initdb error: "could not identify current directory" (or, what have i done now?)

hi all,

i just clean-rebuilt pgsql8b5 os OSX 10.3.6

the build went fine as before -- no errors reported.

per instruction, i've created an unpriv'd user: testuser.

now, however, when i try to 'initdb', creating in '/var/data/pgsql':

> su testuser
% /usr/local/pgsql/bin/initdb --pgdata=/var/data/pgsql --username=testuser
--debug

i get the following shell output:

could not identify current directory: Permission denied
Running in debug mode.
could not identify current directory: Permission denied
could not identify current directory: Permission denied
The program "postgres" is needed by initdb but was not found in the
same directory as "initdb".
Check your installation.

checking my pgsql/bin DIR,

% ls -al /usr/local/pgsql/bin

clusterdb droplang pg_config pg_resetxlog postgres
createdb dropuser pg_controldata pg_restore postmaster
createlang ecpg pg_ctl pltcl_delmod psql
createuser initdb pg_dump pltcl_listmod vacuumdb
dropdb ipcclean pg_dumpall pltcl_loadmod

'initdb' and 'postgres' _are_ in the same location.

poking around in the src,

% grep -rln "could not identify current directory" .
./src/port/exec.c

i find:

if (!getcwd(cwd, MAXPGPATH))
{
log_error(_("could not identify current directory: %s"),
strerror(errno));
return -1;
}

which seems to be abt finding absolute paths to executables ... why it
'stopped' working between last nite and this morning, i have no idea.

i also note a comment:

"Finally, we want a true path not a symlink location"

fwiw, the dirs involved are both symlinked

/usr/local/pgsql/bin/initdb <-- ln -s /Volumes/devhd/local/pgsql
/var/data/pgsql <-- ln -s /Volumes/data/pgsql

but that hasn't changed for ages!

there's an old thread abt this:

<http://archives.postgresql.org/pgsql-hackers-win32/2004-05/msg00252.php>

but not clear how it applies to the current 8b5, if at all.

suggestions?

arrgh,

richard

p.s. i swear on a stack of oreos, i had this working last night ...