inadequate/inconsisten 'help pkg' message; problems with downloading

[Sergei Steshenko]

Hello,

I've tried to install a package using the 'pkg' command.

First I read screen output of 'help pkg' and from it I "grabbed" two items:

"
    `install'
          Install named packages.  For example,

               pkg install image-1.0.0.tar.gz

          installs the package found in the file `image-1.0.0.tar.gz'.
...
         `-forge'
               Install a package directly from the Octave-Forge
               repository.  This requires an internet connection and
               the cURL library.
".

Please note that the first item mentions a .tar.gz file and the second
item (`-forge') doesn't mention how the package to be installed should be
named.

So I tried:

"
octave:9> pkg install -global -forge -verbose signal-1.0.11.tar.gz
error: get_forge_pkg: package not found: "signal-1.0.11.tar.gz". Maybe you 
meant "combinatorics?"
error: called from:
error:   
/mnt/sdb8/sergei/AFSWD_debug/20110601/octave-3.4.2/share/octave/3.4.2/m/pkg/private/get_forge_pkg.m
 at line 74, column 9
error:   
/mnt/sdb8/sergei/AFSWD_debug/20110601/octave-3.4.2/share/octave/3.4.2/m/pkg/pkg.m
 at line 2391, column 15
error:   
/mnt/sdb8/sergei/AFSWD_debug/20110601/octave-3.4.2/share/octave/3.4.2/m/pkg/pkg.m
 at line 352, column 32
octave:9>      
".

Though there is an error message, it doesn't look quite relevant to me.

I had to look into '3.4.2/m/pkg/private/get_forge_pkg.m' file and from
its contents I guessed that probably I should try:

"
octave:9> pkg install -global -forge -verbose signal
mkdir (/tmp/oct-vgJkQM)
untar (/home/qemu/signal-1.0.11.tar.gz, /tmp/oct-vgJkQM)
error: the following dependencies where unsatisfied:
   signal needs optim >= 1.0.0
 signal needs specfun >= 0.0.0
octave:9>   
"

- makes more sense.

But why should one _guess_ ?

...

Alas, trouble, though of different kind, continues:

"
octave:9> pkg install -global -forge -verbose specfun
mkdir (/tmp/oct-9eigc4)
untar (/home/qemu/specfun-1.0.9.tar.gz, /tmp/oct-9eigc4)
make: Entering directory `/tmp/oct-9eigc4/specfun-1.0.9/src'
mkoctfile -s ellipj.cc
make: Leaving directory `/tmp/oct-9eigc4/specfun-1.0.9/src'
copyfile /tmp/oct-9eigc4/specfun-1.0.9/src/ellipj.oct 
/tmp/oct-9eigc4/specfun-1.0.9/inst/i686-pc-linux-gnu-api-v45+
warning: function 
/mnt/sdb8/sergei/AFSWD_debug/20110601/octave-3.4.2/share/octave/packages/specfun-1.0.9/erfcx.m
 shadows a built-in function
warning: 
/mnt/sdb8/sergei/AFSWD_debug/20110601/octave-3.4.2/share/octave/packages/specfun-1.0.9/laguerre.m:
 possible Matlab-style short-circuit operator at line 30, column 11
warning: gen_doc_cache: unusable help text found in file 'test_sncndn'
warning: addpath: /home/qemu/octave/specfun-1.0.7: No such file or directory
octave:10> pkg install -global -forge -verbose optim
mkdir (/tmp/oct-Lv43yK)
untar (/home/qemu/optim-1.0.16.tar.gz, /tmp/oct-Lv43yK)
error: the following dependencies where unsatisfied:
   optim needs miscellaneous >= 1.0.11
 optim needs struct >= 1.0.9
octave:10> pkg install -global -forge -verbose struct
error: could not download file struct-1.0.9.tar.gz from url 
http://downloads.sourceforge.net/octave/struct-1.0.9.tar.gz?download
error: called from:
error:   
/mnt/sdb8/sergei/AFSWD_debug/20110601/octave-3.4.2/share/octave/3.4.2/m/pkg/pkg.m
 at line 357, column 13
octave:10> pkg install -global -forge -verbose struct
error: could not download file struct-1.0.9.tar.gz from url 
http://downloads.sourceforge.net/octave/struct-1.0.9.tar.gz?download
error: called from:
error:   
/mnt/sdb8/sergei/AFSWD_debug/20110601/octave-3.4.2/share/octave/3.4.2/m/pkg/pkg.m
 at line 357, column 13
octave:10>                     
".

I _did_ check Internet connection.

What am I supposed to do with

"
error: could not download file struct-1.0.9.tar.gz from url 
http://downloads.sourceforge.net/octave/struct-1.0.9.tar.gz?download
"

message ? I.e. what _exactly_ is the problem with download ? Timeout ?
Corrupted file ? None-existent file on sourceforge ?

Should I file bug reports about all this ?

...

The package loads like a charm:

"
address@hidden:~/junk> wget 
'http://downloads.sourceforge.net/octave/struct-1.0.9.tar.gz?download'
--2011-08-02 06:05:13--  
http://downloads.sourceforge.net/octave/struct-1.0.9.tar.gz?download
Resolving downloads.sourceforge.net... 216.34.181.59
Connecting to downloads.sourceforge.net|216.34.181.59|:80... connected.
HTTP request sent, awaiting response... 301 Moved Permanently
Location: 
http://downloads.sourceforge.net/project/octave/Octave%20Forge%20Packages/Individual%20Package%20Releases/struct-1.0.9.tar.gz?download=
 [following]
--2011-08-02 06:05:13--  
http://downloads.sourceforge.net/project/octave/Octave%20Forge%20Packages/Individual%20Package%20Releases/struct-1.0.9.tar.gz?download=
Reusing existing connection to downloads.sourceforge.net:80.
HTTP request sent, awaiting response... 302 Found
Location: 
http://garr.dl.sourceforge.net/project/octave/Octave%20Forge%20Packages/Individual%20Package%20Releases/struct-1.0.9.tar.gz
 [following]
--2011-08-02 06:05:14--  
http://garr.dl.sourceforge.net/project/octave/Octave%20Forge%20Packages/Individual%20Package%20Releases/struct-1.0.9.tar.gz
Resolving garr.dl.sourceforge.net... 193.206.140.34, 2001:760:ffff:b0::34
Connecting to garr.dl.sourceforge.net|193.206.140.34|:80... connected.
HTTP request sent, awaiting response... 200 OK
Length: 13051 (13K) [application/x-gzip]
Saving to: `struct-1.0.9.tar.gz'

97% 
[=============================================================================================================================>
    ] 12,715      44.4K/s   in 0.3s

2011-08-02 06:05:15 (44.4 KB/s) - Connection closed at byte 12715. Retrying.

--2011-08-02 06:05:16--  (try: 2)  
http://garr.dl.sourceforge.net/project/octave/Octave%20Forge%20Packages/Individual%20Package%20Releases/struct-1.0.9.tar.gz
Connecting to garr.dl.sourceforge.net|193.206.140.34|:80... connected.
HTTP request sent, awaiting response... 206 Partial Content
Length: 13051 (13K), 336 remaining [application/x-gzip]
Saving to: `struct-1.0.9.tar.gz'

100%[++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++===>]
 13,051      --.-K/s   in 0s

2011-08-02 06:05:16 (61.6 MB/s) - `struct-1.0.9.tar.gz' saved [13051/13051]

address@hidden:~/junk>
",

but _still_ not in Octave:

"
octave:10> pkg install -global -forge -verbose struct
error: could not download file struct-1.0.9.tar.gz from url 
http://downloads.sourceforge.net/octave/struct-1.0.9.tar.gz?download
error: called from:
error:   
/mnt/sdb8/sergei/AFSWD_debug/20110601/octave-3.4.2/share/octave/3.4.2/m/pkg/pkg.m
 at line 357, column 13
octave:10>      
".

Thanks,
  Sergei.