GNU Libtool

GNU Libtool is a GNU programming tool from the GNU build system used for creating portable software libraries . To quote the introduction in the Libtool Manual :

“	In the past, if a source code package developer wanted to take advantage of the power of shared libraries , it was necessary to write custom support code for each platform on which the package ran. It was also necessary to design a configuration interface so that the package installer could choose what sort of libraries were built. GNU Libtool simplifies the developer's job by encapsulating both the platform-specific dependencies, and the user interface, in a single script. GNU Libtool is designed so that the complete functionality of each host type is available via a generic interface, but nasty quirks are hidden from the programmer. GNU Libtool's interface aims to be consistent. Users are not expected to read low-level documentation in order to have a source package build shared libraries. They should only have to run the package's configure script (or equivalent), and Libtool should take care of the details.	”
—Libtool Manual

Libtool is typically used with Autoconf and Automake , two other tools of the GNU build system.

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