GNU bug report logs - #35936
[PATCH] README: add Guix System configure hints

Previous Next

To reply to this bug, email your comments to 35936 AT debbugs.gnu.org.

Toggle the display of automated, internal messages from the tracker.

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

From: Robert Vollmert <rob <at> vllmrt.net>
To: guix-patches <at> gnu.org
Cc: Robert Vollmert <rob <at> vllmrt.net>
Subject: [PATCH] README: add Guix System configure hints
Date: Mon, 27 May 2019 22:15:09 +0200

* README: Mention default 'localstatedir' and that 'configure'
needs to be re-run.
---
 README | 3 +++
 1 file changed, 3 insertions(+)

diff --git a/README b/README
index 296df41516..4d459c276d 100644
--- a/README
+++ b/README
@@ -65,6 +65,9 @@ To do so:
     value of the currently installed Guix (failing to do that would lead the
     new Guix to consider the store to be empty!).
 
+    On Guix System, this is '/var' by default. Note that you will need to
+    re-run the 'configure' script after updating Guix System.
+
   - Run "make", "make check", and "make install".
 
 * How It Works
-- 
2.20.1 (Apple Git-117)

Message #8 received at 35936 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Ricardo Wurmus <rekado <at> elephly.net>
To: Robert Vollmert <rob <at> vllmrt.net>
Cc: 35936 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: [bug#35936] [PATCH] README: add Guix System configure hints
Date: Tue, 28 May 2019 12:34:52 +0200

Hi Robert,

thank you for the patch.

> * README: Mention default 'localstatedir' and that 'configure'
> needs to be re-run.
> ---
>  README | 3 +++
>  1 file changed, 3 insertions(+)
>
> diff --git a/README b/README
> index 296df41516..4d459c276d 100644
> --- a/README
> +++ b/README
> @@ -65,6 +65,9 @@ To do so:
>      value of the currently installed Guix (failing to do that would lead the
>      new Guix to consider the store to be empty!).
>
> +    On Guix System, this is '/var' by default. Note that you will need to
> +    re-run the 'configure' script after updating Guix System.
> +

Why would re-running the configure script be required after updating?

This section is about building Guix on a system that already has some
version of Guix to reduce the complexity of establishing a suitable
build environment.  I don’t think reconfiguring Guix System is relevant
here.

--
Ricardo

Message #11 received at 35936 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Robert Vollmert <rob <at> vllmrt.net>
To: Ricardo Wurmus <rekado <at> elephly.net>
Cc: 35936 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: [bug#35936] [PATCH] README: add Guix System configure hints
Date: Tue, 28 May 2019 12:59:13 +0200

> On 28. May 2019, at 12:34, Ricardo Wurmus <rekado <at> elephly.net> wrote:
>> 
>> +    On Guix System, this is '/var' by default. Note that you will need to
>> +    re-run the 'configure' script after updating Guix System.
>> +
> 
> Why would re-running the configure script be required after updating?
> 
> This section is about building Guix on a system that already has some
> version of Guix to reduce the complexity of establishing a suitable
> build environment.  I don’t think reconfiguring Guix System is relevant
> here.

It’s my attempt to help people not be as confused as I was. Maybe there
are better ways to achieve this? The two situations:

1. I followed the README instructions to build guix, and was quite confused
by the `localstatedir` business. I seem to be doing the most straightforward
thing, but have to dig through documentation/internet to continue since I
have no idea what/where localstatedir is. (I still don’t, and have been
doing quite fine without the knowledge.)

2. I ran guix pull && guix package -u. And afterwards, the guix development
environment was broken in an obscure way. Re-running guix environment guix
didn’t help. It turns out configure stores some full paths to core utilities,
such as

$ grep ^MKDIR_P config.status 
MKDIR_P='/gnu/store/lkrj6zifhk5dk888713dqyzfwk5bich0-profile/bin/mkdir -p’

To me it’s entirely unexpected that after a small OS update my dev environment
should break in this way.

Previous Next

GNU bug tracking system
Copyright (C) 1999 Darren O. Benham, 1997,2003 nCipher Corporation Ltd, 1994-97 Ian Jackson.