prerequisites for modifying gcc?

[Robert P. J. Day]

  reading the latest docs for gcc, the section "Tools/packages
necessary for modifying GCC", some curious entries:

1) autoconf 2.13 *and* 2.59.  is that, strictly speaking, still true?
seems kind of inconvenient.

2) gettext-0.14.5 (or later), but gettext-0.14.5 is available only
from development which, technically, would break my machine's status
as a regular FC4 system, no?

3) autogen version 5.5.4, whose yum repo location is a mystery
although it is available as an i586 RPM here:

http://rpm.pbone.net/index.php3/stat/4/idpl/2558000/com/autogen-5.8.1-5.i586.rpm.html

  the general question, i guess:  should an up-to date FC4 system have
all the software it needs to modify gcc?  or should it be readily
available through the regular yum repos?

rday