build failure with HOME=/nonexistent

[bremner]

What version of Racket are you using?
8.11.1 [cs]

What program did you run?
raco setup (as part of Debian build, full log attached)

What should have happened?
Nothing has changed in the build environment since 8.10

If you got an error message, please include it here.

make-directory: cannot make directory
path: /nonexistant/
system error: Permission denied; errno=13
context...:
/<>/collects/racket/file.rkt:134:0: body of 'register
/<>/collects/racket/file.rkt:134:0: make-directory*
[repeats 2 more times]
/<>/share/pkgs/quickscript/library.rkt:78:0: add-third-party-script-directory!
/<>/collects/racket/contract/private/arrow-val-first.rkt:489:18
/<>/collects/compiler/private/cm-minimal.rkt:696:0: compile-zo*
/<>/collects/compiler/private/cm-minimal.rkt:452:15
/<>/collects/compiler/private/cm-minimal.rkt:441:12: build
/<>/collects/compiler/private/cm-minimal.rkt:412:0: maybe-compile-zo
/<>/collects/compiler/private/cm-minimal.rkt:210:0: compile-root
/<>/collects/compiler/private/cm-minimal.rkt:105:4
/<>/collects/setup/parallel-build.rkt:332:9
/<>/collects/setup/parallel-do.rkt:465:25
/<>/collects/setup/parallel-do.rkt:451:20: loop

Please include any other relevant details
e.g., the operating system used or how you are running the code.
Debian unstable

Full build log
log.txt

[mflatt]

@Metaxal — it looks like the problem happens when building quickscript. I don't immediately see why add-third-party-script-directory! would be called at build time, though.

[Metaxal]

That's due to poor design unfortunately. We're looking for a better mechanism, but in any case this particular problem shouldn't happen with the latest quickscript version though, or does it? (It may still happen with quickscript-extra.) See Metaxal/quickscript#73 The purpose of add-third-party-script-directory! is to add a path to the quickscript library so that it is available to the plugin when Drr starts. Initially I was using it for 3rd party quickscript collections like quickscript-extra, but recently we used it within quickscript to include default scripts. But it caused issues so we removed it. In all cases this mechanism must be replaced with something more robust. I'm travelling and may not be able to reply or fix in time, sorry.

…

On Sat, 23 Dec 2023, 14:15 Matthew Flatt, ***@***.***> wrote: @Metaxal <https://github.com/Metaxal> — it looks like the problem happens when building quickscript. I don't immediately see why add-third-party-script-directory! would be called at build time, though. — Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub <#4881 (comment)>, or unsubscribe <https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/AAMU2HG3J3UCVXCNEOQQJI3YK3KPRAVCNFSM6AAAAABBATF6K2VHI2DSMVQWIX3LMV43OSLTON2WKQ3PNVWWK3TUHMYTQNRYGI4TENZXGY> . You are receiving this because you were mentioned.Message ID: ***@***.***>

[LiberalArtist]

@bremner For Guix I fixed this by just deleting the offending file in a patch. IIRC from the linked issue, Nix did the same.

(I am planning to work on a solution for Quickscript in the next couple of weeks.)

Knowing now that distros with less idiosyncratic requirements than Guix and Nix are also affected by attempting to write an nonexistent home directory, it would be great if we could figure out how to catch this in Racket's release testing.

[bremner]

Philip McGrath ***@***.***> writes:

@bremner For Guix I fixed this by just deleting the offending file in a patch. IIRC from the linked issue, Nix did the same. (I am planning to work on a solution for Quickscript in the next couple of weeks.) Knowing now that distros with less idiosyncratic requirements than Guix and Nix are also affected by attempting to write an nonexistent home directory, it would be great if we could figure out how to catch this in Racket's release testing.

I thought maybe this issue would have wide enough impact that there would be an 8.11.2 to fix it. Currently my lack of time outweighs a my need to upgrade from 8.10. d

[mflatt]

We can update https://github.com/racket/distro-build/blob/master/distro-build-test/tests/unix-installer.rkt to set HOME=/nonexistent.

[mflatt]

I've updated "unix-installer.rkt", and although we're not yet in the testing phase for the upcoming v8.12 release, the initial candidate build passes with HOME=/nonexistent. (I also confirmed that v8.11.1 does not pass the updated test.)

[sorawee]

@mflatt resolved? OK to close?

[mflatt]

Yes, I think the original problem was fixed, and the installer test was part of the v8.13 release (and maybe v812, but I forget).