libtool incompatible with current autoconf

[Dan Kegel]

I discovered to my chagrin that I cannot update
kaffe from autoconf2.13 to autoconf2.53.

In detail, the problem is that converting kaffe to use autoconf2.5x
and then running configure causes the following error:

configure: configuring in libltdl
configure: running /bin/sh '../../kaffe-1.0.7/libltdl/configure' --prefix=/usr  '--build=pentium-unknown-linux' '--host=ppc-unknown-linux' '--prefix=/usr' 
'CC=/opt/hardhat/devkit/ppc/7xx/bin/powerpc-linux-gcc' 'CFLAGS=-mcpu=750 -D__PPC750__' 'CXXFLAGS=-mcpu=750 -D__PPC750__' 'CXX=/opt/hardhat/devkit/ppc/7xx/bin/powerpc-linux-g++' 
'build_alias=pentium-unknown-linux' 'host_alias=ppc-unknown-linux' --enable-ltdl-convenience --cache-file=/dev/null --srcdir=../../kaffe-1.0.7/libltdl
configure: warning: CC=/opt/hardhat/devkit/ppc/7xx/bin/powerpc-linux-gcc: 
invalid host type
configure: warning: CFLAGS=-mcpu=750 -D__PPC750__: invalid host type
configure: error: can only configure for one host and one target at a time
configure: error: /bin/sh '../../kaffe-1.0.7/libltdl/configure' failed for 
libltdl

evidently because the 2.13 configure (in the libltdl subdirectory) chokes on
the name=value pairs the parent directory's 2.5x configure passes when
configuring the subdirectory.

This has been happening in the field since around July; see
http://groups.google.com/groups?q=configure:+failed+for+libltdl+%22one+host+and+one+target+at+a+time

I would have tried libtool-1.4d (the current alpha?),
but the link to it at http://www.gnu.org/software/libtool/libtool.html is 
broken.

It appears that libtool's web page is out of date, and that
libtool's lack of progress is holding up the conversion
of various packages to autoconf2.5x and causing confusion for users
whose systems now default to autoconf2.5x.

There was a big discussion about doing a new release of libtool back in October
(see http://mail.gnu.org/pipermail/libtool/2002-October/006901.html and 
followups),
but nothing since then.

Can those in the know give us an update?

Thanks,
Dan