Unable to install npm

[mpallante]

Issue Template:

Describe issue including what OS you are using

I can no longer install npm.

I'm not sure it is a n related issue, but it came out to a collegue of mines who was using n on a new computer and tried to install node and npm using n.

I tried to update my installation and got the same problem.

I'm on MacOS HighSierra (10.12.6), but the collegue has a brand new computer with MacOS Mojave.

Describe what version of N you have

We both use the latest: 2.1.12

Describe how you installed N

curl -L https://git.io/n-install | bash -s -- -y 6.14.4 8.12.0

I installed some time ago, when node 8.12.0 was the lts, I had no issue and was able to install npm by running

curl -0 -L https://npmjs.com/install.sh | sh

on both 6.14.4 and 8.12.0

Steps to reproduce issue 1.2.3

My collegue followed this procedure

1. curl -L https://git.io/n-install | bash -s -- -y 6.14.4 8.12.0
2. curl -0 -L https://npmjs.com/install.sh | sh

but the second one failed.

Describe the results you received

We both got the same error

  % Total    % Received % Xferd  Average Speed   Time    Time     Time  Current
                                 Dload  Upload   Total   Spent    Left  Speed
  0     0    0     0    0     0      0      0 --:--:-- --:--:-- --:--:--     0
100  5450  100  5450    0     0   9023      0 --:--:-- --:--:-- --:--:--  473k
tar=/usr/bin/tar
version:
bsdtar 2.8.3 - libarchive 2.8.3
install npm@latest
fetching: https://registry.npmjs.org/npm/-/npm-6.4.1.tgz
up to date in 0.033s
sh: rimraf: command not found
npm ERR! file sh
npm ERR! code ELIFECYCLE
npm ERR! errno ENOENT
npm ERR! syscall spawn
npm ERR! npm@6.4.1 prepare: `node bin/npm-cli.js --no-audit --no-timing prune --prefix=. --no-global && rimraf test/*/*/node_modules && make -j4 doc`
npm ERR! spawn ENOENT
npm ERR!
npm ERR! Failed at the npm@6.4.1 prepare script.
npm ERR! This is probably not a problem with npm. There is likely additional logging output above.

npm ERR! A complete log of this run can be found in:
npm ERR!     /Users/marco/.npm/_logs/2018-11-08T10_57_06_899Z-debug.log
npm ERR! code E404
npm ERR! 404 Not Found: 1.323s@latest

npm ERR! A complete log of this run can be found in:
npm ERR!     /Users/marco/.npm/_logs/2018-11-08T10_57_08_550Z-debug.log
It failed

Describe the results you expected

I expect npm to be installed

What version of npm you are using

My collegue is not able to install npm. I have a different outcome, probably because I was able to install it in the past.

$ n 10.13.0
$ curl -0 -L https://npmjs.com/install.sh | sh
... error as before ...
$ npm --version
-bash: /Users/marco/n/bin/npm: No such file or directory
... wtf, but...
$ n 6.14.4
$ npm --version
3.10.10
$ n 8.12.0
$ npm --version
6.4.1
... and surprise ...
$ n 10.13.0
$ npm --version
6.4.1

At this point, I'm completely confused

Additional information you deem important (e.g. issue happens only occasionally):

[shadowspawn]

I was able to reproduce the error, but I am not sure it is worth chasing what is going wrong in https://npmjs.com/install.sh. Since n installs node AND the included npm, you don't need to download another shell script to install npm. You already have npm, or you can use npm to install npm...

$ curl -L https://git.io/n-install | bash -s -- -y 6.14.4 8.12.0
$ . ~/.bash_profile # to update PATH
$ npm --version
3.10.10
$ npm install -g npm@latest
$ npm --version
6.4.1

You can see the version of npm included with node here

[mpallante]

Ok, thank you for your feedback. I ran the npm install script because I saw this paragraph
https://github.com/tj/n#working-with-npm and (blindly, I admit) followed the procedure.

I'll report to my collegue to see if he is able to work with npm again.

[shadowspawn]

Good context, thanks. I was wondering why you were doing the command line npm install, and see why now.

Those working-with-npm instructions were only intended for recovering from broken npm, and n has been improved since then so fix-up hopefully no longer needed.

However, your experience suggests the instructions don't actually work on Mac! I'll try digging a bit more to see how README should change.

[shadowspawn]

I think this might be an issue with the npm install rather than with n, and have opened a bug on npm community.

https://npm.community/t/install-sh-fails-with-rimraf-command-not-found/3270

[shadowspawn]

Given the npm install script is not working on Mac, and an issue causing npm to break has been fixed in #470, planning to remove the suggestion from the README.

[shadowspawn]

I have removed the instructions from the README in v3.0.1, since they do not work on Mac, and probably not needed anymore.