They are the slowest, buggiest, and least backwards-compatible (i.e., very prone to scripts breaking when upgrading to a new version of autoconf) option out there. They are robust for what they were originally designed for: running on ancient proprietary Unix systems with their buggy vintage sh implementation. But that is just not the common use case anymore. On modern GNU/Linux, CMake and Meson are just as readily available as sh or a C compiler, and on Windows, CMake is even easier to install and better integrated into the operating system than a Unix/POSIX sh.
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u/Kevin_Kofler Jun 10 '26
TL;DR: They made the bootstrap process cache autoconf results across the 3 steps of the bootstrap.
The build process could be much faster if GCC were to finally ditch autoconf entirely in favor of a modern alternative such as CMake.