diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 273eeb6..0165d6f 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -1,8 +1,26 @@
 build
 node_modules
 
-# downloaded by minification build
-tools/compiler.jar
+# generated by dist target
+AUTHORS
+NEWS
+ChangeLog
+
+# autotools- and configure-generated
+aclocal.m4
+Makefile.in
+Makefile
+*.cache/
+configure
+config.*
+
+# should be added using automake --add-missing
+INSTALL
+tools/install-sh
+tools/missing
+
+# downloaded manually by user
+tools/closure-compiler.jar
 
 # website branch
 webroot/
diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
deleted file mode 100644
index d8d6e7e..0000000
--- a/Makefile
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,113 +0,0 @@
-##
-# ease.js Makefile
-#
-#  Copyright (C) 2010, 2011, 2012 Mike Gerwitz
-#
-#  This file is part of ease.js.
-#
-#  This program is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify
-#  it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
-#  the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or
-#  (at your option) any later version.
-#
-#  This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
-#  but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
-#  MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
-#  GNU General Public License for more details.
-#
-#  You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
-#  along with this program.  If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
-##
-
-path_build=./build
-path_tools=./tools
-path_lib=./lib
-path_combine_output=${path_build}/ease.js
-path_combine_output_full=${path_build}/ease-full.js
-path_browser_test=${path_tools}/browser-test.html
-path_test=./test
-path_perf_test=${path_test}/perf
-
-perf_tests := $(shell find "$(path_perf_test)" -name 'perf-*.js')
-
-src_js := index.js $(wildcard $(path_lib)/*.js)
-src_tests := index.js $(shell find "$(path_test)" -name test-* \
-	-o -name *Test* \
-	-o -name inc-*.js )
-
-path_doc := ./doc
-
-combine := $(path_tools)/combine
-compiler := $(path_tools)/compiler.jar
-path_externs_internal := $(path_build)/externs-internal.js
-
-.PHONY: combine min doc test test-combine clean distclean
-
-
-default: combine min
-all:     combine min doc
-
-mkbuild: $(path_build)
-
-# create build dir
-$(path_build):
-	mkdir -p "$(path_build)"
-
-# combine all modules into easily redistributable ease.js file (intended for
-# browser)
-$(path_combine_output): $(src_js) | mkbuild
-	${combine} > "$(path_combine_output)"
-$(path_combine_output_full): $(src_js) $(src_tests) | mkbuild
-	INC_TEST=1 "$(combine)" > "${path_combine_output_full}"
-$(path_build)/browser-test.html: $(path_browser_test) | $(path_combine_output_full)
-	cp "$(path_browser_test)" $@
-$(path_build)/browser-test-min.html: $(path_browser_test) | $(path_combine_output_full)
-	cat "$(path_browser_test)" | sed 's/ease-full\.js/ease-full\.min\.js/' > $@
-combine: $(path_combine_output) $(path_build)/browser-test.html
-
-doc:
-	$(MAKE) -C $(path_doc)
-doc-html:
-	$(MAKE) -C $(path_doc) html
-
-test: default
-	$(MAKE) -C $(path_test)
-
-# performance tests
-perf: default $(perf_tests)
-perf-%.js: default
-	@node $@
-
-# externs for compilation process
-$(path_externs_internal): | mkbuild
-	$(path_tools)/mkexterns > $@
-
-# minification process uses Google Closure compiler
-min: build/ease.min.js build/ease-full.min.js $(path_build)/browser-test-min.html \
-	| combine
-$(compiler):
-	wget -O- http://closure-compiler.googlecode.com/files/compiler-latest.tar.gz \
-		| tar -C $(path_tools) -xzv compiler.jar
-build/%.min.js: build/%.js $(path_tools)/externs-global.js  $(path_externs_internal) \
-	$(compiler)
-	cat $(path_tools)/license-min.tpl > $@
-	java -jar $(compiler) \
-		--externs $(path_tools)/externs-global.js \
-		--externs $(path_build)/externs-internal.js \
-		--js $< >> $@ || rm $@
-
-install: doc-info
-	[ -d $(path_info_install) ] || mkdir -p $(path_info_install)
-	cp $(path_doc_output_info) $(path_info_install)
-
-uninstall:
-	rm $(path_info_install)/easejs.info
-
-# clean up build dir
-clean:
-	$(MAKE) -C $(path_doc) clean
-	rm -rf "${path_build}"
-
-distclean: clean
-	rm $(compiler)
-
diff --git a/Makefile.am b/Makefile.am
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4b54ceb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Makefile.am
@@ -0,0 +1,107 @@
+## ease.js Makefile.am
+
+# see README
+EXTRA_DIST = AUTHORS NEWS ChangeLog
+
+path_build = $(top_builddir)/build
+path_tools = $(top_builddir)/tools
+path_lib   = $(top_builddir)/lib
+path_test  = $(top_builddir)/test
+path_doc   = $(top_builddir)/doc
+
+path_perf_test           = $(path_test)/perf
+path_combine_output      = $(path_build)/ease.js
+path_combine_output_full = $(path_build)/ease-full.js
+path_browser_test        = $(path_tools)/browser-test.html
+
+src_js                = @SRC_JS@
+perf_tests            = @PERF_TESTS@
+path_externs_internal = $(path_build)/externs-internal.js
+
+combine  = $(path_tools)/combine
+compiler = $(path_tools)/closure-compiler.jar
+
+
+.PHONY: mkbuild combine min doc test perf
+
+default: all-local
+all-local: combine min
+
+mkbuild: $(path_build)
+
+# create build dir
+$(path_build):
+	mkdir -p "$(path_build)"
+
+
+combine: $(path_combine_output) $(path_build)/browser-test.html
+
+# combine all modules into easily redistributable ease.js file (intended for
+# browser)
+$(path_combine_output): $(src_js) | mkbuild
+	$(combine) > "$(path_combine_output)"
+$(path_combine_output_full): $(src_js) $(src_tests) | mkbuild
+	INC_TEST=1 "$(combine)" > "${path_combine_output_full}"
+$(path_build)/browser-test.html: $(path_browser_test) | $(path_combine_output_full)
+	cp -f "$(path_browser_test)" $@
+$(path_build)/browser-test-min.html: $(path_browser_test) | $(path_combine_output_full)
+	cat "$(path_browser_test)" | sed 's/ease-full\.js/ease-full\.min\.js/' > $@
+
+# minification process uses Google Closure compiler
+min: $(path_build)/ease.min.js $(path_build)/ease-full.min.js \
+$(path_build)/browser-test-min.html | combine
+build/%.min.js: build/%.js $(path_tools)/externs-global.js  $(path_externs_internal)
+if HAS_JAVA
+if HAS_CCJAR
+	cat $(path_tools)/license-min.tpl > $@
+	$(JAVA) -jar $(compiler) \
+		--externs $(path_tools)/externs-global.js \
+		--externs $(path_build)/externs-internal.js \
+		--js $< >> $@ || rm $@
+else
+	@echo "cannot create $@:"
+	@echo "  please download closure-compiler.jar and re-run ./configure"
+	@exit 1
+endif
+else
+	@echo "Please install a Java virtual machine (e.g. openjdk)"
+	@exit 1
+endif
+
+# externs for compilation process
+$(path_externs_internal): | mkbuild
+	$(path_tools)/mkexterns > $@
+
+doc:
+	$(MAKE) -C "$(path_doc)"
+
+test: check
+check: default
+	$(MAKE) -C "$(path_test)"
+
+# performance tests
+perf: default $(perf_tests)
+perf-%.js: default
+if HAS_NODE
+	@$(NODE) $@
+else
+	@echo "Node.js must be installed in order to run performance tests"
+	@exit 1
+endif
+
+# generate the familiar files that automake normally checks for
+dist-hook:
+	$(path_tools)/gitlog-to-authors > $(distdir)/AUTHORS
+	$(path_tools)/gitlog-to-news > $(distdir)/NEWS
+	$(path_tools)/gitlog-to-changelog \
+		--strip-cherry-pick \
+		--format=%s \
+		-- \
+		--no-merges \
+		> $(distdir)/ChangeLog
+
+clean-local:
+	-rm -rf "$(path_build)"
+
+maintainer-clean-local:
+	-rm -f "$(compiler)"
diff --git a/README b/README
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3eb6c35
--- /dev/null
+++ b/README
@@ -0,0 +1,43 @@
+Configuring ease.js
+*******************
+
+  Copyright (C) 2013 Mike Gerwitz
+
+  This file is part of ease.js.
+
+  Copying and distribution of this file, with or without modification, are
+  permitted in any medium without royalty provided the copyright notice and
+  this notice are preserved.  This file is offered as-is, without warranty
+  of any kind.
+
+
+This file contains information on configuring and building ease.js; for
+information on using the library, please see the Markdown-formatted
+README.md file or the Texinfo manual.
+
+
+Installing
+==========
+
+For information on installing ease.js on your system, see INSTALL.
+Alternatively, you may install the software using npm by issuing the
+following command:
+
+  $ npm install easejs
+
+
+
+Configuring
+===========
+
+If your distribution contains a `configure' file in the project root, you
+may jump immediately to INSTALL.
+
+Otherwise, you likely have the sources as they exist in the project
+repository, which does not contain the generature `configure' script; you
+may generate it by issuing the following commands:
+
+  $ aclocal && automake --foreign && autoconf
+
+Please note that the --foreign argument is necessary to `automake' to ignore
+certain missing files (such as ChangeLog) that are generated at build time.
diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..166152b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -0,0 +1,93 @@
+# For use by automake and autoconf
+#
+#  Copyright (C) 2013 Mike Gerwitz
+#
+#  This file is part of ease.js.
+#
+#  This program is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify
+#  it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
+#  the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or
+#  (at your option) any later version.
+#
+#  This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+#  but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+#  MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
+#  GNU General Public License for more details.
+#
+#  You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
+#  along with this program.  If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
+##
+
+AC_INIT([ease.js], [1.0.0-dev], [bugs@easejs.org])
+AC_CONFIG_AUX_DIR([tools])
+AM_INIT_AUTOMAKE
+
+AC_CONFIG_FILES([Makefile])
+
+# check for node, which is required for nearly every operation
+AC_CHECK_PROGS(NODE, [node nodejs])
+AM_CONDITIONAL(HAS_NODE, [test "$NODE"])
+
+# certain portions of the build process require that node be installed (in the
+# future, we may be able to allow alternatives, such as SpiderMonkey)
+test "$NODE" || AC_MSG_WARN([
+
+  Node.js is not installed; certain make targets have been disabled.
+])
+
+# yes, this isn't necessarily a good practice, however the directory itself can
+# be loaded and used without being built, so it's important that our resulting
+# file includes exactly what is contained within the dir and is rebuilt if /any/
+# of the files change
+AC_MSG_CHECKING([for source js files])
+SRC_JS_LIB="$(find lib/*.js | tr '\n' ' ' )"
+SRC_JS="index.js $SRC_JS_LIB"
+AC_SUBST(SRC_JS)
+if test -n "$SRC_JS_LIB"; then
+    AC_MSG_RESULT(ok)
+else
+    AC_MSG_ERROR(failed!)
+fi
+
+# unit tests
+AC_MSG_CHECKING([for unit tests])
+SRC_TESTS="$( find test/ -name test-* \
+    -o -name *Test* \
+    -o -name inc-*.js \
+    | tr '\n' ' ' \
+)"
+AC_SUBST(SRC_TESTS)
+if test "$SRC_TESTS"; then
+    AC_MSG_RESULT(ok)
+else
+    AC_MSG_WARN(none found)
+fi
+
+# check for performance tests
+AC_MSG_CHECKING([for performance tests])
+PERF_TESTS=$( find test/perf -name 'perf-*.js' | tr '\n' ' ' )
+AC_SUBST(PERF_TESTS)
+if test "$PERF_TESTS"; then
+    AC_MSG_RESULT(ok)
+else
+    AC_MSG_WARN(none found)
+fi
+
+# Java is used for Closure Compiler
+AC_CHECK_PROGS(JAVA, [java])
+AM_CONDITIONAL(HAS_JAVA, [test "$JAVA"])
+
+ccjar=
+if test "$JAVA"; then
+  AC_CHECK_FILE([tools/closure-compiler.jar], [ccjar=1], [AC_MSG_NOTICE([
+
+    If you wish perform minification of the combined source file, you must
+    download closure-compiler.jar into the tools directory; it is available
+    here:
+
+    https://developers.google.com/closure/compiler/
+  ])])
+fi
+AM_CONDITIONAL(HAS_CCJAR, [test "$ccjar"])
+
+AC_OUTPUT