diff --git a/autogen.sh b/autogen.sh
index c6fb4499f..73157d062 100755
--- a/autogen.sh
+++ b/autogen.sh
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 
 OSTYPE=`uname -s`
 MACHINE=`uname -m`
-AUTO_MAKE_VERSION=`automake --version | head -1 | awk '{print $4}' | sed -e 's/\-p[0-9]$//' | sed -e 's/\.//'`
+AUTO_MAKE_VERSION=`automake --version | head -1 | awk '{print $4}' | sed -e 's/\.\([0-9]*\).*/\1/'`
 
 echo "Host info: $OSTYPE $MACHINE"
 echo -n " automake: `automake --version | head -1 | awk '{print $4}'`"
diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index f77ab38fb..ad735106a 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -53,9 +53,13 @@ AM_CONDITIONAL(IS_CYGWIN, test "x$is_cygwin" = "xyes")
 
 # Determine version of automake ... important becuase of
 # incompatibilities between versions
-AUTO_MAKE_VERSION=`automake --version | head -1 | awk '{print $4}' | sed -e 's/\-p[[0-9]]$//' | sed -e 's/\.//g'`
+AUTO_MAKE_VERSION=`automake --version | head -1 | awk '{print $4}' | sed -e 's/\.\([0-9]*\).*/\1/'`
 if test $AUTO_MAKE_VERSION -lt 15; then
-    echo "You need to upgrade your automake to version 1.5 or newer"
+    echo ""
+    echo "You need to upgrade to automake version 1.5 or greater."
+    echo "Most distributions have packages available to install or you can"
+    echo "find the source for the most recent version at"
+    echo "ftp://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/automake"
     exit 1
 fi
 
@@ -354,8 +358,8 @@ AM_CONDITIONAL(HAVE_XWINDOWS, test "x$ac_cv_lib_X11_XCreateWindow" = "xyes" )
 AC_LANG_PUSH(C++)
 
 # Check for "plib" without which we cannot go on
-AC_CHECK_HEADER(plib/pu.h)
-if test "x$ac_cv_header_plib_pu_h" != "xyes"; then
+AC_CHECK_HEADER(plib/ul.h)
+if test "x$ac_cv_header_plib_ul_h" != "xyes"; then
     echo
     echo "You *must* have the plib library installed on your system to build"
     echo "the FGFS simulator!"
@@ -366,15 +370,28 @@ if test "x$ac_cv_header_plib_pu_h" != "xyes"; then
     exit
 fi
 
-# needed for plib 1.3.x and later
-AC_CHECK_LIB(plibul, ulInit,,,)
+AC_MSG_CHECKING([for plib 1.6.0 or newer])
+AC_TRY_RUN([
+#include <plib/ul.h>
 
-if test "x$ac_cv_lib_plibul_ulInit" != "xyes"; then
-    echo
-    echo "You have an old version of plib, you need to upgrade to at least"
-    echo "plib-1.4.2"
-    exit
-fi
+#define MIN_PLIB_VERSION 160
+
+int main() {
+    int major, minor, micro;
+
+    if ( PLIB_VERSION < MIN_PLIB_VERSION ) {
+	 return -1;
+    }
+
+    return 0;
+}
+
+],
+  AC_MSG_RESULT(yes),
+  [AC_MSG_RESULT(wrong version);
+   AC_MSG_ERROR([Install plib 1.6.0 or later first...])],
+  AC_MSG_RESULT(yes)
+)
 
 # If we get here then plib is available, so force use of plib joystick lib
 AC_DEFINE([ENABLE_PLIB_JOYSTICK], 1, [Define to enable plib joystick support])
@@ -402,7 +419,7 @@ if test "x$ac_cv_header_simgear_version_h" != "xyes"; then
     exit
 fi
 
-AC_MSG_CHECKING([for proper simgear version])
+AC_MSG_CHECKING([for simgear 0.0.19 or newer])
 AC_TRY_RUN([
 #include <stdio.h>
 
@@ -456,8 +473,7 @@ if test "x$ac_cv_header_mk4_h" != "xyes"; then
     exit
 fi
 
-AC_MSG_CHECKING([for proper metakit version])
-
+AC_MSG_CHECKING([for metakit 2.4.3 or newer])
 saved_LIBS="$LIBS"
 LIBS="$saved_LIBS -lmk4"
 AC_TRY_RUN([
diff --git a/docs-mini/README.plib b/docs-mini/README.plib
index 65597287b..b7db53187 100644
--- a/docs-mini/README.plib
+++ b/docs-mini/README.plib
@@ -1,4 +1,6 @@
-You *must* have plib version 1.4.x or later installed on your system
+[This file is mirrored in both the FlightGear and SimGear packages.]
+
+You *must* have plib version 1.6.0 or later installed on your system
 to build FlightGear!"  Flight Gear is no longer compatible with the
 earlier versions of the library.
 
@@ -11,6 +13,5 @@ Build notes:
 You should be able to just run "./configure" to configure the package
 and use all of plib's defaults.  Then run "make" followed by "make
 install".  By default, plib installs itself into /usr so if you don't
-like this, be sure to specify an alternate prefix such as
---prefix=/usr/local
+like this, be sure to specify an alternate prefix such as --prefix=/usr/local
 
diff --git a/src/Input/Makefile.am b/src/Input/Makefile.am
index 579cfa5aa..726ca90b9 100644
--- a/src/Input/Makefile.am
+++ b/src/Input/Makefile.am
@@ -6,10 +6,10 @@ bin_PROGRAMS = js_demo fgjs
 
 js_demo_SOURCES = js_demo.cxx
 
-js_demo_LDADD = $(audio_LIBS)
+js_demo_LDADD = $(audio_LIBS) -lplibul
 
 fgjs_SOURCES = fgjs.cxx jsinput.cxx jsinput.h jssuper.cxx jssuper.h
 
-fgjs_LDADD = $(audio_LIBS)
+fgjs_LDADD = $(audio_LIBS) -lplibul
 
 INCLUDES = -I$(top_srcdir) -I$(top_srcdir)/src
diff --git a/src/Main/Makefile.am b/src/Main/Makefile.am
index ce51f8731..085682d8f 100644
--- a/src/Main/Makefile.am
+++ b/src/Main/Makefile.am
@@ -73,7 +73,7 @@ fgfs_LDADD = \
 	-lsgmath -lsgbucket -lsgdebug -lsgmagvar -lsgmisc -lsgxml \
 	-lsgserial \
 	$(THREAD_LIBS) \
-	-lplibssgaux -lplibpu -lplibfnt -lplibnet -lplibssg -lplibsg \
+	-lplibpu -lplibfnt -lplibnet -lplibssg -lplibsg -lplibul \
 	-lmk4 -lz \
 	$(opengl_LIBS) \
 	$(audio_LIBS)
diff --git a/tests/Makefile.am b/tests/Makefile.am
index 181176073..be332a4f5 100644
--- a/tests/Makefile.am
+++ b/tests/Makefile.am
@@ -21,4 +21,4 @@ test_text_SOURCES = test-text.cxx
 test_text_LDADD = $(base_LIBS)
 
 test_up_SOURCES = test-up.cxx
-test_up_LDADD = -lsgmath -lsgdebug -lplibsg $(base_LIBS)
+test_up_LDADD = -lsgmath -lsgdebug -lplibsg -lplibul $(base_LIBS)