Re: problems installing optim on OSX 10.9 using MacPorts

[Ben Abbott]

On Jul 18, 2014, at 1:25 PM, Steven Dorsher <address@hidden> wrote:

> Hello again,
> 
> In the last week since I asked my basic question about how to install optim 
> on a Mac using MacPorts (sudo port install octave-optim), I had to reinstall 
> my operating system. This broke MacPorts, so I had to uninstall MacPorts and 
> reinstall it. Now I am trying to reinstall octave, including the optim 
> package. However, it seems to be choking on installation of the general 
> package. Here's the error message I'm getting:
> 
> bash-3.2$ sudo port install octave-optim
> --->  Computing dependencies for octave-optim
> --->  Dependencies to be installed: octave-miscellaneous octave-general 
> octave-struct
> --->  Configuring octave-general
> Error: org.macports.configure for port octave-general returned: configure 
> failure: command execution failed
> Error: Failed to install octave-general
> Please see the log file for port octave-general for details:
>  
> /opt/local/var/macports/logs/_opt_local_var_macports_sources_rsync.macports.org_release_tarballs_ports_math_octave-general/octave-general/main.log
> Error: The following dependencies were not installed: octave-miscellaneous 
> octave-general octave-struct
> To report a bug, follow the instructions in the guide:
>     http://guide.macports.org/#project.tickets
> Error: Processing of port octave-optim failed

Please do as the error asks and report this to Fink.  If you don't want to file 
a bug report, then use their maillist

        http://www.finkproject.org/lists/fink-users.php

> The alternative suggested,
> 
> pkg install optim-1.3.1.tar.gz
> isn't working, possibly because I only get a tar file from hg, not a tar.gz 
> file. It produces what looks like a mess of binary output in octave. 

The file optim-1.3.1.tar.gz downloads loads on my mac.  Perhaps your's is 
unzipping it. Did you try ...

        pkg install optim-1.3.1.tar

> I didn't quite follow the part about how to set $GCC and $LDFLAGS or how or 
> why to install an older version of octave. I'm pretty sure I've installed the 
> newest version since I just installed it. Would someone be willing to 
> elaborate?

Some of the OctaveForge packages require a specific versions of Octave.

Before concluding you have the most recent version of Octave, please take the 
time to tell us what version you have installed.

Ben