Autoconf requires m4 and m4 requires autoconf

[Chris Karakas]

To whom this may concern:

This is an utmost annoying bug:

  Autoconf will NOT let you compile it, unless you have an upgraded m4:

  checking for GNU M4 that supports accurate traces... configure: error: no 
acceptable m4 could be found in $PATH.
  GNU M4 1.4.6 or later is required; 1.4.13 is recommended
  error: Bad exit status from /var/tmp/rpm-tmp.91657 (%build)

  ...but m4 will NOT let you compile it, unless you have an upgraded autoconf:

  + autoreconf --force --install
  configure.ac:20: error: Autoconf version 2.60 or higher is required
  configure.ac:20: the top level
  autom4te: /usr/bin/m4 failed with exit status: 63
  aclocal: autom4te failed with exit status: 63
  autoreconf: aclocal failed with exit status: 63
  error: Bad exit status from /var/tmp/rpm-tmp.54953 (%build)

The build system has 

autoconf-2.59-79
m4-1.4o-504

installed. Obviously, there is an error in the dependency checking, either of 
autoconf, or of m4 - or even of both. It is simply logically *impossible* that 
A demands B and B demands A in order to be compiled successfully! A new decade 
of the 21st century has started and we still struggle with circular 
dependencies! I can't believe it...

Please do something about it - and tell me.

-- 
Regards

Chris Karakas
http://www.karakas-online.de