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

[OpenMacNews]

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 ...

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