How Linux Works

Other Systems

If a package does not use GNU autoconf for platform-specific configuration, you should expect that the package uses one of these three systems:

• A customizable Makefile and/or config.h. At one time, administrators had to configure nearly all third-party Unix software by editing Makefiles. GNU autoconf has made this practice nearly extinct, but you still may come across custom configuration in older packages or very Linux-specific packages.

• Imakefiles. Many X Window System applications use imake to create Makefiles from Imakefiles.

• "Anybody's guess." Some developers just have to be different.

In addition, many packages, including those using the three types listed above, now rely on the pkg-config program for compiler and linker options. ...