ghostscript: is not distributable

[swilton86]

Workaround:

• Set buildfromsource to always in /opt/local/etc/macports/macports.conf.
• Install by building from source (-s) and without dependencies (-n): sudo port install -s -n ghostscript.
• Undo previous change to macports.conf.

Log:

:info:archivefetch --->  ghostscript-9.55.0_0+x11.darwin_19.x86_64.tbz2 doesn't seem to exist in /opt/local/var/macports/incoming/verified
:msg:archivefetch --->  Attempting to fetch ghostscript-9.55.0_0+x11.darwin_19.x86_64.tbz2 from https://packages.macports.org/ghostscript
:debug:archivefetch Fetching archive failed: The requested URL returned error: 404 
:msg:archivefetch --->  Attempting to fetch ghostscript-9.55.0_0+x11.darwin_19.x86_64.tbz2 from https://mse.uk.packages.macports.org/ghostscript
:debug:archivefetch Fetching archive failed: The requested URL returned error: 404 Not Found
:msg:archivefetch --->  Attempting to fetch ghostscript-9.55.0_0+x11.darwin_19.x86_64.tbz2 from https://ema.uk.packages.macports.org/ghostscript
:debug:archivefetch Fetching archive failed: The requested URL returned error: 404 
:msg:archivefetch --->  Attempting to fetch ghostscript-9.55.0_0+x11.darwin_19.x86_64.tbz2 from https://fra.de.packages.macports.org/ghostscript
:debug:archivefetch Fetching archive failed: The requested URL returned error: 404 Not Found
:msg:archivefetch --->  Attempting to fetch ghostscript-9.55.0_0+x11.darwin_19.x86_64.tbz2 from https://cph.dk.packages.macports.org/ghostscript
:debug:archivefetch Fetching archive failed: The requested URL returned error: 404 Not Found
:msg:archivefetch --->  Attempting to fetch ghostscript-9.55.0_0+x11.darwin_19.x86_64.tbz2 from https://nue.de.packages.macports.org/ghostscript
:debug:archivefetch Fetching archive failed: The requested URL returned error: 404 Not Found
:msg:archivefetch --->  Attempting to fetch ghostscript-9.55.0_0+x11.darwin_19.x86_64.tbz2 from http://fco.it.packages.macports.org/ghostscript
:debug:archivefetch Fetching archive failed: The requested URL returned error: 404 Not Found
:msg:archivefetch --->  Attempting to fetch ghostscript-9.55.0_0+x11.darwin_19.x86_64.tbz2 from https://ywg.ca.packages.macports.org/mirror/macports/packages/ghostscript
:debug:archivefetch Fetching archive failed: The requested URL returned error: 404 Not Found
:msg:archivefetch --->  Attempting to fetch ghostscript-9.55.0_0+x11.darwin_19.x86_64.tbz2 from https://jnb.za.packages.macports.org/packages/ghostscript
:debug:archivefetch Fetching archive failed: The requested URL returned error: 404 
:msg:archivefetch --->  Attempting to fetch ghostscript-9.55.0_0+x11.darwin_19.x86_64.tbz2 from https://pek.cn.packages.macports.org/macports/packages/ghostscript
:debug:archivefetch Fetching archive failed: The requested URL returned error: 404 
:msg:archivefetch --->  Attempting to fetch ghostscript-9.55.0_0+x11.darwin_19.x86_64.tbz2 from http://jog.id.packages.macports.org/macports/packages/ghostscript
:debug:archivefetch Fetching archive failed: The requested URL returned error: 404 Not Found
:msg:archivefetch --->  Attempting to fetch ghostscript-9.55.0_0+x11.darwin_19.x86_64.tbz2 from https://kmq.jp.packages.macports.org/ghostscript
:debug:archivefetch Fetching archive failed: The requested URL returned error: 404 Not Found
:msg:archivefetch --->  Attempting to fetch ghostscript-9.55.0_0+x11.darwin_19.x86_64.tbz2 from http://atl.us.packages.macports.org/ghostscript
:debug:archivefetch Fetching archive failed: The requested URL returned error: 404 Not Found
:error:archivefetch Failed to archivefetch ghostscript: version @9.55.0_0+x11: The requested URL returned error: 404 Not Found

[ryandesign (Ryan Carsten Schmidt)]

That's because we believe we are not legally permitted to distribute a binary of ghostscript.

"ghostscript" is not distributable because its license "agpl" conflicts with license "GPL-2" of dependency "libpaper"

[swilton86]

OK, I understand.

FWIW, I had buildfromsource set to never because my installation was building everything from source even when binaries were available. An availableasbinary true/false flag on each package might be good because that would allow the CLI to show a message like "Requested package not available as a binary. Change buildfromsource to ifneeded or install with -s."

Happy to close the ticket, though.

[ryandesign (Ryan Carsten Schmidt)]

Replying to swilton86:

FWIW, I had buildfromsource set to never because my installation was building everything from source even when binaries were available.

I can't explain why that would be the case for you.

An availableasbinary true/false flag on each package might be good

#60315 tracks the request to integrate the distributability checking script into MacPorts base.

because that would allow the CLI to show a message like "Requested package not available as a binary. Change buildfromsource to ifneeded or install with -s."

Sure, several things could be improved once MacPorts base has the ability to know a port's distributability.

[chrstphrchvz (Christopher Chavez)]

Many Linux and BSD package managers offer binaries of ghostscript AGPL linked to libpaper. I think it would be useful to elaborate why MacPorts cannot also do so. My guess is that it resembles the OpenSSL pre-3.0 situation where a library has to be considered “part of the OS” (which MacPorts is not) for binary distribution of packages with incompatible licenses to be allowed.