diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index 69d3c6e08..6c7007327 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ AC_PREREQ(2.59)
 AC_INIT(gtsam, 0.0.0, dellaert@cc.gatech.edu)
 AM_INIT_AUTOMAKE(gtsam, 0.0.0)
 AC_OUTPUT(Makefile cpp/Makefile wrap/Makefile)
+AC_CONFIG_MACRO_DIR([m4])
 AC_CONFIG_SRCDIR([cpp/cal3_S2.cpp])
 AC_CONFIG_HEADER([cpp/config.h])
 AC_CONFIG_SRCDIR([wrap/wrap.cpp])
@@ -32,7 +33,7 @@ AC_PROG_CC
 #AX_BOOST_BASE([1.33]) # does not work on windows, even after compiling & installing boost manually
 
 # Checks for libraries.
-AC_PROG_RANLIB
+LT_INIT
 
 # Checks for header files.
 AC_HEADER_STDC
diff --git a/cpp/Makefile.am b/cpp/Makefile.am
index c8d6491b6..e5197dd1c 100644
--- a/cpp/Makefile.am
+++ b/cpp/Makefile.am
@@ -1,10 +1,3 @@
-# on the Mac, libtool is called glibtool :-(
-# documentation see /opt/local/share/doc/libtool-1.5.26/manual.html
-if DARWIN
-  LIBTOOL = glibtool --tag=CXX
-else
-  LIBTOOL = libtool
-endif
 
 # the install destination
 includedir = ${prefix}/include/gtsam