1.9.3 Error running '__rvm_make -j4'

[pkrawc]

Description

I cannot install an old ruby version, 1.9.3-p194, on macOS High Sierra.

Steps to reproduce

1. Check to make sure current ruby will install, 2.4.1
2. run rvm install 1.9.3-p194

Error running '__rvm_make -j4',
please read /Users/patrick/.rvm/log/1507348148_ruby-1.9.3-p194/make.log
There has been an error while running make. Halting the installation.

Actual behavior

rvm install 1.9.3-p194

• make.log
  config.log

[levinunnink]

I'm running into a very similar problem trying to install any ruby version on High Sierra.

[pkuczynski]

@levinunnink did you installed xcode command line tools with xcode-select --install?

[saransh9]

yes, still getting the same error
make.log

[nisavid]

I'm seeing the same error, namely:

compiling syslog.c
In file included from /usr/include/sys/cdefs.h:587:0,
                 from /usr/include/sys/_types.h:32,
                 from /usr/include/_types.h:27,
                 from /usr/include/string.h:61,
                 from ../.././include/ruby/ruby.h:48,
                 from syslog.c:11:
/usr/include/sys/syslog.h:227:124: error: expected ',' or ';' before '__asm'
 void syslog(int, const char *, ...) __printflike(2, 3) __not_tail_called __DARWIN_ALIAS_STARTING(__MAC_10_13, __IPHONE_NA, __DARWIN_EXTSN(syslog));
                                                                                                                            ^

For me, however, this is occurring in yet another set of cases, which are apparently inconsistent with the previous reports. I'm hitting it when building Ruby 1.9.3-p551 on macOS 10.13 with recent versions of GCC:

• rvm install 1.9.3 --with-gcc=gcc-5
  • GCC 5.5.0 via Homebrew gcc@5 5.5.0
• rvm install 1.9.3 --with-gcc=gcc-6
  • GCC 6.4.0 via Homebrew gcc@6 6.4.0
• rvm install 1.9.3 --with-gcc=gcc-7
  • GCC 7.2.0 via Homebrew gcc 7.2.0

---

Building Ruby 1.9.3-p551 with GCC 4.9.4 (Homebrew gcc@4.9 4.9.4), via rvm install 1.9.3 or rvm install 1.9.3 --with-gcc=gcc-4.9, I get different errors:

In file included from /usr/include/Availability.h:194:0,
                 from /usr/include/stdlib.h:61,
                 from ./include/ruby/defines.h:29,
                 from ./regenc.h:34,
                 from ./enc/big5.c:30:
/usr/include/AvailabilityInternal.h:25584:74: error: missing binary operator before token "("
 #if defined(__has_feature) && defined(__has_attribute) && __has_attribute(availability)
                                                                          ^
In file included from /usr/include/stdlib.h:61:0,
                 from ./include/ruby/defines.h:29,
                 from ./regenc.h:34,
                 from ./enc/big5.c:30:
/usr/include/Availability.h:387:74: error: missing binary operator before token "("
 #if defined(__has_feature) && defined(__has_attribute) && __has_attribute(availability)
                                                                          ^

(3 occurrences of this pair of errors, corresponding to ./enc/big5.c,./enc/euc_kr.c, and ./enc/cp949.c)

These are suspiciously similar to an old GCC issue. If I understand correctly, this was caused by Apple reinterpreting the short-circuiting behavior of && to also apply to the detection of syntax errors in preprocessor directives—a notion that does not follow from C99 and is not implemented by GCC. That issue was patched in GCC 4.8 and 4.9 via a specific workaround applied when encountering these header files on macOS. I have no insight into why this issue is now reappearing. Perhaps the workaround in GCC needs to be adjusted to account for something specific about macOS 10.13—just guessing.

---

On the other hand, I can successfully build Ruby 1.9.3-p551 with Clang 900.0.38 (Apple LLVM 9.0.0, Xcode 9.0.1) via rvm install 1.9.3 --with-gcc=gcc. On completion, in addition to the usual warning about using an unmaintained Ruby version, it emits the following spooky warning:

Ruby 'ruby-1.9.3-p551' was built using clang - but it's not (fully) supported, expect errors.

Given that this appears to be the only way to build Ruby 1.9.3 on my system, it would be very helpful to know what sorts of errors I might expect. Unfortunately, I haven't figured out an effective way to search for this. The closest I've come is this vague reference from 5 years ago.

---

All other MRI versions build successfully, apparently using gcc—that is, Clang 900.0.38 (Apple LLVM 9.0.0, Xcode 9.0.1)—by default, without any complaints. Specifically, the following versions build with a simple rvm install <version>:

• 2.0.0-p648
• 2.1.10
• 2.2.8
• 2.3.5
• 2.4.2

---

Note: I updated RVM via rvm get head before performing these builds.

[levinunnink]

@pkuczynski Yeah, for me the fix was to do a complete reinstall of macOS. I had configured a new system using the Migration Assistant and nothing I did would get ruby to find the headers it needed to compile. A clean reinstall of the system fixed the problem. No idea what the actual cause was.

[poysama]

Running into the same problem and fixed it with @nisadavid post.

Running on RVM 1.29.3 and installed ruby-1.9.3-p484

[eirvandelden]

Running into the same issue, this was not fixed by running:

• rvm reinstall ruby-1.9.3-p551 log
• rvm reinstall ruby-1.9.3-p551 --with-gcc=gcc log

Odly enough this works:

• rvm install ruby-1.9.3-p551 --with-gcc=gcc

[andrewdeck]

Ran into this exact same issue.
rvm install ruby-1.9.3-p551 --with-gcc=gcc
worked for me.

[wilvk]

@nisavid The spooky warning at the end probably relates to the warning at the start:
Warning: found user selected compiler 'gcc', this will suppress RVM auto detection mechanisms.

[mpapis]

The best course of action will be to start supporting clang(--with-gcc=gcc) for 1.9.3 on newest OSX

[stevesuo]

eirvelden's solution worked for me, too:

rvm install ruby-1.9.3-p551 --with-gcc=gcc

[martinverdejo]

Not sure if its the same problem. I am on OSX 10.13. Trying to install ruby-2.3.4 but I'm getting Error running '__rvm_make -j 1'. I tried rvm install 2.3.4 --with-gcc=gcc but encountered the same problem.

Here is my make.log