[Chicken-users] Compiling for OpenWRT, got execvp: /usr/bin/env: Argument list too long

[Jeronimo Pellegrini]

Hello,

I am trying to compile Chicken so it runs on wireless 
routers with OpenWRT (http://openwrt.org/).

So, OpenWRT has scripts to get a cross-compiling toolchain
installed locally; the method for compiling new packages
is described here:

http://www.aleph0.info/jp/software/lisp-forth-openwrt/scheme-on-openwrt.html

Basically, in order to package some software for OpenWRT, one 
creates a Makefile using lots of OpenWRT-specific variables
that will be used by the build system to download the sources, 
cross-compile and create a package.

The following page has two of these that I have created before,
one for Picolisp and one for Tinyscheme:

http://www.aleph0.info/jp/software/lisp-forth-openwrt/

So, I decided to create one for Chicken, but I get this error
when compiling:

rm -rf 
/home/jeronimo/pkg/openwrt-18.06.2/build_dir/target-mips_24kc_musl/chicken-5.0.0/.pkgdir/chicken-scheme.installed
 
/home/jeronimo/pkg/openwrt-18.06.2/build_dir/target-mips_24kc_musl/chicken-5.0.0/.pkgdir/chicken-scheme
mkdir -p 
/home/jeronimo/pkg/openwrt-18.06.2/build_dir/target-mips_24kc_musl/chicken-5.0.0/.pkgdir/chicken-scheme
make 
DESTDIR=/home/jeronimo/pkg/openwrt-18.06.2/build_dir/target-mips_24kc_musl/chicken-5.0.0/.pkgdir/chicken-scheme
 PLATFORM=linux install
make[587]: Entering directory 
'/home/jeronimo/pkg/openwrt-18.06.2/package/chicken-scheme'
rm -rf 
/home/jeronimo/pkg/openwrt-18.06.2/build_dir/target-mips_24kc_musl/chicken-5.0.0/.pkgdir/chicken-scheme.installed
 
/home/jeronimo/pkg/openwrt-18.06.2/build_dir/target-mips_24kc_musl/chicken-5.0.0/.pkgdir/chicken-scheme
mkdir -p 
/home/jeronimo/pkg/openwrt-18.06.2/build_dir/target-mips_24kc_musl/chicken-5.0.0/.pkgdir/chicken-scheme
make 
DESTDIR=/home/jeronimo/pkg/openwrt-18.06.2/build_dir/target-mips_24kc_musl/chicken-5.0.0/.pkgdir/chicken-scheme
 PLATFORM=linux install
make[588]: Entering directory 
'/home/jeronimo/pkg/openwrt-18.06.2/package/chicken-scheme'
make[588]: execvp: /usr/bin/env: Argument list too long
make[588]: *** [Makefile:34: 
/home/jeronimo/pkg/openwrt-18.06.2/build_dir/target-mips_24kc_musl/chicken-5.0.0/.prepared_bd5cc8bb4dee95857b84eb0685d605f3_6664517399ebbbc92a37c5bb081b5c53_check]
 Error 127
make[588]: Leaving directory 
'/home/jeronimo/pkg/openwrt-18.06.2/package/chicken-scheme'
make[587]: *** [Makefile:36: 
/home/jeronimo/pkg/openwrt-18.06.2/build_dir/target-mips_24kc_musl/chicken-5.0.0/.pkgdir/chicken-scheme.installed]
 Error 2
make[587]: Leaving directory 
'/home/jeronimo/pkg/openwrt-18.06.2/package/chicken-scheme'
make[586]: *** [Makefile:36: 
/home/jeronimo/pkg/openwrt-18.06.2/build_dir/target-mips_24kc_musl/chicken-5.0.0/.pkgdir/chicken-scheme.installed]
 Error 2
make[586]: Leaving directory 
'/home/jeronimo/pkg/openwrt-18.06.2/package/chicken-scheme'
make[585]: *** [Makefile:36: 
/home/jeronimo/pkg/openwrt-18.06.2/build_dir/target-mips_24kc_musl/chicken-5.0.0/.pkgdir/chicken-scheme.installed]
 Error 2
make[585]: Leaving directory 
'/home/jeronimo/pkg/openwrt-18.06.2/package/chicken-scheme'

So it looks like the cause is here: execvp: /usr/bin/env: Argument list too 
long.
I suppose that the cross-compiling toolchain is adding lots to an already long 
argument 
list. Does that make sense? Is there some change I can make to Chicken's
Makefiles that could perhaps help to work around that?

Thank you!
J.

PS: The OpenWRT Makefile is in the tarball in the "failed attempts" section
of the page (http://www.aleph0.info/jp/software/lisp-forth-openwrt/), in
case anyone is willing to reproduce.

There are also instructions to run OpenWRT on qemu, here:
http://www.aleph0.info/jp/software/lisp-forth-openwrt/openwrt-on-qemu.html