+prepare() {
+  # remove GLU dependency
+  sed -i "s/fltk-config.*--ldflags/&|sed 's#-lGLU ##g'/g" $pkgname-$pkgver/configure.ac
+}

Attempting to remove the glu dependency this way demonstrates that nestopia did indeeed contain the dependency, as had been reported by multiple individuals.  This change also does not fix anything, but further breaks the package.  This has been noticed not only by me.  Attempting to build the package now produces the following error message:


The maintainer has recently claimed that this is "upstream's [nestopia]... bugs".  A search of the nestopia git repo issues shows no report of unnecessary glu-related dependencies from the maintainer or anyone else.  On the contrary, nestopia developers have made multiple statements affirming that nestopia uses opengl.

The maintainer says that I am "likely capable of opening a bug [report]" against the fltk package.  No one, including myself, has done so because no one actually believes this is an fltk issue.  This is clearly a nestopia packaging issue.  The correct place to report it is on the aur package page.  The correct person to fix it is the nestopia maintainer.  When that person refuses to maintain the package, intentionally keeping broken, then intentionally breaking it further, the package should be orphaned.  The current maintainer has had ample opportunity to fix this package the last 2.5 years.  It is long past time to allow someone else to fix it.

The nestopia maintainer has chided me, "Your whole effort is a bit misdirected, I suggest you try to resolve some real problems in your free time."  Since the maintainer evidently believes fixing nestopia is not a good use of time, for anyone, including himself, perhaps he should voluntarily disown it so that someone else may waste their time fixing it.