When I put up any version of FBSD I usually try to install Maxima. Which fails because the sub-install of gnuplot fails.

[Michael L. Squires]

I've only installed a few programs from packages at installation time; 
almost all of my installations and upgrades have been by compiling from 
ports and then upgrading (with recompilation) using portupgrade.

This is a habit I got into a long time ago, and which I continue without 
any specific reason, other than it's always worked for me.

One workaround would be to install gnuplot from ports (compiling it) and 
then installing maxima from packages.  My wild guess is that there's 
something either different between the package version of gnuplot and the 
version created by a compile from ports or that there is something 
different between the system on which the packages version of gnuplot was 
created and your system.

I've run into a few programs where dependencies weren't handled correctly; 
in those cases I've had to manually install (by compiling) the dependency 
and then continuing with the installation of the program itself.

Sorry you've been having problems (and gotten less than sympathetic 
responses).

Mike Squires
mikes at siralan.org
UN*X at home since 1986