Re: Can I easily install GNU Emacs 27.1.50 via Guix?

[zimoun]

Hi,

On Fri, 18 Dec 2020 at 12:37, Carlo Zancanaro <carlo@zancanaro.id.au> wrote:

> My point is: Guix manipulates environment variables in a way that
> can, and does, break "foreign" programs when Guix's programs
> launch "foreign" programs. We should consider this a bug. This bug
> might be hard, or even impossible, to resolve but we should
> consider it a bug nonetheless.

I am not sure to agree.  The unexpected (by you :-)) behaviour at hand
is about Emacs and "M-x shell"; and I will not speak "in general".

> > --8<---------------cut
> > here---------------start------------->8---
> > guix environment --ad-hoc emacs grep coreutils --pure
> > env | grep GTK_PATH
> > /usr/bin/evince # Works!
> >
> > emacs -q -f shell
> > sh-5.0$ env | grep GTK_PATH
> > GTK_PATH=/gnu/store/v3rqcgz6chnmv2sg7lgf4s9kv2xyb5rl-gtk+-3.24.23/lib/gtk-3.0
> > sh-5.0$ /usr/bin/evince
> >
> > (evince:21780): GLib-GIO-ERROR **: 11:24:25.706: No GSettings
> > schemas are installed on the system
> > Trace/breakpoint trap
> > sh-5.0$ unset GTK_PATH
> > sh-5.0$ env | grep GTK_PATH
> > sh-5.0$ /usr/bin/evince
> >
> > (evince:25064): GLib-GIO-ERROR **: 11:32:22.826: No GSettings
> > schemas are installed on the system
> > Trace/breakpoint trap
> > --8<---------------cut
> > here---------------end--------------->8---
> >
> > So the story seems more complicated than GTK_PATH. :-)
>
> Did you try opening the print dialog in evince? If you did, then

I cannot even open "evince" inside Emacs shell...

> you should have seen different behaviour when GTK_PATH was set
> compared to when it wasn't. Namely, when GTK_PATH was set you

...and whatever if GTK_PATH is set or unset.  That's what my example shows.

> The problem is that GTK_PATH is checked for libraries first, where
> it finds the above library and tries and fails to load it. It does
> not fall back to the default paths, but rather treats loading that
> library as having failed, and thus evince cannot print. When
> GTK_PATH is unset it checks the default locations, and
> successfully finds and loads the library, and thus evince can
> print.

My point is: it is more complicated than only the environment variable GTK_PATH.

Well, if you feel it is a bug, please open a bug report detailing what
is the problem.  Personally, I do miss what it is and what could be
the actionable next step.

All the best,
simon