AC_LANG([C++])
STEPMAKE_PYTHON(REQUIRED, 2.4)
-STEPMAKE_GCC(REQUIRED, 3.4)
+# this checks if we have GNU C by compiling a program with
+# __GNUC__, but that macro now unofficially means "the compiler
+# supports the GNU C extensions" -- the intel C compiler and clang
+# both support __GNUC__!
+STEPMAKE_GCC_OR_CLANG(REQUIRED, 3.4)
STEPMAKE_CXX(REQUIRED)
-STEPMAKE_GXX(REQUIRED, 3.4)
+STEPMAKE_GXX_OR_CLANG(REQUIRED, 3.4)
STEPMAKE_CXXTEMPLATE
STEPMAKE_STL_DATA_METHOD
STEPMAKE_LIB(REQUIRED)