gnu-patch source, cygwin maintainer patches don't apply cleanly

[Brian Inglis]

On 2025-04-29 11:07, Soren via Cygwin wrote:
> I read up some on cygport a while ago. My impression is that it makes
> packaging apps in conformance with the standards of cygwin easier. I
> don't remember clearly, but it didn't seem like a necessity for
> building packages for local use. My recollection is that cygport just
> automates the steps that a user would do:
>      $PATH_TO_SRC/configure <ARGS>
>      make
>      make check
>      make install

It does quite a bit more for you to check and setup up the build environment.
> The point of the Autotools is of course to make source package
> building work the same on every supported platform, and I have a
> half-dozen Gnu/Linux systems as well as this computer running cygwin
> on top of Windows 10, so I am a multi-platform user. I will explain
> that, as I mentioned, "...re-familiarizing myself with Autoconfiscated
> projects, primarily"; for personal reasons I ceased doing any sort of
> work or play on computers for 8 years, resuming only about a year ago.
> In that 8 years I aged (heh heh) and lost a lot of detailed knowledge.
> 
> I'll admit that I don't recall whether cygport patches the src for
> you. I should find out since it would be a real labor-saver.
It makes applying the patches easier, especially if you get them from an 
upstream distro like Fedora:
	https://cygwin.github.io/cygport/cygport_in.html
documentation on Preparation stage between Downloading and Compiling:

	https://cygwin.github.io/cygport/src_prep_cygpart.html

> I will apply myself to reading the fine documentation for cygport. I
> don't expect to have my hand held here on the list, I have been a
> reader long enough to realize that repeating the same instructions
> about cygport over and over is tiresome for the experienced readers.
> 
> I'm not likely to write "the next great tool" in C, as my C is rusty
> as hell, and my main interests lie in using (and extending) Perl.

GNU patch 2.8 is now available and should be updated soon in Cygwin:

	https://savannah.gnu.org/projects/patch

	https://ftpmirror.gnu.org/patch/

You can clone the cygport repo:

	https://cygwin.com/git/cygwin-packages/patch

change the version, update the Fedora patch sources to F42:

	https://src.fedoraproject.org/rpms/patch/raw/f42/f

comment out all the patches:

https://cygwin.com/git/?p=git/cygwin-packages/patch.git;a=blob;f=patch.cygport

probably also the autoconf version, and SCALLYWAG test suppression; then run:

	$ cygport patch.cygport get all

and it may well build you a nice new version of patch, with all the build logs 
under patch-2.8-1.x86_64/log/, the install tree under .../inst/ and the tars 
under .../dist/, etc.

-- 
Take care. Thanks, Brian Inglis              Calgary, Alberta, Canada

La perfection est atteinte                   Perfection is achieved
non pas lorsqu'il n'y a plus rien à ajouter  not when there is no more to add
mais lorsqu'il n'y a plus rien à retrancher  but when there is no more to cut
                                 -- Antoine de Saint-Exupéry