OK, I found entries in the latest config.log refering to the qt compile fail. It is looking for qt2 libs/includes?! Surely this isn't a qt2-based frontend? I have specifically pointed it at /usr/lib/qt3 by setting QTDIR=/usr/lib/qt3 and using the configure switches specifically telling it to go to /usr/lib/qt3/includes and /usr/lib/qt3/libs for all the qt devel files.
Here are the offending config.log entries: configure:11820: g++ -o conftest -O -fno-exceptions -ftemplate-depth-30 -Wno-non-template-friend -I/usr/lib/qt3//include -L/usr/lib/qt3//lib -isystem /usr/X11R6/include conftest.cc -lSM -lICE -lc -lm -L/usr/X11R6/lib -lX11 -lqt2 >&5 /usr/bin/ld: cannot find -lqt2 collect2: ld returned 1 exit status configure:11823: $? = 1 configure: failed program was: #line 11793 "configure" #include "confdefs.h" #include <qglobal.h> #include <qstring.h> #ifdef F77_DUMMY_MAIN # ifdef __cplusplus extern "C" # endif int F77_DUMMY_MAIN() { return 1; } #endif int main () { QString s("mangle_failure"); #if (QT_VERSION < 221) break_me_(\\); #endif ; return 0; } configure:11820: g++ -o conftest -O -fno-exceptions -ftemplate-depth-30 -Wno-non-template-friend -I/usr/lib/qt3//include -L/usr/lib/qt3//lib -isystem /usr/X11R6/include conftest.cc -lSM -lICE -lc -lm -L/usr/X11R6/lib -lX11 -lqt >&5 /usr/bin/ld: cannot find -lqt collect2: ld returned 1 exit status configure:11823: $? = 1 configure: failed program was: #line 11793 "configure" #include "confdefs.h" #include <qglobal.h> #include <qstring.h> #ifdef F77_DUMMY_MAIN # ifdef __cplusplus extern "C" # endif int F77_DUMMY_MAIN() { return 1; } #endif int main () { QString s("mangle_failure"); #if (QT_VERSION < 221) break_me_(\\); #endif ; return 0; } configure:11820: g++ -o conftest -O -fno-exceptions -ftemplate-depth-30 -Wno-non-template-friend -I/usr/lib/qt3//include -L/usr/lib/qt3//lib -isystem /usr/X11R6/include conftest.cc -lSM -lICE -lc -lm -L/usr/X11R6/lib -lX11 -lqt-mt >&5 /tmp/cc4TX2WQ.o: In function `main': /tmp/cc4TX2WQ.o(.text+0x11): undefined reference to `QString::QString(char const *)' /tmp/cc4TX2WQ.o(.text+0x29): undefined reference to `QString::shared_null' /tmp/cc4TX2WQ.o(.text+0x31): undefined reference to `QString::shared_null' /tmp/cc4TX2WQ.o(.text+0x3f): undefined reference to `QStringData::deleteSelf(void)' collect2: ld returned 1 exit status configure:11823: $? = 1 configure: failed program was: #line 11793 "configure" #include "confdefs.h" #include <qglobal.h> #include <qstring.h> #ifdef F77_DUMMY_MAIN # ifdef __cplusplus extern "C" # endif int F77_DUMMY_MAIN() { return 1; } #endif int main () { QString s("mangle_failure"); #if (QT_VERSION < 221) break_me_(\\); #endif ; return 0; } configure:11850: result: failed configure:11853: error: Cannot compile a simple Qt executable. Check you have the right $QTDIR !