sudo port install foo now fails in non-root MacPorts

[Ryan Schmidt]

Non-root MacPorts installs are not working well in 1.8.0.

Can't install any port with manpages on Snow Leopard: http://trac.macports.org/ticket/20887

Can't install any port that does a reinplace on a file that was  
patched: http://trac.macports.org/ticket/20896

And now, I see that I can't actually install anything that requires  
root anymore. The following is on 10.5.8:


$ sudo port install apache2
Warning: Skipping upgrade since readline 6.0.000_1 >= readline  
6.0.000_1, even though installed variants "" do not match "+darwin".  
Use 'upgrade --enforce-variants' to switch to the requested variants.
Warning: Skipping upgrade since openssl 0.9.8k_0 >= openssl 0.9.8k_0,  
even though installed variants "" do not match "+darwin". Use 'upgrade  
--enforce-variants' to switch to the requested variants.
Warning: Skipping upgrade since bzip2 1.0.5_2 >= bzip2 1.0.5_2, even  
though installed variants "+universal" do not match "+darwin 
+universal". Use 'upgrade --enforce-variants' to switch to the  
requested variants.
--->  Computing dependencies for apache2
--->  Fetching apache2
--->  Verifying checksum(s) for apache2
--->  Extracting apache2
--->  Applying patches to apache2
--->  Configuring apache2
--->  Building apache2
--->  Staging apache2 into destroot
--->  Creating launchd control script
###########################################################
# A startup item has been generated that will aid in
# starting apache2 with launchd. It is disabled
# by default. Execute the following command to start it,
# and to cause it to launch at startup:
#
# sudo launchctl load -w /Library/LaunchDaemons/ 
org.macports.apache2.plist
###########################################################
Note: apache2 installs files outside the common directory structure.
--->  Installing apache2 @2.2.13_2+darwin+darwin_9+preforkmpm
Error: Target org.macports.install returned: could not set owner for  
file "/mp/var/macports/software/apache2/2.2.13_2+darwin 
+darwin_9+preforkmpm/Library": not owner
Error: Status 1 encountered during processing.


This is a non-root install because for the majority of ports that do  
not require root access, I do not want to provide root access. But for  
the few ports that do require root access, I want to be able to  
provide it. This was working fine until MacPorts 1.8.0.


I am using

--with-macports-user=rschmidt
--with-install-user=rschmidt
--with-install-group=staff

I am not using

--with-no-root-privileges

because I do have and do want occasionally to use root privileges, and  
I do not want MacPorts to do things in ~/.macports.


Shall I file a ticket for this or am I misunderstanding how this is  
now meant to work?