[$] Rejuvenating Autoconf
GNU Autoconf, a
widely used build tool that shines at compatibility with a
variety of Unixes, has accumulated many improvements since its last release
in 2012 — and there are patches awaiting review. While many projects have switched to
other build systems, interest in Autoconf remains. Now, a small team
(disclaimer: including article author Sumana Harihareswara) is rejuvenating it, working through some
deferred maintenance and code review. A testable
beta is now out, a new stable release is due in early November, and
interested parties can build on this momentum to further refresh the rest
of the GNU
Build System (also known as Autotools).