"portmaster -a" command fails - *** Error code 1

[RW]

On Fri, 04 Mar 2011 18:37:32 +0000
Arthur Chance <freebsd at qeng-ho.org> wrote:

> On 03/04/11 17:36, Ed Flecko wrote:
> > Thanks Aurthur.
> >
> > :-)
> >
> > It's funny...I DID what it asks and it still didn't work (make
> > deinstall, etc.).
> ...
> > Apparently, I installed it from a package, so I did a pkg_delete
> > automake and then started my portmaster -a again and it seems to be
> > running fine.
> 
> Ah, the third option which I forgot to mention. It's always the
> option one forgets to mention that works.
> 
> In theory package install and port install are supposed to be the
> same (modulo config options). In practice there are odd cases, and
> automake seems to provoke them. Thinking back, I've had to pkg_delete
> it before now in order to upgrade, and I always install from ports.

It's not really a matter of ports verses packages, a make deinstall
calls pkg_delete. 

The suggestion  "You may wish to ``make deinstall'' and install this
port again..." shouldn't be taken too seriously, since it just a
standard response to a  make install on an already installed port. It
probably fails because what's needed is to delete the package, not
delete and reinstall.