GNU Autoconf Initial Release

Name: GNU Autoconf Initial Release
Start: 1991-10-01
Location: Virtually, via GNU mailing lists

David MacKenzie released the first version of GNU Autoconf, a tool to automatically configure source code packages for different systems.

Significance

This laid the crucial groundwork for Automake by solving the system configuration problem, making the subsequent `Makefile` generation problem more prominent and solvable.

Key facts

Date: 1991-10-01
Type: invention
Location: Virtually, via GNU mailing lists