diff --git a/M2/Makefile.in b/M2/Makefile.in
index 132309538bf..6b619633b13 100644
--- a/M2/Makefile.in
+++ b/M2/Makefile.in
@@ -67,7 +67,7 @@ clean:
 	if [ -f Makefile ] ; then $(MAKE) -f Makefile clean-tools ; fi
 
 install: configured; $(MAKE) -C distributions $@
-@srcdir@/configure : @srcdir@/configure.ac @srcdir@/config/files; $(MAKE) -C @srcdir@ -f Makefile
+@srcdir@/configure : @srcdir@/configure.ac @srcdir@/m4/files; $(MAKE) -C @srcdir@ -f Makefile
 recheck config.status: @srcdir@/configure @srcdir@/Macaulay2/packages/=distributed-packages
 	$(WHY)
 	./config.status --recheck
@@ -105,13 +105,13 @@ srcdir:
 subst: config.status ; ./config.status
 show: config.status
 	<$< sed -e 's/\\\n//' |egrep '^[SD]\["' | sed -e 's/^S."\(.*\)"\]="\(.*\)"$$/\1=\2/' -e 's/^D."\(.*\)"\]="\(.*\)"$$/#define \1 \2/' -e 's/\\"/"/g'
-CONFIG_FILES = @srcdir@/configure @srcdir@/install-sh @srcdir@/config.sub @srcdir@/config.guess @srcdir@/config/files
+CONFIG_FILES = @srcdir@/configure @srcdir@/install-sh @srcdir@/config.sub @srcdir@/config.guess @srcdir@/m4/files
 reconfigure-top-only: recheck check-for-undefined-configure-variables protect-configs
 protect-configs:
-	 @ chmod a-w $(shell cat @srcdir@/config/files)
+	 @ chmod a-w $(shell cat @srcdir@/m4/files)
 check-for-undefined-configure-variables:
 	: "checking for strings that look like undefined configure variables in all *.in files..."
-	@ if egrep -nH '@[A-Za-z_]+@' $(shell cat @srcdir@/config/files) | sed -e 's=^\([^:]*\):=@srcdir@/\1.in:=' | egrep . ;	\
+	@ if egrep -nH '@[A-Za-z_]+@' $(shell cat @srcdir@/m4/files) | sed -e 's=^\([^:]*\):=@srcdir@/\1.in:=' | egrep . ;	\
 	  then exit 1;														\
 	  fi
 configure-help: $(CONFIG_FILES) ; @ @srcdir@/configure --help
diff --git a/M2/configure.ac b/M2/configure.ac
index a4a920d68a0..a3973fb56f2 100644
--- a/M2/configure.ac
+++ b/M2/configure.ac
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ AC_INIT([Macaulay2],[m4_esyscmd_s([cat VERSION])],[https://github.com/Macaulay2/
 AC_MSG_NOTICE([configuring Macaulay2 version $PACKAGE_VERSION])
 AC_CONFIG_SRCDIR([VERSION])
 AC_CONFIG_HEADERS(include/M2/config.h)
-AC_CONFIG_FILES(m4_include(config/files))
+AC_CONFIG_FILES(m4_include(m4/files))
 AC_SUBST(CONFIGURED_FILES,"$ac_config_files")
 AC_SUBST(CONFIG_ARGS,"$ac_configure_args")
 echo "'$0' $ac_configure_args" > config.args
@@ -10,16 +10,15 @@ C_CONFIG_ARGS=` echo "$ac_configure_args" | sed -e 's=\\\\=\\\\\\\\=g' -e 's=\\"
 AC_DEFINE_UNQUOTED(CONFIG_ARGS,"$C_CONFIG_ARGS",arguments used for configure)
 AC_SUBST(CONFIG_CMD,"'$0' $ac_configure_args")
 
-AC_CONFIG_MACRO_DIR([config])	dnl can't get this to work
-m4_include(config/ax_compare_version.m4)
-m4_include(config/ax_prog_cc_for_build.m4)
-m4_include(config/ax_func_accept_argtypes.m4)
-m4_include(config/relpaths.m4)
-m4_include(config/gtest.m4)
-m4_include(config/openmp.m4)
-m4_include(config/search-libraries.m4)
-m4_include(config/ax_boost_base.m4)
-m4_include(config/ax_boost_regex.m4)
+m4_include(m4/ax_compare_version.m4)
+m4_include(m4/ax_prog_cc_for_build.m4)
+m4_include(m4/ax_func_accept_argtypes.m4)
+m4_include(m4/relpaths.m4)
+m4_include(m4/gtest.m4)
+m4_include(m4/openmp.m4)
+m4_include(m4/search-libraries.m4)
+m4_include(m4/ax_boost_base.m4)
+m4_include(m4/ax_boost_regex.m4)
 
 dnl define(TO_UPPER,[translit($1, [a-z], [A-Z])])
 
diff --git a/M2/libraries/Makefile.template b/M2/libraries/Makefile.template
index bc0d2b076a6..c9023fa08c0 100644
--- a/M2/libraries/Makefile.template
+++ b/M2/libraries/Makefile.template
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 # replace FOO by the name of the library or package
 # install this file as FOO/Makefile.in
-# add libraries/FOO/Makefile to ../config/files
+# add libraries/FOO/Makefile to ../m4/files
 # run make -C ../..
 # reconfigure in the build directory
 HOMEPAGE = 
diff --git a/M2/libraries/lrslib/Makefile.in b/M2/libraries/lrslib/Makefile.in
index 3094fabc759..622743d55c0 100644
--- a/M2/libraries/lrslib/Makefile.in
+++ b/M2/libraries/lrslib/Makefile.in
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 # replace lrslib by the name of the library or package
 # install this file as lrslib/Makefile.in
-# add libraries/lrslib/Makefile to ../config/files
+# add libraries/lrslib/Makefile to ../m4/files
 # run make -C ../..
 # reconfigure in the build directory
 HOMEPAGE = http://www-cgrl.cs.mcgill.ca/~avis/C/lrs.html
diff --git a/M2/config/ax_boost_base.m4 b/M2/m4/ax_boost_base.m4
similarity index 100%
rename from M2/config/ax_boost_base.m4
rename to M2/m4/ax_boost_base.m4
diff --git a/M2/config/ax_boost_regex.m4 b/M2/m4/ax_boost_regex.m4
similarity index 100%
rename from M2/config/ax_boost_regex.m4
rename to M2/m4/ax_boost_regex.m4
diff --git a/M2/config/ax_compare_version.m4 b/M2/m4/ax_compare_version.m4
similarity index 100%
rename from M2/config/ax_compare_version.m4
rename to M2/m4/ax_compare_version.m4
diff --git a/M2/config/ax_func_accept_argtypes.m4 b/M2/m4/ax_func_accept_argtypes.m4
similarity index 100%
rename from M2/config/ax_func_accept_argtypes.m4
rename to M2/m4/ax_func_accept_argtypes.m4
diff --git a/M2/config/ax_prog_cc_for_build.m4 b/M2/m4/ax_prog_cc_for_build.m4
similarity index 100%
rename from M2/config/ax_prog_cc_for_build.m4
rename to M2/m4/ax_prog_cc_for_build.m4
diff --git a/M2/config/files b/M2/m4/files
similarity index 100%
rename from M2/config/files
rename to M2/m4/files
diff --git a/M2/config/gtest.m4 b/M2/m4/gtest.m4
similarity index 100%
rename from M2/config/gtest.m4
rename to M2/m4/gtest.m4
diff --git a/M2/config/openmp.m4 b/M2/m4/openmp.m4
similarity index 100%
rename from M2/config/openmp.m4
rename to M2/m4/openmp.m4
diff --git a/M2/config/relpaths.m4 b/M2/m4/relpaths.m4
similarity index 100%
rename from M2/config/relpaths.m4
rename to M2/m4/relpaths.m4
diff --git a/M2/config/search-libraries.m4 b/M2/m4/search-libraries.m4
similarity index 100%
rename from M2/config/search-libraries.m4
rename to M2/m4/search-libraries.m4