Install MacPorts 2.5.3 without sudo / root privileges

install-mac-ports-no-root.bash

# install
mkdir ~/macports
cd ~/macports
curl -O https://distfiles.macports.org/MacPorts/MacPorts-2.7.2.tar.bz2
tar xf MacPorts-2.7.2.tar.bz2
cd MacPorts-2.7.2

./configure --enable-readline --prefix=$HOME/macports --with-no-root-privileges
make && make install

# bash / zsh
echo "export MACPORTS_HOME=\$HOME/macports" >> ~/.bash_profile
echo "export PATH=\$MACPORTS_HOME/bin:\$MACPORTS_HOME/sbin" >> ~/.bash_profile

# fish
echo "set -gx MACPORTS_HOME \$HOME/macports" >> ~/.config/fish/config.fish
echo "set -gx PATH \$MACPORTS_HOME/bin \$MACPORTS_HOME/sbin" >> ~/.config/fish/config.fish

This will work for most people to install the main macports. However, one of the installation scripts tries to create a file or directory with a group name that is the same as my user name, and fails. I created a group with the same name as my user name, and added my user name to that group, and then the above macports install worked fine.

However, when I later tried to do "ports install gnuplot", it failed with the error messages:

--->  Installing cmake-bootstrap @3.9.6_0
Error: Failed to install cmake-bootstrap: MacPorts requires root privileges for this action
Error: See /Users/hammett/macports/var/macports/logs/_Users_hammett_macports_var_macports_sources_rsync.macports.org_macports_release_tarballs_ports_devel_cmake-bootstrap/cmake-bootstrap/main.log for details.
Error: Follow https://guide.macports.org/#project.tickets if you believe there is a bug.
Error: Processing of port gnuplot failed

2022.10.12 update: I recommend using Homebrew to install gnuplot (and probably other things) on a Mac. Homebrew installs things under your own user name and not under root, and so doesn't require using sudo and it's elevated system privileges.

If someone has time to reproduce this bug and report it to macports, that would be helpful. I have to do other things.