[Mailman-Users] Installation on Mac OSX

[Dan Mick]

> > *Why* can't ./configure open conftest.py?
> >
> > To answer that question, obtain the following:
> >
> > 1) ls -ld of the containing directory ('.' in ./configure)
> >
> This bring up the following:
> 
> [smudette:~/mailman-2.0.8] mailman% ls -ld
> drwxrwsr-x  33 4101  4101  1078 Nov 27 17:54 .

This is bad.  How did you get unpacked source that's not owned
by any known user or group?

Once again, I refer you to INSTALL, section 2.  Let me quote and
emphasize this time:

    You should not be root while performing the steps in this section.
    Do them under your own login, or whatever account you typically
    ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
    install software as.  You do not need to do these steps as user
    mailman, but you could.

    Make sure that you have write permissions to the target
    ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
    installation directory, and permission to create a setgid file in
    ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
    the file system where it resides (NFS and other mounts can be
    ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
    configured to inhibit setgid settings).

> > 2) output of id *from the same state you're running ./configure*
> > (i.e. run ./configure and see the failure, and then immediately
> > run id at the next shell prompt)
> 
> [smudette:~/mailman-2.0.8] mailman% id
> uid=5990(mailman) gid=0(wheel) groups=0(wheel), 5990(mailman)

User 'mailman' and group 'mailman' clearly do not have permission
to write '.'.  This is clearly the problem.  It has nothing at all
do to with Mailman, configure, or Python; this is strictly
a Unix file-permissions issue.  If this still makes no sense
to you, I recommend getting some help from a more-experienced
Unix administrator local to you so you can have the back-and-forth
that will clarify the issue.

> To my non-mailman-expert eyes, it appears as though the user mailman 
> with the UID of 5990 is in the groups wheel and mailman.  It also 
> appears the directory containing the distro is owned by a phantom user 
> (4101).
> 
> Now, to ask the same question again...
> 
> Is there a permissions problem based on the owner:group of 4101 on the 
> distro and the owner:group I wish to run/install mailman as?  Is there a 
> problem with the user 4101 (which doesn't exist on my system) trying to 
> run configure or Python?  Where do I need to make the changes to get 
> this going?

You need to change the ownership and group of the sources before you
start.  I always own the mailman sources with my own uid and group;
it's only the installation process that sets the real final
'mailman' and 'gid' permissions.
 
> Hopefully, this time, the question is clearer and I can get mailman up 
> and running some time very soon.

Every line in INSTALL should be treated as important information, all
the more so if you don't fully understand it.