diff --git a/Makefile.lt b/Makefile.lt
index 937b0629..cb87e5f1 100644
--- a/Makefile.lt
+++ b/Makefile.lt
@@ -2,7 +2,6 @@ lib_LTLIBRARIES = libledger.la
 libledger_la_CXXFLAGS =
 libledger_la_SOURCES = \
 	amount.cc      \
-	autoxact.cc    \
 	balance.cc     \
 	binary.cc      \
 	config.cc      \
@@ -20,12 +19,12 @@ libledger_la_SOURCES = \
 	value.cc       \
 	walk.cc
 if HAVE_XMLPARSE
+libledger_la_CXXFLAGS += -DHAVE_XMLPARSE=1
 libledger_la_SOURCES += gnucash.cc xml.cc
 endif
 if HAVE_BOOST_PYTHON
 libledger_la_CXXFLAGS += -DUSE_BOOST_PYTHON=1
 libledger_la_SOURCES  += py_eval.cc
-libledger_la_LIBADD    = $(LIBOBJS) -lboost_python -lpython$(PYTHON_VERSION)
 endif
 if DEBUG
 libledger_la_CXXFLAGS += -DDEBUG_LEVEL=4
@@ -36,7 +35,6 @@ libledger_la_LDFLAGS = -static -version-info 2:0
 pkginclude_HEADERS = \
 	acconf.h     \
 	amount.h     \
-	autoxact.h   \
 	balance.h    \
 	binary.h     \
 	config.h     \
diff --git a/README b/README
index a0c5f117..8ebea764 100644
--- a/README
+++ b/README
@@ -1,14 +1,18 @@
 
-Welcome to Ledger, a command-line accounting program.
+	Welcome to Ledger, a command-line accounting program.
 
 Quick start
 ===========
 
-To build Ledger, you will first need these two libraries installed:
+To build Ledger, you will need a fairly modern C++ compiler (gcc 2.95
+will not work), and at least these two libraries installed:
 
     gmp        GNU multi-precision library
     pcre       Perl regular expression library
 
+(On some GNU/Linux systems, the packages you need to install are
+called "gmp-dev" and "pcre-dev").
+
 If you wish to read Gnucash data files, you will also need two XML
 libraries, which may or may not be available in a single package (it
 depends on your distribution):
diff --git a/configure.lt b/configure.lt
deleted file mode 100644
index 7605ab43..00000000
--- a/configure.lt
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,97 +0,0 @@
-#                                               -*- Autoconf -*-
-# Process this file with autoconf to produce a configure script.
-
-AC_PREREQ(2.59)
-AC_INIT(ledger, 2.1, johnw@newartisans.com)
-AM_INIT_AUTOMAKE(ledger, 2.1)
-AC_CONFIG_SRCDIR([main.cc])
-AC_CONFIG_HEADER([acconf.h])
-
-# Checks for programs.
-AC_PROG_CXX
-AC_PROG_MAKE_SET
-AC_PROG_LIBTOOL
-AM_PROG_LIBTOOL
-
-# Checks for libraries.
-AC_CHECK_LIB([gmp], [__gmpz_add], [],
-  AC_MSG_FAILURE("Could not find gmp (GNU multi-precision) library"))
-AC_CHECK_LIB([pcre], [pcre_compile], [],
-  AC_MSG_FAILURE("Could not find pcre (Perl regular expression) library"))
-AC_CHECK_LIB([xmlparse], [XML_ParserCreate],
-  [AC_DEFINE([HAVE_XMLPARSE], [1], [Support reading Gnucash and XML files])
-   AM_CONDITIONAL(HAVE_XMLPARSE, true)
-   AC_SUBST(LIBS, "-lxmlparse -lxmltok $LIBS")],
-  [AC_MSG_NOTICE([Could not find xmlparse library: Gnucash and XML support disabled])
-   AM_CONDITIONAL(HAVE_XMLPARSE, false)],
-  [-lxmltok])
-
-AC_ARG_ENABLE(python,
-  [  --enable-python         Turn on Python support],
-  [case "${enableval}" in
-    yes) python=true ;;
-    no)  python=false ;;
-    *) AC_MSG_ERROR(bad value ${enableval} for --enable-python) ;;
-  esac],[python=false])
-AM_CONDITIONAL(USE_PYTHON, test x$python = xtrue)
-
-if [test x$python = xtrue ]; then
-  AM_PATH_PYTHON(2.2,, :)
-  if [test "$PYTHON" != :]; then
-    AC_CACHE_CHECK(
-      [if boost_python is available],
-      [boost_python_cpplib_avail],
-      [boost_python_save_libs=$LIBS
-       LIBS="-lboost_python $LIBS"
-       AC_LANG_PUSH(C++)
-       AC_TRY_COMPILE(
-	 [#include <boost/python.hpp>
-	  using namespace boost::python;
-	  class foo {};
-	  BOOST_PYTHON_MODULE(samp) {
-	    class_< foo > ("foo") ;
-	  }],
-	 [return 0],
-	 [boost_python_cpplib_avail=true],
-	 [boost_python_cpplib_avail=false])
-       AC_LANG_POP
-       LIBS=$boost_python_save_libs])
-    AM_CONDITIONAL(HAVE_BOOST_PYTHON,
-		   test x$boost_python_cpplib_avail = xtrue)
-  else
-    AM_CONDITIONAL(HAVE_BOOST_PYTHON, false)
-  fi
-else
-  AM_CONDITIONAL(HAVE_BOOST_PYTHON, false)
-fi
-
-# Check for options
-AC_ARG_ENABLE(debug,
-  [  --enable-debug          Turn on debugging],
-  [case "${enableval}" in
-    yes) debug=true ;;
-    no)  debug=false ;;
-    *) AC_MSG_ERROR(bad value ${enableval} for --enable-debug) ;;
-  esac],[debug=false])
-AM_CONDITIONAL(DEBUG, test x$debug = xtrue)
-
-# Checks for header files.
-AC_STDC_HEADERS
-AC_HAVE_HEADERS(sys/stat.h)
-
-# Checks for typedefs, structures, and compiler characteristics.
-AC_HEADER_STDBOOL
-AC_TYPE_SIZE_T
-AC_STRUCT_TM
-
-# Checks for library functions.
-#AC_FUNC_ERROR_AT_LINE
-AC_HEADER_STDC
-#AC_FUNC_MALLOC
-#AC_FUNC_MKTIME
-#AC_FUNC_STAT
-#AC_FUNC_STRFTIME
-AC_CHECK_FUNCS([memset strchr strstr access mktime stat strftime strptime])
-
-AC_CONFIG_FILES([Makefile])
-AC_OUTPUT