some kind of issue (as yet unclear) trying to build boost on an unknown system

[WenyiY]

I met boost building issue when trying to build mlpack. So I searched online and found a similar post which has the same problem as mine, which is: ​https://stackoverflow.com/questions/19912862/compiling-boostprogram-options-on-mac-os-x-with-g-4-8-mac-ports

When I'm trying to do the solution the comment suggest which is compile boost by gcc48 by having the command line sudo port -ns upgrade --force boost configure.compiler=macports-gcc-4.8, but macports failed by showing the output as

--->  Computing dependencies for boost
The following dependencies will be installed:  gcc48
Continue? [Y/n]: y
Error: Follow https://guide.macports.org/#project.tickets to report a bug.

I'm lost and don't know what to do now. Please send some help

[kencu (Ken)]

Hi. Please be clear on what your actual end goal is here, so we can help you get there.

• What system are you on?
• What are you trying to install?

You will most likely not get anywhere on MacPorts trying to build anything with gcc4.8, so that is not your solution.

[WenyiY]

Sorry for not making it clear. I am on MacOS High Sierra, and trying to build mlpack library. But when I typed make ../ for mlpack after cmake it, I'm having the same problem as shown on the link I pasted at the beginning. Which some comments under that link said it was boost issue. Change clang++ to g++ might help. I was just trying around see how to solve this "make mlpack" issue.

[kencu (Ken)]

FYI, I just thought I'd try installing mlpack, and it seemed to install without any trouble:

sudo port -v install mlpack

$ port -v installed mlpack
The following ports are currently installed:
  mlpack @2.2.5_2 (active) platform='darwin 10' archs='x86_64' date='2018-10-26T20:59:49-0700'

[kencu (Ken)]

To find out what MacPorts offers, you can type port search XXXX to look for some port that MacPorts offers, e.g. mlpack.

To install a port, you sudo port -v install XXXX -- whatever it is.

Then 99% of the time, your software is installed. Please try this:

sudo port -v install mlpack

and let us know how that proceeds for you.

[WenyiY]

So I tried the command line you gave me, but it still failed at 55% when building target mlpack_pca. The error is below:

[ 55%] Built target mlpack_pca
make[1]: Leaving directory `/opt/local/var/macports/build/_opt_local_var_macports_sources_rsync.macports.org_release_tarballs_ports_math_mlpack/mlpack/work/build'
make: *** [all] Error 2
make: Leaving directory `/opt/local/var/macports/build/_opt_local_var_macports_sources_rsync.macports.org_release_tarballs_ports_math_mlpack/mlpack/work/build'
Command failed:  cd "/opt/local/var/macports/build/_opt_local_var_macports_sources_rsync.macports.org_release_tarballs_ports_math_mlpack/mlpack/work/build" && /usr/bin/make -j4 -w  VERBOSE=ON 
Exit code: 2
Error: Failed to build mlpack: command execution failed
Error: See /opt/local/var/macports/logs/_opt_local_var_macports_sources_rsync.macports.org_release_tarballs_ports_math_mlpack/mlpack/main.log for details.
Error: rev-upgrade failed: Error rebuilding mlpack
Error: Follow https://guide.macports.org/#project.tickets to report a bug.
--->  Some of the ports you installed have notes:
  hdf5 has the following notes:
    Mac users may need to set the environment variable "HDF5_USE_FILE_LOCKING" to the five-character string "FALSE" when accessing network
    mounted files.  This is an application run-time setting, not a configure or build setting.  Otherwise errors such as "unable to open
    file" or "HDF5 error" may be  encountered.
  libpsl has the following notes:
    libpsl API documentation is provided by the port 'libpsl-docs'.

[kencu (Ken)]

Thanks! To help you now get the rest of the way, we need to see this file:

/opt/local/var/macports/logs/_opt_local_var_macports_sources_rsync.macports.org_release_tarballs_ports_math_mlpack/mlpack/main.log

Please don't copy-paste it into a window. Copy that file to your desktop, and then upload it with the "attach file" feature here on this page, with perhaps a short message.

[WenyiY]

Here is the main.log file.

[kencu (Ken)]

I found this in your log:

Found PkgConfig: /usr/local/bin/pkg-config

That shows that you have something installed in /usr/local. Maybe you have a lot of things installed in there? At any rate, anything you have installed in /usr/local will interfere with MacPorts, often severely.

The fastest way to clean this up, for me, would be to do this:

sudo mv /usr/local /usr/local-saved

That just gets the whole mess in /usr/local out of the way, whatever made it into there. Then do this:

sudo port clean mlpack

to clean out all the old build attempt, with whatever misconfigurations might have slipped in there.

Then do this:

sudo port -v install mlpack

and report back success or failure, with another log if you have a failure.

Good luck!

[WenyiY]

Thank you for find out this issue, I did have a lot of stuff installed under this path, like git, Homebrew. I wonder if I clean these up, it will affect some other programs I installed inside? Also, when I was trying to clean it using sudo mv /usr/local /usr/local-saved, it returned mv: rename /usr/local to /usr/local-saved: Operation not permitted.

[kencu (Ken)]

Oh, yeah -- I guess that would be system integrity protection at work on that OS version.

Sadly, MacPorts and homebrew (and anything else installed in /usr/local) don't all play well together. You'll have to decide. Naturally, I'd choose MacPorts...

[WenyiY]

Ah, I see. Now I have to make a decision between the two. Thank you. That solve my problem