With the git version of pacman, checkpkg isn't working anymore, and I think it has to do with the output of pacman -Spd

Here's some relevant output:

---------8<--------8<--------------
$ pacman -Q pacman-git
pacman-git 20071209-1
$ checkpkg
Couldn't download previous package.
$
$ grep "Couldn't download previous" $(which checkpkg) -B4 -A4
tmp=`pacman -Spd --noconfirm $pkgname`

if [ $? -ne 0 ]; then
echo "Couldn't download previous package."
exit 1
fi

pkgurl=`echo $tmp | rev | cut -d ' ' -f 1 | rev`
$ pacman -Spd --noconfirm fontconfig
warning: fontconfig-2.4.2-1 is up to date -- reinstalling
ftp://ftp.archlinux.org/extra/os/i686/fontconfig-2.4.2-1.pkg.tar.gz
$ echo $?
0
---------8<--------8<--------------

I find it kind of odd that $?==0 right after running it still, but it is important that the output of an -Spd operation has changed.

With the old version of pacman:

---------8<--------8<--------------
$ pacman -Spd --noconfirm fontconfig
ftp://ftp.archlinux.org/extra/os/i686/fontconfig-2.4.2-1.pkg.tar.gz
$ checkpkg
--19:53:02-- ftp://ftp.archlinux.org/extra/os/i686/fontconfig-2.4.2-1.pkg.tar.gz
=> `fontconfig-2.4.2-1.pkg.tar.gz'
Resolving ftp.archlinux.org... 209.85.41.144, 209.85.41.145
Connecting to ftp.archlinux.org|209.85.41.144|:21... connected.
Logging in as anonymous ... Logged in!
==> SYST ... done. ==> PWD ... done.
==> TYPE I ... done. ==> CWD /extra/os/i686 ... done.
==> PASV ... done. ==> RETR fontconfig-2.4.2-1.pkg.tar.gz ... done.
Length: 323,773 (316K) (unauthoritative)

0% [
---------8<--------8<--------------

(at which point I ctrl-c'd)

--EDIT--

Oh, actually, the problem I'm seeing is that now, pacman -Sp is an operation only allowed as root - why?

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$ alias pacman
alias pacman='sudo pacman'
$ #Heh, oops - forgot to unalias pacman.
$ unalias pacman
$ pacman -Spd --noconfirm fontconfig
error: you cannot perform this operation unless you are root.
---------8<--------8<--------------

The changed output is probably also still an issue, however, but it's not the cause of this problem.