gnumeric: problem with "DESTDIR=" install

jr_bob_dobbs · 07-17-2017, 01:38 PM

Attempting to compile gnumeric via a DESTDIR (make it into a package) install. It fails at the make install phase. Near as I can tell, somewhere, some of the time, it is ignoring the DESTDIR variable/parameter and is trying to put things directly in /usr/share/help. Since I am compiling as non-root, it fails to write to /usr/share. No, bad installer! Bad!

I went through the make file and it was complicated. Could not find any hard-coding of that directory.

Went to slackbuilds.org to see how they do it. Examination of the slackbuild script indicated no special kludging or workarounds for doc files.

Adding "--enable-gtk-doc-html=no" to the confogure command had no effect.

Last part of the compile output:

Code:

Making install in doc
make[1]: Entering directory '/home/bob/compile/gnumeric/build_it/gnumeric-1.12.33/doc'
make[2]: Entering directory '/home/bob/compile/gnumeric/build_it/gnumeric-1.12.33/doc'
make[3]: Entering directory '/home/bob/compile/gnumeric/build_it/gnumeric-1.12.33/doc'
make  install-exec-hook
make[4]: Entering directory '/home/bob/compile/gnumeric/build_it/gnumeric-1.12.33/doc'
for d in C cs de es; do \
        helpdir="/usr/share/help/$d/gnumeric"; \
        install -d $helpdir; \
        rm -f $helpdir/index.docbook; \
        ln -s gnumeric.xml $helpdir/index.docbook; \
done
install: cannot create directory '/usr/share/help/C': Permission denied
ln: failed to create symbolic link '/usr/share/help/C/gnumeric/index.docbook': No such file or directory
install: cannot create directory '/usr/share/help/cs': Permission denied
ln: failed to create symbolic link '/usr/share/help/cs/gnumeric/index.docbook': No such file or directory
install: cannot create directory '/usr/share/help/de': Permission denied
ln: failed to create symbolic link '/usr/share/help/de/gnumeric/index.docbook': No such file or directory
install: cannot create directory '/usr/share/help/es': Permission denied
ln: failed to create symbolic link '/usr/share/help/es/gnumeric/index.docbook': No such file or directory
make[4]: *** [Makefile:1523: install-exec-hook] Error 1
make[4]: Leaving directory '/home/bob/compile/gnumeric/build_it/gnumeric-1.12.33/doc'
make[3]: *** [Makefile:1285: install-exec-am] Error 2
make[3]: Leaving directory '/home/bob/compile/gnumeric/build_it/gnumeric-1.12.33/doc'
make[2]: *** [Makefile:1232: install-am] Error 2
make[2]: Leaving directory '/home/bob/compile/gnumeric/build_it/gnumeric-1.12.33/doc'
make[1]: *** [Makefile:1071: install-recursive] Error 1
make[1]: Leaving directory '/home/bob/compile/gnumeric/build_it/gnumeric-1.12.33/doc'
make: *** [Makefile:662: install-recursive] Error 1

Has anyone managed to get gnumeric to work in a DESTDIR install? If so, could you please tell me how you managed it? Thank you.

jr_bob_dobbs · 07-18-2017, 11:48 AM

You know, this thread is actually just the latest of many problems I have had over weeks in attempting to compile gnumeric.

I'm just going to say gnumeric is broken and not waste any more time with it. Abandon thread.

Luridis · 07-18-2017, 06:39 PM

You've hit the nail on the head for any of teams responsible the big "G" packages. Heck, Gen-Y developers in general. (Generation Ubuntu?) They've got no idea how to configure autotools and can't be arsed to bother learning it. So we get crap that doesn't work outside the environment it was built on. If anyone complains, they'll say "I tested it on my machine, works fine. Yours must be broken." Heck, they can't be bothered to learn C, hence the need for valagarbage.

I saw an article about the "decaying state of the Gnu ecosystem" a couple of years ago. The guy was making fun of the fact that newer Gnome packages were checking the environment for Fortran-77.

jr_bob_dobbs · 09-15-2017, 08:01 AM

Update: tried again (just like Wile E. Coyote, except without explosions & falling anvils). This time I did not even pass the make phase, to even reach the make install phase. Gotta love randomness.

As before, enough. Done. This time really done.