Cannot bootstrap on ubuntu 14.04

[informatimago]

Hi! I wanted to compile current openct on ubuntu 14.04, but unfortunately, ./bootstrap fails.
I've installed and updated all the relevant packages, not no avail. I just cannot update the system. What advice could you give me? Perhaps should I use an older version of openct?

F/2:50:54[pjb@ubuntu-span :0.0 informatimago--openct]$ ./bootstrap 
+ test -f Makefile
+ rm -rf *~ *.cache *.m4 config.guess config.log config.status config.sub depcomp ltmain.sh
+ autoreconf --verbose --install --force
autoreconf: Entering directory `.'
autoreconf: configure.ac: not using Gettext
autoreconf: running: aclocal --force -I m4
autoreconf: configure.ac: tracing
autoreconf: configure.ac: not using Libtool
autoreconf: running: /usr/bin/autoconf --force
configure.ac:109: error: possibly undefined macro: AC_DEFINE
      If this token and others are legitimate, please use m4_pattern_allow.
      See the Autoconf documentation.
configure.ac:215: error: possibly undefined macro: AC_PROG_LIBTOOL
configure.ac:230: error: possibly undefined macro: AC_MSG_ERROR
autoreconf: /usr/bin/autoconf failed with exit status: 1
F/2:50:54[pjb@ubuntu-span :0.0 informatimago--openct]$ distribution
GNU/Linux ubuntu 14.04  

[informatimago]

This occurs also with more recent automake 1.16.1 and autoconf 2.69:

F/2:50:54[pjb@ubuntu-span :0.0 informatimago--openct]$ automake --version 
automake (GNU automake) 1.16.1
Copyright (C) 2018 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
License GPLv2+: GNU GPL version 2 or later <https://gnu.org/licenses/gpl-2.0.html>
This is free software: you are free to change and redistribute it.
There is NO WARRANTY, to the extent permitted by law.

Written by Tom Tromey <tromey@redhat.com>
       and Alexandre Duret-Lutz <adl@gnu.org>.
F/2:50:54[pjb@ubuntu-span :0.0 informatimago--openct]$ autoconf --version
autoconf (GNU Autoconf) 2.69
Copyright (C) 2012 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
License GPLv3+/Autoconf: GNU GPL version 3 or later
<http://gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html>, <http://gnu.org/licenses/exceptions.html>
This is free software: you are free to change and redistribute it.
There is NO WARRANTY, to the extent permitted by law.

Written by David J. MacKenzie and Akim Demaille.

[martinpaljak]

Do you have libtool installed?

[informatimago]

Yes.

F/2:50:54[pjb@ubuntu-span :0.0 ifd]$ libtool --version
libtool (GNU libtool) 2.4.2
Written by Gordon Matzigkeit <gord@gnu.ai.mit.edu>, 1996

Copyright (C) 2011 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
This is free software; see the source for copying conditions.  There is NO
warranty; not even for MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.
F/2:50:54[pjb@ubuntu-span :0.0 ifd]$ 

[informatimago]

Installing the latest version of libtool, this fails now with:

F/2:50:54[pjb@ubuntu-span :0.0 informatimago--openct]$ ./bootstrap
+ test -f Makefile
+ rm -rf *~ *.cache *.m4 config.guess config.log config.status config.sub depcomp ltmain.sh
+ autoreconf --verbose --install --force
autoreconf: Entering directory `.'
autoreconf: configure.ac: not using Gettext
autoreconf: running: aclocal --force -I m4
autoreconf: configure.ac: tracing
autoreconf: running: libtoolize --copy --force
libtoolize: putting auxiliary files in AC_CONFIG_AUX_DIR, '.'.
libtoolize: copying file './ltmain.sh'
libtoolize: putting macros in AC_CONFIG_MACRO_DIRS, 'm4'.
libtoolize: copying file 'm4/libtool.m4'
libtoolize: copying file 'm4/ltoptions.m4'
libtoolize: copying file 'm4/ltsugar.m4'
libtoolize: copying file 'm4/ltversion.m4'
libtoolize: copying file 'm4/lt~obsolete.m4'
libtoolize: Remember to add 'LT_INIT' to configure.ac.
autoreconf: running: /home/pjb/opt/bin/autoconf --force
configure.ac:109: error: possibly undefined macro: AC_DEFINE
      If this token and others are legitimate, please use m4_pattern_allow.
      See the Autoconf documentation.
configure.ac:230: error: possibly undefined macro: AC_MSG_ERROR
autoreconf: /home/pjb/opt/bin/autoconf failed with exit status: 1
F/2:50:54[pjb@ubuntu-span :0.0 informatimago--openct]$ libtool --version
libtool (GNU libtool) 2.4.6
Written by Gordon Matzigkeit, 1996

Copyright (C) 2014 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
This is free software; see the source for copying conditions.  There is NO
warranty; not even for MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.
F/2:50:54[pjb@ubuntu-span :0.0 informatimago--openct]$ 

[informatimago]

After installing (manually, in ~/opt) pkg-config 0.29.2 it works.
So the current version of openct should declare a dependency on a pkg-config > 0.26 or more, and perhaps also for the other tools.

( Unfortunately, some people just cannot upgrade as fast as they would want. :-( )

F/2:50:54[pjb@ubuntu-span :0.0 informatimago--openct]$ git clean -dfx && ./bootstrap
Removing aclocal.m4
Removing autom4te.cache/
Removing configure
Removing ltmain.sh
Removing m4/libtool.m4
Removing m4/ltoptions.m4
Removing m4/ltsugar.m4
Removing m4/ltversion.m4
Removing m4/lt~obsolete.m4
+ autoreconf --version
autoreconf (GNU Autoconf) 2.69
Copyright (C) 2012 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
License GPLv3+/Autoconf: GNU GPL version 3 or later
<http://gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html>, <http://gnu.org/licenses/exceptions.html>
This is free software: you are free to change and redistribute it.
There is NO WARRANTY, to the extent permitted by law.

Written by David J. MacKenzie and Akim Demaille.
+ autoconf --version
autoconf (GNU Autoconf) 2.69
Copyright (C) 2012 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
License GPLv3+/Autoconf: GNU GPL version 3 or later
<http://gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html>, <http://gnu.org/licenses/exceptions.html>
This is free software: you are free to change and redistribute it.
There is NO WARRANTY, to the extent permitted by law.

Written by David J. MacKenzie and Akim Demaille.
+ automake --version
automake (GNU automake) 1.16.1
Copyright (C) 2018 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
License GPLv2+: GNU GPL version 2 or later <https://gnu.org/licenses/gpl-2.0.html>
This is free software: you are free to change and redistribute it.
There is NO WARRANTY, to the extent permitted by law.

Written by Tom Tromey <tromey@redhat.com>
       and Alexandre Duret-Lutz <adl@gnu.org>.
+ libtool --version
libtool (GNU libtool) 2.4.6
Written by Gordon Matzigkeit, 1996

Copyright (C) 2014 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
This is free software; see the source for copying conditions.  There is NO
warranty; not even for MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.
+ pkg-config --version
0.29.2
+ test -f Makefile
+ rm -rf *~ *.cache *.m4 config.guess config.log config.status config.sub depcomp ltmain.sh
+ autoreconf --verbose --install --force
autoreconf: Entering directory `.'
autoreconf: configure.ac: not using Gettext
autoreconf: running: aclocal --force -I m4
autoreconf: configure.ac: tracing
autoreconf: running: libtoolize --copy --force
libtoolize: putting auxiliary files in AC_CONFIG_AUX_DIR, '.'.
libtoolize: copying file './ltmain.sh'
libtoolize: putting macros in AC_CONFIG_MACRO_DIRS, 'm4'.
libtoolize: copying file 'm4/libtool.m4'
libtoolize: copying file 'm4/ltoptions.m4'
libtoolize: copying file 'm4/ltsugar.m4'
libtoolize: copying file 'm4/ltversion.m4'
libtoolize: copying file 'm4/lt~obsolete.m4'
libtoolize: Remember to add 'LT_INIT' to configure.ac.
autoreconf: running: /home/pjb/opt/bin/autoconf --force
autoreconf: running: /home/pjb/opt/bin/autoheader --force
autoreconf: running: automake --add-missing --copy --force-missing
configure.ac:34: installing './compile'
configure.ac:31: installing './config.guess'
configure.ac:31: installing './config.sub'
configure.ac:14: installing './install-sh'
configure.ac:14: installing './missing'
src/ct/Makefile.am: installing './depcomp'
autoreconf: Leaving directory `.'
F/2:50:54[pjb@ubuntu-span :0.0 informatimago--openct]$