-or-old

Which is, I guess, the correct description here.  So makeinfo didn't
work for the user because Perl was b0rked, but ./configure says that the
user didn't have makeinfo.

I guess that should be possible to distinguish...

-- 
(domestic pets only, the antidote for overdose, milk.)
   bloggy blog: http://lars.ingebrigtsen.no

Message #29 received at 29731 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Eli Zaretskii <eliz <at> gnu.org>
To: Lars Ingebrigtsen <larsi <at> gnus.org>
Cc: mutiny.mutiny <at> rediffmail.com, 29731 <at> debbugs.gnu.org, rpluim <at> gmail.com
Subject: Re: bug#29731: configure to distinguish makeinfo present-but-broken
 from missing-or-old
Date: Fri, 13 Aug 2021 17:09:05 +0300

> From: Lars Ingebrigtsen <larsi <at> gnus.org>
> Date: Fri, 13 Aug 2021 15:40:31 +0200
> Cc: Mutiny <mutiny.mutiny <at> rediffmail.com>, 29731 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
> 
> Robert Pluim <rpluim <at> gmail.com> writes:
> 
> > No. Some of the admin scripts do, but theyʼre not required to build
> > emacs. makeinfo requires perl last time I checked.
> 
> Aha.  Hm.  Oh, Glenn had renamed this to:
> 
> retitle 29731 configure to distinguish makeinfo present-but-broken from missing-or-old
> 
> Which is, I guess, the correct description here.  So makeinfo didn't
> work for the user because Perl was b0rked, but ./configure says that the
> user didn't have makeinfo.
> 
> I guess that should be possible to distinguish...

It would be nice to have that, but basically it isn't our problem,
IMO: building a tarball doesn't require makeinfo, while people who
build from Git should IMO be expected to have a working Texinfo
installation, which includes Perl modules necessary to run makeinfo.

Message #32 received at 29731 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Lars Ingebrigtsen <larsi <at> gnus.org>
To: Eli Zaretskii <eliz <at> gnu.org>
Cc: mutiny.mutiny <at> rediffmail.com, 29731 <at> debbugs.gnu.org, rpluim <at> gmail.com
Subject: Re: bug#29731: configure to distinguish makeinfo present-but-broken
 from missing-or-old
Date: Fri, 13 Aug 2021 16:41:05 +0200

Eli Zaretskii <eliz <at> gnu.org> writes:

> It would be nice to have that, but basically it isn't our problem,
> IMO: building a tarball doesn't require makeinfo, while people who
> build from Git should IMO be expected to have a working Texinfo
> installation, which includes Perl modules necessary to run makeinfo.

Yes, you're right.  If ./configure says that we can't find a (useable)
makeinfo, then it's up to the user to investigate the problem.  In this
case, I'm guessing just typing "makeinfo" would have issued a bunch of
errors, which should point the user the right way -- and any changes we
make to configure here wouldn't really be that much more helpful.

So I'm closing this bug report.

-- 
(domestic pets only, the antidote for overdose, milk.)
   bloggy blog: http://lars.ingebrigtsen.no

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