File: autoconf.info,  Node: Gnulib,  Next: Libtool,  Prev: Automake,  Up: The GNU Build System

2.2 Gnulib
==========

GNU software has a well-deserved reputation for running on many
different types of systems.  While our primary goal is to write software
for the GNU system, many users and developers have been introduced to us
through the systems that they were already using.

   Gnulib is a central location for common GNU code, intended to be
shared among free software packages.  Its components are typically
shared at the source level, rather than being a library that gets built,
installed, and linked against.  The idea is to copy files from Gnulib
into your own source tree.  There is no distribution tarball; developers
should just grab source modules from the repository.  The source files
are available online, under various licenses, mostly GNU GPL or GNU
LGPL.

   Gnulib modules typically contain C source code along with Autoconf
macros used to configure the source code.  For example, the Gnulib
‘stdckdint’ module implements a ‘stdckdint.h’ header that nearly
conforms to C23, even on older hosts that lack ‘stdckdint.h’.  This
module contains a source file for the replacement header, along with an
Autoconf macro that arranges to use the replacement header on older
systems.

   For more information, consult the Gnulib website,
.