autoconf

software, tool The GNU project's tool that configures a

source code distribution to compile and run on a different

platform.

Among open source hackers, a mere running binary of a

program is not considered a full release; what's interesting

is a source tree that can be built into binaries using

standard tools. Since the mid-1990s, autoconf, automake,

and libtools have been the standard way to make a

distribution portable so that it can be built on multiple

operating systems without change.

(2002-09-20)