Investigating the root cause of the bug

Oct 13, 2025 by pinkandtrash.com 90 views

Introduction

TeXLive is a popular TeX distribution that provides a wide range of TeX-related tools and utilities. Building TeXLive from source can be a complex process, especially on older systems like macOS X High Sierra (10.13.6). In this article, we will explore a test failure that occurred after a native build of TeXLive on an old macOS X High Sierra system from TeXLive sources.

Background

The build script used to build TeXLive from source was triggered using the following command:

./Build --enable-xindy --disable-native-texlive-build --with-system-icu CFLAGS=-O3 CXXFLAGS='-O3 -std=c++17' CLISP=/path/to/clisp

The reason for using --disable-native-texlive-build was to accommodate --with-system-icu, which was needed due to incompatibility between the MacPorts installed gcc (with its ICU dependency) and the TeXLive provided ICU.

Build Environment

The build environment was an old macOS X High Sierra system (10.13.6) with the following configuration:

macOS X High Sierra (10.13.6)
TeXLive sources checked out on March 11 via an rsync
MacPorts installed gcc with its ICU dependency
TeXLive provided ICU

Test Failure

Despite the successful build of all 489 binaries, the dvisvgm test suite reported one failed test. The generated dvisvgm test suite log is attached for reference.

Analysis

The test failure in dvisvgm is a critical issue that needs to be addressed. The analysis of the test suite log reveals that the failure is due to a bug in the dvisvgm code. The bug is related to the handling of SVG fonts, which is a critical feature of the dvisvgm tool.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the test failure after a native build on an old macOS X High Sierra system from TeXLive sources is a complex issue that requires careful analysis and debugging. The bug in the dvisvgm code is a critical issue that needs to be addressed to ensure the stability and reliability of the TeXLive distribution.

Recommendations

Based on the analysis of the test suite log, the following recommendations are made:

Update the dvisvgm code: The dvisvgm code needs to be updated to fix the bug related to the handling of SVG fonts.
Rebuild the dvisvgm binary: The dvisvgm binary needs to be rebuilt using the updated code to ensure that the bug is fixed.
Verify the test suite: The test suite needs to be verified to ensure that the bug is fixed and the dvisvgm tool is working correctly.

Future Work

Future work includes:

Investigating the root cause of the bug: The root cause of the bug needs to be investigated to ensure that it is fixed and does not occur in the future.
Testing the updated dvisvgm code: The updated dvisvgm code needs to be tested thoroughly to ensure that it is working correctly and does not introduce any new bugs.

Appendix

The generated dvisvgm test suite log is attached for reference.

test-suite.log

References

TeXLive documentation: https://www.tug.org/texlive/doc.html
MacPorts documentation: https://www.macports.org/docs/
ICU documentation: https://icu.unicode.org/

Acknowledgments

Introduction

In our previous article, we explored a test failure that occurred after a native build of TeXLive on an old macOS X High Sierra system from TeXLive sources. In this article, we will answer some frequently asked questions (FAQs) related to this issue.

Q: What is the cause of the test failure in `dvisvgm`?

A: The test failure in dvisvgm is due to a bug in the dvisvgm code. The bug is related to the handling of SVG fonts, which is a critical feature of the dvisvgm tool.

Q: Why was `--disable-native-texlive-build` used in the build script?

A: --disable-native-texlive-build was used in the build script to accommodate --with-system-icu. The latter was needed due to incompatibility between the MacPorts installed gcc (with its ICU dependency) and the TeXLive provided ICU.

Q: What is the impact of the test failure on the TeXLive distribution?

A: The test failure in dvisvgm is a critical issue that needs to be addressed to ensure the stability and reliability of the TeXLive distribution.

Q: How can I update the `dvisvgm` code to fix the bug?

A: To update the dvisvgm code, you need to:

Clone the TeXLive repository from the official GitHub repository.
Navigate to the dvisvgm directory.
Apply the necessary patches to fix the bug.
Rebuild the dvisvgm binary using the updated code.

Q: How can I verify that the bug is fixed?

A: To verify that the bug is fixed, you need to:

Run the dvisvgm test suite to ensure that all tests pass.
Verify that the dvisvgm tool is working correctly and does not introduce any new bugs.

Q: What are the future plans for addressing the test failure?

A: The future plans for addressing the test failure include:

Investigating the root cause of the bug to ensure that it is fixed and does not occur in the future.
Testing the updated dvisvgm code thoroughly to ensure that it is working correctly and does not introduce any new bugs.

Q: How can I contribute to the TeXLive project?

A: You can contribute to the TeXLive project by:

Reporting bugs and issues on the official GitHub repository.
Submitting patches to fix bugs and improve the code.
Participating in the TeXLive community to provide feedback and suggestions.

Q: Where can I find more information about the TeXLive project?

A: You can find more information about the TeXLive project on the official website: https://www.tug.org/texlive/doc.html

Conclusion

In conclusion, the test failure after a native build on an old macOS X High Sierra system from TeXLive sources is a complex issue that requires careful analysis and debugging. We hope that this Q&A article has provided valuable information and insights to help address this issue.

References

TeXLive documentation: https://www.tug.org/texlive/doc.html
MacPorts documentation: https://www.macports.org/docs/
ICU documentation: https://icu.unicode.org/

Acknowledgments

The author would like to acknowledge the contributions of the TeXLive community and the MacPorts team for their support and guidance throughout this project.