Subject: 24.2; Files won't save on Macintosh/Mountain Lion

From: John Croix <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 30 Oct 2012 14:25:14 -0500

This bug report will be sent to the Bug-GNU-Emacs mailing list
and the GNU bug tracker at debbugs.gnu.org.  Please check that
the From: line contains a valid email address.  After a delay of up
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Please write in English if possible, as the Emacs maintainers
usually do not have translators for other languages.

Please describe exactly what actions triggered the bug, and
the precise symptoms of the bug.  If you can, give a recipe
starting from `emacs -Q':

I've tried to install Emacs 24.2 from multiple sources:
http://emacsformacosx, the GNU sources (configure --with-ns), and
MacPorts.  All of them have the same problem on *two* different Macintosh
computers running Mountain Lion.  Emacs 23.4 works just fine.  BTW, I've
been using emacs for about 20 years, so the bug (saving a file to disk)
isn't pilot error.

When I start emacs and create a new file (~/abc) and type
something into it, the two asterisks appear to show that the buffer is
modified.  When I attempt to save it, I get the message "Saving file
/Users/jcroix/abc...".  However, the message never goes away, the two
asterisks never disappear, and the file is never written.

If I look at my directory, I can see the restore file ".#abc ->
[email-masked]" with a size of 35, but the file
"abc" is not present.

When I attempt to quit emacs (^x ^c), I get the message "Save file
/Users/jcroix/abc? (y, n, !, ., q, C-r, d or C-h)" at which point I hit
"y".  Up pops a message "Modified buffers exist; exit anyway? (yes or
no)".  If I type "no", I remain in edit mode, and the two asterisks are
still present.  If I type "yes", the save file is deleted but the file
"abc" is absent.

There are no errors in the "*Messages*" buffer.  Here are the contents
of that buffer:
  Loading delsel...done
  Loading paren...done
  For information about GNU Emacs and the GNU system, type C-h C-a.
  (New file)
  Saving file /Users/jcroix/abc...
So it's trying to save it -- it just doesn't manage to do so.

If Emacs crashed, and you have the Emacs process in the gdb debugger,
please include the output from the following gdb commands:
    `bt full' and `xbacktrace'.
For information about debugging Emacs, please read the file
/opt/local/share/emacs/24.2/etc/DEBUG.

In GNU Emacs 24.2.1 (x86_64-apple-darwin12.2.0, X toolkit, Xaw scroll bars)
 of 2012-10-30 on mac-jcroix.cadence.com
Windowing system distributor `The X.Org Foundation', version 11.0.11300000
Configured using:
 `configure '--prefix=/opt/local' '--without-dbus' '--without-gconf'
 '--without-libotf' '--without-m17n-flt' '--without-gpm'
 '--without-gnutls' '--without-xml2' '--infodir'
 '/opt/local/share/info/emacs' '--with-x-toolkit=lucid'
 '--without-xaw3d' '--with-xpm' '--with-jpeg' '--with-tiff' '--with-gif'
 '--with-png' '--without-rsvg' '--with-xft' 'CC=/usr/bin/clang'
 'CFLAGS=-pipe -O2 -arch x86_64' 'LDFLAGS=-L/opt/local/lib -lfreetype
 -lfontconfig -Wl,-no_pie -arch x86_64' 'CPPFLAGS=-I/opt/local/include''

Important settings:
  value of $LC_ALL: nil
  value of $LC_COLLATE: nil
  value of $LC_CTYPE: nil
  value of $LC_MESSAGES: nil
  value of $LC_MONETARY: nil
  value of $LC_NUMERIC: nil
  value of $LC_TIME: nil
  value of $LANG: en_US.UTF-8
  value of $XMODIFIERS: nil
  locale-coding-system: utf-8-unix
  default enable-multibyte-characters: t

Major mode: Lisp Interaction

Minor modes in effect:
  show-paren-mode: t
  tooltip-mode: t
  mouse-wheel-mode: t
  tool-bar-mode: t
  menu-bar-mode: t
  file-name-shadow-mode: t
  global-font-lock-mode: t
  font-lock-mode: t
  blink-cursor-mode: t
  auto-composition-mode: t
  auto-encryption-mode: t
  auto-compression-mode: t
  column-number-mode: t
  line-number-mode: t
  transient-mark-mode: t

Recent input:
<help-echo> <help-echo> <help-echo> <escape> x r e 
p o r t - e m a c s - b u g <return>

Recent messages:
Loading delsel...done
Loading paren...done
For information about GNU Emacs and the GNU system, type C-h C-a.

Load-path shadows:
None found.

Features:
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rfc2045 ietf-drums mm-util mail-prsvr mail-utils paren delsel cus-start
cus-load time-date tooltip ediff-hook vc-hooks lisp-float-type mwheel
x-win x-dnd tool-bar dnd fontset image fringe lisp-mode register page
menu-bar rfn-eshadow timer select scroll-bar mouse jit-lock font-lock
syntax facemenu font-core frame cham georgian utf-8-lang misc-lang
vietnamese tibetan thai tai-viet lao korean japanese hebrew greek
romanian slovak czech european ethiopic indian cyrillic chinese
case-table epa-hook jka-cmpr-hook help simple abbrev minibuffer loaddefs
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font-render-setting x-toolkit x multi-tty emacs)