[tex-k] Building svn57874.tar.gz (from github)

[Karl Berry]

    > tar vxf texlive-xxx-source
    > cd texlive-xxx-source
    > mkdir build
    > cd build
    > ../configure

That (running ../configure) is also the standard thing to do for TL, and
in fact what the ./Build script does. It uses the name "Work" for the
builddir.

   wl> This is kind-of the standard today

Personally, I would hesitate to call any specific build process "the
standard".  Or even "kind-of the standard". Different people need to do
different things.

    ... whether it makes sense that both the former and the latter 'mode'
    are supported while executing the test suite.

As far as I know, the test works for everyone *except* Johannes.
So something is going on for him, but I don't know what it is.

All that little test is doing is using $srcdir from the environment. So
if $srcdir is set correctly, as it should be regardless of how configure
was invoked or where the builddir is, then it will work. If not, not.

Johannes, your during-the-build changes to texk/kpathsea/texmf.cnf
should not matter because the test is using its own test texmf.cnf.  The
behavior you're getting is even more puzzling than the above to me,
since it seems to me kpsewhich should be returning the empty string if
it's not finding the test texmf.cnf at all. And if it is finding it, how
can it not be returning the correct value? Looking at the debug output
you sent, it is finding the right texmf.cnf:

kdebug:Search path for cnf files (from TEXMFCNF environment variable)
kdebug:  = /tmp/texlive-source-svn57874/texk/kpathsea/tests/cnfline

That is the correct place. What is the contents of that texmf.cnf?  But
if the contents were wrong, presumably it would never return the correct
answer, so that doesn't make sense either.

I hope I don't have to add more debugging code into kpse. Maybe
you can run it under gdb and discern why it's failing?
Apparently I cannot debug it at a distance. Sorry. -k