aclocal-1.12: error: 'configure.ac'

[Michael Powell]

Polytropon wrote:

[snip]
>> > 
>> >   Stop in /opt/ports/ports-mgmt/portupgrade.
>>                     ^^^^^^
>> 
>> Don't know if this matters, never tried it that way - this is FreeBSD,
>> not Linux. FreeBSD is not some kind of Linux.
> 
> With setting $PORTSDIR it should be possible to have a valid (!)
> ports tree in any location you want. See "man 7 ports" for details.
> 
>> With that said, the ports tree usually lives under /usr/ports. No idea
>> why it would show up under /opt, except as some carry over Linuxism.
> 
> Probably you aren't old enough to remember that /opt is not
> a Linuxism, but a Solarism, Solarisism. It expresses the
> optimistic attitude that the content of this subtree will
> work as expected. :-)

lol! I'm 55 yrs old. Only tinkered with Solaris on and off briefly, never 
used it extensively enough for it to remain in the brain. But you're right!
 
[snip] 
> There's nothing wrong with /opt, but I've never found it would
> be a good place to put the ports tree in. I'm (ab)using /opt
> myself for software that I manage outside of the ports tree,
> completely manually: it's basically scripts in /opt/bin, some
> specific printer filters in /opt/libexec (called by printcap),
> and few "self-contained" subtrees of non-ports stuff. In this
> way, it does not touch the main system.
> 
> 
> However, having the complete (!) ports in /usr/ports should
> avoid trouble. What's confusing here is the fact that the OP
> seems to have a "mixed" installation.

Main reason I tried to point him back to default install conditions is I can 
build both these ports right now on a box that is 'normal'. Having a 
standard default setup will also be less trouble at some future time. More 
maintainable. I'm a sysadmin and there isn't enough time in my day, so 
everywhere that I can have stuff that 'Just Works' means I can work on some 
other more pressing problem.
 
> The prompt reads:
> 
>> >   /usr/ports/ports-mgmt/portupgrade sudo make install

Also never had much reason to use sudo with FreeBSD. Just a small personal 
idiosyncrasy.
 
> But the error messages say:
> 
>> >   /usr/bin/touch /opt/ports/lang/ruby18/work/ruby-1.8.7-p370/configure
> 
> So there seems to be both /usr/ports and /opt/ports... ???
> 
> But finally:
> 
>> >   Stop in /opt/ports/ports-mgmt/portupgrade.
> 
> Is there some symlinking issue opt<->usr?
> 

What I was originally wondering about was the *.mk files located in 
/usr/ports/Mk. Getting the environment configured as per Matthew's 
instructions seems like what the OP needs to get right if he truly must have 
his ports tree in /opt. Unless there is some overriding reason why this is 
absolutely required, it would be far easier just to have a 'default' setup 
and get on with things. 

Just built both of these ports successfully as test. Nothing wrong here.

-Mike