hi all, I need to install GTK2 (everything from source tarballs: my distro is an old mdk 8.1(vitamin) upgraded to the kernel 2.4.26 by sources) , so of course there were many packages to add. I compiled and installed Pango, but since the Xft extension was missing I installed, in order:

expat (OK)
freetype (OK)
fontconfig troubles!
libXft needs fontconfig above

...
pango installed without Xft ext.
GTK 2 not installed: requires pango with Xft

at this point I've tried many packages (fc-package 2.1, different versions of fontconfig) all giving error messages. At last I've tried fontconfig 2.3.2 but it's unable to compile.
The failed gtk-2 installation forced me to run back to a windoze machine and work with commercial apps. I'd like to avoid this for the future...
here a partial output of compile errors:

creating fc-cache
rm -f fc-cache.1
docbook2man ../fc-cache/fc-cache.sgml
Using catalogs: /etc/sgml/sgml-docbook.cat
Using stylesheet: /usr/share/sgml/docbook/utils-0.6.9/docbook-utils.dsl#print
Working on: /mnt/hdb/source/fontconfig-2.3.2/fc-cache/../fc-cache/fc-cache.sgml
nsgmls:/mnt/hdb/source/fontconfig-2.3.2/fc-cache/../fc-cache/fc-cache.sgml:1:59:W: cannot generate system identifier for public text "-//OASIS//DTD DocBook V4.1//EN"
nsgmls:/mnt/hdb/source/fontconfig-2.3.2/fc-cache/../fc-cache/fc-cache.sgml:35:0:E: reference to entity "REFENTRY" for which no system identifier could be generated
nsgmls:/mnt/hdb/source/fontconfig-2.3.2/fc-cache/../fc-cache/fc-cache.sgml:1:0: entity was defined herensgmls:/mnt/hdb/source/fontconfig-2.3.2/fc-cache/../fc-cache/fc-cache.sgml:35:0:E: DTD did not contain element declaration for document type name
nsgmls:/mnt/hdb/source/fontconfig-2.3.2/fc-cache/../fc-cache/fc-cache.sgml:37:9:E: element "REFENTRY" undefined
nsgmls:/mnt/hdb/source/fontconfig-2.3.2/fc-cache/../fc-cache/fc-cache.sgml:38:15:E: element "REFENTRYINFO" undefined...

.......(loads of other undefined elements... )


...nsgmls:/mnt/hdb/source/fontconfig-2.3.2/fc-cache/../fc-cache/fc-cache.sgml:180:12:E: element "EMAIL" undefined
nsgmls:/mnt/hdb/source/fontconfig-2.3.2/fc-cache/../fc-cache/fc-cache.sgml:180:65:E: element "EMAIL" undefined
<joss@debian.org>
Josselin
Mouette
2003
Josselin Mouette
Sep 16, 2003
Can't call method "value" on an undefined value at /usr/share/sgml/docbook/utils-0.6.9/helpers/docbook2man-spec.pl line 291, <STDIN> line 53.
make[2]: *** [fc-cache.1] Error 8
make[2]: Leaving directory `/mnt/hdb/source/fontconfig-2.3.2/fc-cache'
make[1]: *** [all-recursive] Error 1
make[1]: Leaving directory `/mnt/hdb/source/fontconfig-2.3.2'
make: *** [all] Error 2

trying older packages (e.g. 2.2.0)

I get this instead:

make[2]: Entering directory `/mnt/hdb/source/fontconfig-2.2.0/fc-lang'
gcc -DHAVE_CONFIG_H -I. -I. -I.. -I../src -I/usr/include/freetype2 -g -O2 -c fc-lang.c
In file included from ../fontconfig/fcfreetype.h:27,
from ../src/fcint.h:39,
from fc-lang.c:25:
/usr/include/freetype2/freetype/freetype.h:20:2: #error "`ft2build.h' hasn't been included yet!"
/usr/include/freetype2/freetype/freetype.h:21:2: #error "Please always use macros to include FreeType header files."
/usr/include/freetype2/freetype/freetype.h:22:2: #error "Example:"
/usr/include/freetype2/freetype/freetype.h:23:2: #error " #include <ft2build.h>"
/usr/include/freetype2/freetype/freetype.h:24:2: #error " #include FT_FREETYPE_H"
make[2]: *** [fc-lang.o] Error 1
make[2]: Leaving directory `/mnt/hdb/source/fontconfig-2.2.0/fc-lang'
make[1]: *** [all-recursive] Error 1
make[1]: Leaving directory `/mnt/hdb/source/fontconfig-2.2.0'
make: *** [all-recursive-am] Error 2



I do swear, I've been looking around for solutions but no way. I've tried to install packages from RPMs but my distro appears to be too old. Someone can help me ?

for 2.3.2 try using the configure switch
--disable-docs

Really thanks for the hint but it only solved a minor issue.
I've tried several packages for GTK and its dependencies, but it always ends with some fancy GTK2 compile error, mostly related with some Freetype stuff (e.g. it complains about undefined reference to FT_glyph_enbolden or something like this).
I don't like to give up but keeping on making myself miserable with this hellish god-damned fucking GTK2 is pointless. Looks like I have to re-install the system. Who said that Linux needs installation only once ?

The last compile output, just in case someone can enlighten me before I thrash the ol' Mandrake 8.1:

gcc -DHAVE_CONFIG_H -I. -I. -I../../.. -I../../.. -I../../../gdk -I../../../gdk -DG_DISABLE_DEPRECATED -DGDK_PIXBUF_DISABLE_DEPRECATED -DGDK_DISABLE_DEPRECATED -pthread -I/usr/local/include/glib-2.0 -I/usr/local/lib/glib-2.0/include -I/usr/include/pango-1.0 -I/usr/X11R6/include -I/usr/include/freetype2 -I/usr/include/atk-1.0 -g -O2 -Wall -MT pixbuf-draw.lo -MD -MP -MF .deps/pixbuf-draw.Tpo -c pixbuf-draw.c
-fPIC -DPIC -o .libs/pixbuf-draw.o
In file included from ../../../gtk/gtk.h:60,
from pixbuf.h:23,
from pixbuf-draw.c:28:
../../../gtk/gtkclist.h:155: parse error before "GMemChunk"
../../../gtk/gtkclist.h:155: warning: no semicolon at end of struct or union
../../../gtk/gtkclist.h:156: warning: type defaults to `int' in declaration of `cell_mem_chunk'
../../../gtk/gtkclist.h:156: warning: data definition has no type or storage class
../../../gtk/gtkclist.h:245: parse error before '}' token
In file included from ../../../gtk/gtk.h:68,
from pixbuf.h:23,
from pixbuf-draw.c:28:
../../../gtk/gtkctree.h:112: field `clist' has incomplete type
../../../gtk/gtkctree.h:125: confused by earlier errors, bailing out
make[4]: *** [pixbuf-draw.lo] Error 1
make[4]: Leaving directory `/mnt/hdb/source/gtk+-2.6.0/modules/engines/pixbuf'
make[3]: *** [all-recursive] Error 1
make[3]: Leaving directory `/mnt/hdb/source/gtk+-2.6.0/modules/engines'
make[2]: *** [all-recursive] Error 1
make[2]: Leaving directory `/mnt/hdb/source/gtk+-2.6.0/modules'
make[1]: *** [all-recursive] Error 1
make[1]: Leaving directory `/mnt/hdb/source/gtk+-2.6.0'
make: *** [all] Error 2

I never ever give up ...
for everyone who cares, it was a _compiler_ issue. I've switched to the previous verion of GCC installed (2.96 MDK) and I was able to compile all the dependencies ..(expat,freetype,fontconfig,libXft,GLIB,cairo,pango). i managed to install GTK+-2.8.16 instead of 2.6.x . GTK+ apps compile nicely.
GCC 3.1, installed from source, seems to have troubles -at least on my machine.