Editing GNU Autotools (section)

{{Short description|Software build toolset from GNU}}
{{Refimprove|date=September 2009}}
{{Infobox software
| title = GNU Autotools
| logo = Heckert GNU white.svg
| logo alt = GNU logo
| logo size = 256px
| author = Community 
| developer = [[Free Software Foundation]]
| released = <!-- release date? -->
| latest release version = Multiple 
| programming language = [[M4 (computer language)]], [[C (programming language)|C]]
| operating system = [[Cross-platform]]
| platform = [[GNU]] and others
| included with = [[GNU Operating System]]
| language = English
| license = [[GNU General Public License]] version 2
| website = {{URL|https://www.gnu.org/software/software.html}}
}}

The '''GNU Autotools''', also known as the '''GNU Build System''', is a suite of [[build automation]] [[programming tool|tools]] designed to support building [[source code]] and [[Software package (installation)|packaging]] the resulting binaries. It supports building a [[codebase]] for multiple target systems without customizing or modifying the [[source code|code]]. It is available on many [[Linux distribution]]s and [[Unix-like]] environments. 

Autotools is part of the [[GNU toolchain]] and is widely used in many [[free software]] and [[Open-source license|open source]] packages.  Its component tools are [[free software]], licensed under the [[GNU General Public License]] with special license exceptions<ref name="autoconf-except">{{cite web |url=http://git.savannah.gnu.org/gitweb/?p=autoconf.git;a=blob;f=COPYING.EXCEPTION;h=469583528592cd69ac0847803b443849dcc9b1eb;hb=HEAD |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721073834/http://git.savannah.gnu.org/gitweb/?p=autoconf.git;a=blob;f=COPYING.EXCEPTION;h=469583528592cd69ac0847803b443849dcc9b1eb;hb=HEAD |url-status=dead |archive-date=2011-07-21 |title=Savannah Git Hosting - autoconf.git/blob - COPYING.EXCEPTION |website=Git.savannah.gnu.org |access-date=2016-04-01 }}</ref><ref name="libtool-hacking">{{cite web|url=http://git.savannah.gnu.org/cgit/libtool.git/tree/HACKING?id=9c9cde2c95f3f04f48288e1911038249d5ac424b |title=libtool.git - GNU Libtool |website=Git.savannah.gnu.org |date=2005-01-08 |access-date=2016-04-01}}</ref> permitting its use with [[proprietary software]].