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> Autoconf is just a complicated system for finding and detecting third party libraries. If an application just uses the standard library, the build system can be very simple and reliable.

Another way to avoid autoconf is vendoring third party libraries. If they are open source, one could just use Git sub modules. You might need to call ‘./configure’ in the vendored library directory, but you don’t need to use autoconf for the application itself

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> just use Git submodules

Easier said than done. I have never gotten submodules to work the way I want them to, and I’ve since abandoned the idea completely.

The UX is admittedly awful, but once you get familiar with its warts submodules are entirely usable.

> The UX is admittedly awful, but once you get familiar with its warts submodules are entirely usable.

The point is not how much effort you need to invest in getting git submodules to eventually or occasionally work.

The point is whether vending the subproject as a prebuild library/package is simpler or not, or whether it requires more work or not.

And it's abundantly clear that submodules are always inferior to vending packages, not to mention they are audit-friendly.

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