CVS no `configure'

[Oisin <ofeeley at is2 dot dal dot ca>]

Hi all,

SYSTEM: RH6.1, egcs-2.91.66, glibc2.1.2, kernel 2.2.12-20, Autoconf
version 2.13, GNU m4 1.4, CPU Celeron 466 (i686) 

I've just downloaded the current CVS as suggested in `How to get it'.
This results in a directory without a `configure' script, so I used
autoconf with the `configure.in' as suggested (obliquely) by the
INSTALL file.  This produces a `configure' which when run chokes with
the following output:

loading cache ./config.cache
./configure: syntax error near unexpected token
`AM_INIT_AUTOMAKE(gsl,0.5+)'
./configure: ./configure: line 525: `AM_INIT_AUTOMAKE(gsl,0.5+)'

I found it was necessary to run the following command sequence in order
to get to the build stage:
aclocal; automake; autoconf; ./configure

I'm new to the autoconf stuff, but should all those extra commands be
necessary?  Looking at the info pages for automake it seems to suggest
that line 525 of `configure.in' should be OK.

Then using `make' everything seems fine, but `make checks' after that 
produces the following:

FAIL: test
===================
1 of 1 tests failed
===================
make[2]: *** [check-TESTS] Error 1
make[2]: Leaving directory `/usr/local/src/gsl/complex'
make[1]: *** [check-am] Error 2
make[1]: Leaving directory `/usr/local/src/gsl/complex'
make: *** [check-recursive] Error 1

Am I doing something really bone-headed?  

Thanks,
Oisin