Subject: bug#77840: [bug-diffutils] bug#77840: Testing diffutils 3.12 on PPC Mac OS X 10.4.11, Tiger, produces so many failures

From: Peter Dyballa <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 20 May 2025 13:56:08 +0200

Without coreutils 9.5 installed I encounter this:

	tiger pete 238 /\ find     .../diffutils -type f -name init.sh -ls
	120650338   48 -rw-r--r--    1 macports admin       24574 4 Apr 23:21: .../diffutils-3.12/gnulib-tests/init.sh
	120651731   48 -rw-r--r--    1 macports admin       24574 4 Apr 23:24: .../diffutils-3.12/tests/init.sh
	tiger pete 239 /\ gdiff    .../diffutils-3.12/gnulib-tests/init.sh .../diffutils-3.12/tests/init.sh
	tiger pete 240 /\ diff     .../diffutils-3.12/gnulib-tests/init.sh .../diffutils-3.12/tests/init.sh
	tiger pete 241 /\ gdiff -u .../diffutils-3.12/gnulib-tests/init.sh .../diffutils-3.12/tests/init.sh
	--- .../diffutils-3.12/gnulib-tests/init.sh 2025-04-04 23:21:18.000000000 +0200
	+++ .../diffutils-3.12/tests/init.sh 2025-04-04 23:24:22.000000000 +0200
	@@ -744,3 +739,8 @@
	 # This trap is here, rather than in the setup_ function, because some
	 # shells run the exit trap at shell function exit, rather than script exit.
	 trap remove_tmp_ EXIT
	+
	+setup_ "$@"
	+# This trap is here, rather than in the setup_ function, because some
	+# shells run the exit trap at shell function exit, rather than script exit.
	+trap remove_tmp_ EXIT
	Exit 1
	tiger pete 242 /\ diff -u  .../diffutils-3.12/gnulib-tests/init.sh .../diffutils-3.12/tests/init.sh
	tiger pete 243 /\ diff --version
	diff (GNU diffutils) 2.8.1
	Copyright (C) 2002 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
	
	This program comes with NO WARRANTY, to the extent permitted by law.
	You may redistribute copies of this program
	under the terms of the GNU General Public License.
	For more information about these matters, see the file named COPYING.
	
	Written by Paul Eggert, Mike Haertel, David Hayes,
	Richard Stallman, and Len Tower.
	tiger pete 244 /\ gdiff --version
	diff (GNU diffutils) 3.12
	Copyright (C) 2025 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
	License GPLv3+: GNU GPL version 3 or later <https://gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html>.
	This is free software: you are free to change and redistribute it.
	There is NO WARRANTY, to the extent permitted by law.
	
	Written by Paul Eggert, Mike Haertel, David Hayes,
	Richard Stallman, and Len Tower.
	tiger pete 245 /\ which diff gdiff
	/usr/bin/diff
	/opt/local/bin/gdiff
	tiger pete 247 /\  

Both software GNU packages were built with old GCC 4.2 – should I switch to GCC 14.2 and check/test again?

Findutils 4.10 from last summer work OK, built with GCC 4.2. Coreutils 9.5 and diffutils 3.12 are recent, built in spring '25. Could have been a bug introduced with updated GNUlib? It had an issue with creating directory hierarchies ("confdir-14B---" and "confdir3") much too deep (and quite unremovable) on some Macs/Mac OS X versions.

--
Greetings

  Pete

Time is an illusion. Lunchtime, doubly so.