A very strange symptom. I can install
NetBSD 1.6 from floppies and the sets
from ftp. All goes well.

But when I try to build packages, neither
perl5, perl58 nor icewm will build. In
particular, perl5 and icewm get caught
in an endless loop of this:

gmake[1]: Entering directory...
Analysing dependencies for...
gmake[1]: Leaving directory...

Round and round it goes entering and
leaving the same directory and analysing
the same dependencies.

On a machine which builds packages normally
it gets past that part like this...

<snip>
Build targets: base nls
Applications: genpref icewm icesh icewmhint icewmbg icehelp
Image library: libXpm
Audio support:
Features:  nls x86-asm
Paths: PREFIX: /usr/X11R6
        BINDIR: /usr/X11R6/bin
        LOCDIR: /usr/X11R6/share/locale
        LIBDIR: /usr/X11R6/lib/X11/icewm
        CFGDIR: /usr/X11R6/etc/X11/icewm
        KDEDIR: /usr/X11R6/share
        DOCDIR: /usr/X11R6/doc
===> Building for icewm-1.2.0nb1
gmake[1]: Entering directory `/usr/pkgsrc/wm/icewm/work/icewm-1.2.0/src'
Analysing dependencies for icehelp.cc...
Analysing dependencies for ylocale.cc...
Analysing dependencies for ypixbuf.cc...
Analysing dependencies for ypaths.cc...
Analysing dependencies for wmconfig.cc...
Analysing dependencies for ysocket.cc...
Analysing dependencies for yscrollview.cc...
Analysing dependencies for ylabel.cc...
Analysing dependencies for ycursor.cc...
Analysing dependencies for icons.cc...
Analysing dependencies for misc.cc...
Analysing dependencies for yinput.cc...
Analysing dependencies for ylistbox.cc...
Analysing dependencies for ybutton.cc...
Analysing dependencies for yscrollbar.cc...
Analysing dependencies for ymenuitem.cc...
Analysing dependencies for ymenu.cc...
Analysing dependencies for ypopup.cc...
Analysing dependencies for ytooltip.cc...
Analysing dependencies for ypaint.cc...
Analysing dependencies for ywindow.cc...
Analysing dependencies for ytimer.cc...
Analysing dependencies for yapp.cc...
Analysing dependencies for icewmbg.cc...
Analysing dependencies for icewmhint.cc...
Analysing dependencies for icesh.cc...
Analysing dependencies for atray.cc...
Analysing dependencies for aapm.cc...
Analysing dependencies for objbar.cc...
Analysing dependencies for aaddressbar.cc...
Analysing dependencies for apppstatus.cc...
Analysing dependencies for acpustatus.cc...
Analysing dependencies for aclock.cc...
Analysing dependencies for amailbox.cc...
Analysing dependencies for aworkspaces.cc...
Analysing dependencies for atasks.cc...
Analysing dependencies for wmprog.cc...
Analysing dependencies for browse.cc...
Analysing dependencies for gnome.cc...
Analysing dependencies for decorate.cc...
Analysing dependencies for themes.cc...
Analysing dependencies for movesize.cc...
Analysing dependencies for wmtitle.cc...
Analysing dependencies for wmminiicon.cc...
Analysing dependencies for wmbutton.cc...
Analysing dependencies for wmframe.cc...
Analysing dependencies for wmapp.cc...
Analysing dependencies for wmmgr.cc...
Analysing dependencies for wmclient.cc...
Analysing dependencies for wmcontainer.cc...
Analysing dependencies for wmaction.cc...
Analysing dependencies for wmoption.cc...
Analysing dependencies for wmstatus.cc...
Analysing dependencies for wmswitch.cc...
Analysing dependencies for wmabout.cc...
Analysing dependencies for wmdialog.cc...
Analysing dependencies for wmwinmenu.cc...
Analysing dependencies for wmtaskbar.cc...
Analysing dependencies for wmwinlist.cc...
Analysing dependencies for wmsession.cc...
Analysing dependencies for yurl.cc...
Analysing dependencies for ydialog.cc...
Analysing dependencies for ymsgbox.cc...
Analysing dependencies for genpref.cc...
gmake[1]: Leaving directory `/usr/pkgsrc/wm/icewm/work/icewm-1.2.0/src'
gmake[1]: Entering directory `/usr/pkgsrc/wm/icewm/work/icewm-1.2.0/src'
Compiling genpref.o...
Linking genpref...
Compiling ymsgbox.o...
Compiling ydialog.o...
Compiling yurl.o...
Compiling wmsession.o...
Compiling wmwinlist.o...
Compiling wmtaskbar.o...
Compiling wmwinmenu.o...
Compiling wmdialog.o...
Compiling wmabout.o...
Compiling wmswitch.o...
</snip>

But when doing make on the stuck-in-loop machine
it never gets to the line that says...

Compiling genpref.o...

...instead going back to the line which says...

Analysing dependencies for icehelp.cc...

...and on throught that same whole list again
and again.

I can reproduce this on that box time after time
with a fresh install and no change to the generic
/etc/mk.conf for an installtion of icewm. Perl 5
does something similar but takes way, way too long
to use as a test case.

And this is the strange part, I
managed to clone an existing NetBSD 1.6
system onto this very laptop using
tar and ftp for EVERY next-level directory
under the / directory. I did tar on those,
ftp'd 'em over, untar'd 'em, twiddled
with /etc/fstab, and re-ran xf86config.
Of course, it has the same /etc/mk.conf too
when I do that.

Then I booted, and it ran fine, just like
the parent machine. But it still will
not run make in pkgsrce just as it would
not before. But it runs the programs which
it can't make just fine. Odd, yes?

I am very puzzled. This laptop had a loose
screw rattling around inside which I removed
prior to onset of symptoms. Anybody got a
clue what kind of weird thing is going
on here that only effects gmake?

Confused,

Gan
-- 

   Mistera Sturno - Rarest Extinct Bird

   <(+)__       Gan Uesli Starling
    ((__/)=-    Kalamazoo, MI, USA
     `||`
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