5.0.12 startup barfs if nntp server connection has problems

5.0.12 startup barfs if nntp server connection has problems

[M.N.Oakden]

Hi,

I had been happily running 5.0.9, then suddenly this "Variable binding
depth exceeds max-specpdl-size" error appeared at Gnus startup.  I
fetched 5.0.12 to check if this still happened with the latest
version, and it did.

Further investigation (starting up tin (ugh!)) gave the response

vo5>gnus-5.0.12 62 % tin -r
tin 1.2 PL2 [UNIX] (c) Copyright 1991-93 Iain Lea.
Connecting to news.liverpool.ac.uk...Connection to news server has timed out. Reconnect? (y/n): y

so apparently,  there is a problem with the news server connection
which is handled gracefully by tin,  but.. erm... slightly
ungracefully by Gnus 5.0.12 

[Backtrace follows ... actually from the 5.0.9 crash,  but I can't
imagine it being different in the 5.0.12 crash.]

What's going on here, ... what is making Gnus repeatedly open and
close the server?

Signalling: (error "Variable binding depth exceeds max-specpdl-size")
  nnheader-init-server-buffer()
  nntp-open-server-internal("news.liverpool.ac.uk" "nntp")
  nntp-open-server-semi-internal("news.liverpool.ac.uk" "nntp")
  nntp-open-server("news.liverpool.ac.uk")
  nntp-possibly-change-server(nil "news.liverpool.ac.uk")
  nntp-close-server-internal("news.liverpool.ac.uk")
  nntp-open-server-semi-internal("news.liverpool.ac.uk" "nntp")
  nntp-open-server("news.liverpool.ac.uk")
  nntp-possibly-change-server(nil "news.liverpool.ac.uk")
  nntp-close-server-internal("news.liverpool.ac.uk")
  nntp-open-server-semi-internal("news.liverpool.ac.uk" "nntp")
  nntp-open-server("news.liverpool.ac.uk")
              .
              .
       [previous 4 lines repeated 35 times]
              .
              .
  nntp-possibly-change-server(nil "news.liverpool.ac.uk")
  nntp-close-server-internal("news.liverpool.ac.uk")
  nntp-open-server-semi-internal("news.liverpool.ac.uk" "nntp")
  nntp-open-server("news.liverpool.ac.uk" nil)
  gnus-open-server((nntp "news.liverpool.ac.uk"))
  gnus-start-news-server(nil)
  gnus(nil)
  call-interactively(gnus)
  execute-extended-command(nil)
  call-interactively(execute-extended-command)

Cheers,
Mark.
-- 
oakden@hep.ph.liv.ac.uk - I'm not politically | Nothing more lonely -
incorrect,  I'm just differently articulate.  | heart-shaped
<URL:http://hep.ph.liv.ac.uk/~oakden/www/>    | paulownia leaf.

Re: 5.0.12 startup barfs if nntp server connection has problems

[Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen]

"M.N.Oakden" <oakden@hep.ph.liv.ac.uk> writes:

> What's going on here, ... what is making Gnus repeatedly open and
> close the server?
> 
> Signalling: (error "Variable binding depth exceeds max-specpdl-size")
>   nnheader-init-server-buffer()
>   nntp-open-server-internal("news.liverpool.ac.uk" "nntp")
>   nntp-open-server-semi-internal("news.liverpool.ac.uk" "nntp")
>   nntp-open-server("news.liverpool.ac.uk")
>   nntp-possibly-change-server(nil "news.liverpool.ac.uk")
>   nntp-close-server-internal("news.liverpool.ac.uk")

`nntp-close-server' calls `nntp-open-server' which calls
`nntp-close-server' ad nauseam.  This has been fixed in Gnus 5.1,
which is included in Emacs 19.30.  As has been suggested, I'll
probably be "unbundling" Gnus 5.1 and making it available separately. 

-- 
Home is where the cat is.