Fall-back for $VIM is invalid

Question

I am working directly on a dev server and want to build my own vim, for my purposes, not for all system users. The build scenario is:

hg clone https://vim.googlecode.com/hg/ vim
cd vim/src
./configure --enable-rubyinterp --enable-multibyte
make

The result of ./vim --version is:

VIM - Vi IMproved 7.3 (2010 Aug 15, compiled Jun 22 2011 09:35:46)
Included patches: 1-230
Compiled by aeg@dev
Normal version without GUI.  Features included (+) or not (-):
-arabic +autocmd -balloon_eval -browse +builtin_terms +byte_offset +cindent 
-clientserver -clipboard +cmdline_compl +cmdline_hist +cmdline_info +comments 
-conceal +cryptv -cscope +cursorbind +cursorshape +dialog_con +diff +digraphs 
-dnd -ebcdic -emacs_tags +eval +ex_extra +extra_search -farsi +file_in_path 
+find_in_path +float +folding -footer +fork() +gettext -hangul_input +iconv 
+insert_expand +jumplist -keymap -langmap +libcall +linebreak +lispindent 
+listcmds +localmap -lua +menu +mksession +modify_fname +mouse -mouseshape 
-mouse_dec -mouse_gpm -mouse_jsbterm -mouse_netterm -mouse_sysmouse 
+mouse_xterm +multi_byte +multi_lang -mzscheme +netbeans_intg +path_extra -perl
 +persistent_undo +postscript +printer -profile -python -python3 +quickfix 
+reltime -rightleft +ruby +scrollbind +signs +smartindent -sniff +startuptime 
+statusline -sun_workshop +syntax +tag_binary +tag_old_static -tag_any_white 
-tcl +terminfo +termresponse +textobjects +title -toolbar +user_commands 
+vertsplit +virtualedit +visual +visualextra +viminfo +vreplace +wildignore 
+wildmenu +windows +writebackup -X11 -xfontset -xim -xsmp -xterm_clipboard 
-xterm_save 
   system vimrc file: "$VIM/vimrc"
     user vimrc file: "$HOME/.vimrc"
      user exrc file: "$HOME/.exrc"
  fall-back for $VIM: "/usr/local/share/vim"
Compilation: 
gcc -c -I. -Iproto -DHAVE_CONFIG_H     -g -O2 -D_FORTIFY_SOURCE=1      
Linking: gcc   -L.  -rdynamic -Wl,-export-dynamic  -L/usr/local/lib -Wl,--as-needed -o vim       -lm -lncurses -lnsl         -lruby1.8 -lpthread -lrt -ldl -lcrypt -lm  -L/usr/lib

When I open the just-built vim I get following:

Error detected while processing /home/aeg/.vimrc:
line  148:
E484: Can't open file /usr/local/share/vim/syntax/syntax.vim

The problem is because there is no /usr/local/share/vim. I have my plugins in ./vim and I want vim to look for this path.

It is Debian, and /usr/bin/vim settings differ fall-back for $VIM: "/usr/share/vim"

Answer 1

It looks like you forgot to run make install.

If you did run make install, but none of your vim files are found under /usr/local/share/vim, then perhaps you have a permissions problem -- that is, you're not allowed to install files there.

If the latter is true, then just build it with a install location set to a place you do control:

$ cd vim/src
$ ./configure --enable-rubyinterp --enable-multibyte --prefix=/home/aeg/myvim
$ make
$ make install
$ export PATH=/home/aeg/myvim/bin:$PATH
$ vim