Several ongoing FreeBSD port issues, most not urgent

[jb_daefo]

I've posted most of these problems, to the FreeBSD lists, but am delaying reposting there until I've a longer list and can format it properly to the FreeBSD users and developers, since most of the problems are non-showstoppers.

Posting here in case anyone has a clue...

a... docbook ports consistently fail to build
despite reinstalls
[gtk-doc]
Could not find DocBook XML DTD V4.3 in XML catalog [despite seven *docbook* ports being installed and per UPDATING]

b... perl currently does not build... and neither any perl port. CLI perl ports and GUI perl ports fail [ this is a recent time waster here]
[p5-AnyEvent]
Invalid version format (non-numeric data) at /usr/local/lib/perl5/site_perl/ExtUtils/MakeMaker.pm line 6
[ rebuilding p5-ExtUtils-MakeMaker, same error]
[ running any CLI perl program, same error, AFAIK ]

c...
portupgrade -a -n fails upon any error in a Makefile
portmaster --check-depends exits silently
pkgdb -F "packages not supported yet"

These three commands were once mainstays of keeping the installed ports
trouble-free...

Thankfully the pkg system and shell scripts and pipes have workarounds for the problems here. So there's that.

Thanks for reading.

[jb_daefo]

I filed a bugzilla addendum for the perl issue (freebsd.org/bugzilla) # 200370, per the note here. So it affects at least one other machine.

[jb_daefo]

Just updated perl5 to 5.20 from 5.18 on a v11 install. Tested opera fonts, chromium, perl builds... no problems with those three. That install was exactly like the problematic one [as posted above] a year or so ago [IOW, both installs exist from 2004...] FWIW. So lessens the importance of this thread, AFAIK...

[jb_daefo]

Seems 5.20 has a "use locale" delta; a fix *may* be to reinstall everything in site_perl. (or upgrade to v11) (or both) (or not). Large threads on the Arch linux forum and a "grokbase" forum about it...

[roddierod]

Did you follow the instructions in /usr/ports/UPDATING for the perl upgrade on FreeBSD?

[jb_daefo]

the 20141126 pkgdb -Ff is no longer supported.
I did the perl upgrades, but in a more roundabout way, way too many perl ports to use the lines show in UPDATING...
May be as simple as a missing LC_ALL or LANG setting somewhere. Or "use locale" not yet
in some ports.... at any rate the bugzilla 200370 I believe is being assigned to perl@ so
a fix may be eventually in place.

[jb_daefo]

Upgraded the problematic v10 to v11. Perl problem gone. Fixed a "pkg upgrade" issue also.

[jb_daefo]

Unsure if proper to bump or a new thread...

glib20 newly it seems freezes Seamonkey/Firefox *if* a 'file save' Is tried. I tried
a patch to the Makefile but it builds but does not install ( similar to the subversion
port)

So just a wish list:
the next pkg update (about two days away) may fix it with a new glib20
....
make install becomes more reliable ( stuff not found by pkg-static during the
install phase)...
....
In the meantime claws-mail has a display html crash; however not that
important here. I also found dillo could save files instead of the two other
ones... if not opera.

EDIT
claws-mail fixed by reinstalling gsetting-desktop-schemas* FILE from backup
Unknown if that will/did fix the browsers problem. Still to test.