initdb error: "could not identify current directory" (or, what have i done now?)

hi all,

i just clean-rebuilt pgsql8b5 os OSX 10.3.6

the build went fine as before -- no errors reported.

per instruction, i've created an unpriv'd user: testuser.

now, however, when i try to 'initdb', creating in '/var/data/pgsql':

> su testuser
% /usr/local/pgsql/bin/initdb --pgdata=/var/data/pgsql --username=testuser
--debug

i get the following shell output:

    could not identify current directory: Permission denied
    Running in debug mode.
    could not identify current directory: Permission denied
    could not identify current directory: Permission denied
    The program "postgres" is needed by initdb but was not found in the
    same directory as "initdb".
    Check your installation.


checking my pgsql/bin DIR,

   % ls -al /usr/local/pgsql/bin

        clusterdb   droplang  pg_config       pg_resetxlog   postgres
        createdb    dropuser  pg_controldata  pg_restore     postmaster
        createlang  ecpg      pg_ctl          pltcl_delmod   psql
        createuser  initdb    pg_dump         pltcl_listmod  vacuumdb
        dropdb      ipcclean  pg_dumpall      pltcl_loadmod

'initdb' and 'postgres' _are_ in the same location.

poking around in the src,

   % grep -rln "could not identify current directory" .
        ./src/port/exec.c

i find:

    if (!getcwd(cwd, MAXPGPATH))
    {
        log_error(_("could not identify current directory: %s"),
                  strerror(errno));
        return -1;
    }

which seems to be abt finding absolute paths to executables ...  why it
'stopped' working between last nite and this morning, i have no idea.

i also note a comment:

   "Finally, we want a true path not a symlink location"

fwiw, the dirs involved are both symlinked

    /usr/local/pgsql/bin/initdb <-- ln -s /Volumes/devhd/local/pgsql
    /var/data/pgsql <-- ln -s /Volumes/data/pgsql

but that hasn't changed for ages!

there's an old thread abt this:

   <http://archives.postgresql.org/pgsql-hackers-win32/2004-05/msg00252.php>

but not clear how it applies to the current 8b5, if at all.

suggestions?


arrgh,

richard

p.s. i swear on a stack of oreos, i had this working last night ...