[Groff] groff 1.19.1 compile/installation failure

[jim]

When I try to compile 1.19.1 on a BSD/OS platform, make dies:

g++ -I. -I.  -I/usr/src/jim/groff-1.19.1/src/include -I/usr/src/jim/groff-1.19.1
/src/include -DHAVE_CONFIG_H -g -O2  -c common.cpp
g++ -I. -I.  -I/usr/src/jim/groff-1.19.1/src/include -I/usr/src/jim/groff-1.19.1
/src/include -DHAVE_CONFIG_H -g -O2  -c index.cpp
g++ -I. -I.  -I/usr/src/jim/groff-1.19.1/src/include -I/usr/src/jim/groff-1.19.1
/src/include -DHAVE_CONFIG_H -g -O2  -c linear.cpp
g++ -I. -I.  -I/usr/src/jim/groff-1.19.1/src/include -I/usr/src/jim/groff-1.19.1
/src/include -DHAVE_CONFIG_H -g -O2  -c search.cpp
gcc -I. -I.  -I/usr/src/jim/groff-1.19.1/src/include -I/usr/src/jim/groff-1.19.1
/src/include -DHAVE_CONFIG_H -g -O2  -c map.c
ar r libbib.a common.o index.o linear.o search.o map.o
ranlib libbib.a
/usr/contrib/bin/bash  ":" ":" "/usr/local/bin" > shdeps.sed
:: :: No such file or directory
*** Error code 127

Stop.
*** Error code 1

Stop.
*** Error code 1


The compilation succeeds when gnu make -- which isn't the default make
on this platform -- is used. BTW, something goes wrong with configure
too. This seems to assume bash is installed in /bin/bash. It isn't. And
why should bash be a prerequisite for compiling and installing anything?
It's depressing that the configuration and installation stuff for
groff seems to be far too closely intertwined with Linux.

Even though the compilation succeeds with gnu make, the build doesn't. It
now fails:

touch examples/stamp
GROFF_COMMAND_PREFIX=''; export GROFF_COMMAND_PREFIX; GROFF_BIN_PATH=`echo 
/usr/src/jim/groff-1.19.1/src/roff/groff 
/usr/src/jim/groff-1.19.1/src/roff/troff 
/usr/src/jim/groff-1.19.1/src/devices/grops | sed -e 's|  *|:|g'`; export 
GROFF_BIN_PATH; /usr/src/jim/groff-1.19.1/src/roff/groff/groff 
-F/usr/src/jim/groff-1.19.1/font -F/usr/src/jim/groff-1.19.1/font 
-M/usr/src/jim/groff-1.19.1/tmac -M/usr/src/jim/groff-1.19.1/tmac -M. -Tps -mom 
examples/letter.mom >examples/letter.ps
troff: can't find `DESC' file
troff: fatal error: sorry, I can't continue
gmake[2]: *** [examples/letter.ps] Error 1
gmake[2]: Leaving directory `/usr/src/jim/groff-1.19.1/contrib/mom'
gmake[1]: *** [contrib/mom] Error 2
gmake[1]: Leaving directory `/usr/src/jim/groff-1.19.1'
gmake: *** [all] Error 2


Any idea what's wrong and how to fix it?

I think someone has seen great virtue in needlessly complicating the
compilation and installation of groff. Or has made that too Linux
specific. It didn't used to be like this. "make" followed by "make
install" used to just work. Sigh.