To set up or modify a source-code distribution so that it configures and builds using the GNU project's autoconf/automake/libtools suite. 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 and friends been the standard way to adapt a distribution for portability so that it can be built on multiple operating systems without change.