-DWITH_HAL option defaults to OFF. I set that option to ON and I think then the problems disappeared.
Nailed it! Thanks so much Darrell .... it would have taken me an age to find this. Do you use this for all packages?
Ah! So my memory is not so fuzzy after all! :)
I believe that specific build option applies only to tdebase.
When I convert a build script from automake to cmake, I first open the CMakeLists.txt file in the package sources root directory. The list of available build options will there. I always review them because most options are disabled by default. I think Serghei believes that to be the safe conservative approach, but he can speak for himself if he feels so inclined. :)
Regardless, for now I am building full robust packages rather than "light" packages because that is the best way for me to help debug. Therefore I always reverse the default -DBUILD_ALL=OFF to ON and then set only a few options to OFF. One example is tdebase -DWITH_PAM=OFF because Slackware does not use PAM.
Oh, before I forget, a similar speed bump exists with tdepim. Be sure to explicitly enable -DWITH_SASL=ON otherwise users will be unable to use TLS/SSL with KMail logins. You'll want that feature enabled even when building "Trinity Light."
After I populate my build script -DWITH options I then compare them to the previous automake configure options and ensure nothing obvious is missing. Comparing the older automake options to cmake is not always a brain-dead one-to-one comparison. Sometimes I have to dig a little to ensure the old automake configure option is supported. Serghei is pretty doggone good at this and I don't recall him missing very much. Often the ConfigureChecks.cmake file will provide clues that the appropriate tests are performed. If you look at the tdebase ConfigureChecks.cmake, you'll see a test for whether HAL support is requested. There is a test for dbus too.
I think because some distros no longer support HAL that in their case the cmake test for dbus still succeeds but with those that still use HAL I think the dbus test fails. I'm just guessing, but sounds plausible.
Darrell