diff --git a/configure b/configure
index 3aa750ed..17a168de 100755
--- a/configure
+++ b/configure
@@ -2,13 +2,12 @@
 # -*- scheme -*-
 unset LANG LC_ALL
 echo -n "checking for guile..."
-GUILE=$(command -v ${GUILE-guile} 2>/dev/null|tail -n 1|sed 's,^.* ,,')
-GUIX=$(command -v ${GUIX-guix} 2>/dev/null|tail -n 1|sed 's,^.* ,,')
+GUILE=$(command -v ${GUILE-guile})
+GUIX=$(command -v ${GUIX-guix})
 export GUILE GUIX
 if [ -x "$GUILE" ]; then
     echo " $GUILE"
 elif [ -x "$GUIX" ]; then
-    pm=$({ guix --help || dpkg --help; }|head -n 1|sed 's,.*Usage: \([^ ]*\).*,\1,g')
     cat <<EOF
 not found
 Missing dependencies, run
@@ -25,7 +24,7 @@ Missing dependencies, run
 EOF
     exit 1
 fi
-exec ${GUILE} --no-auto-compile -L $(pwd) -C $(pwd) -e 'main' -s "$0" ${1+"$@"}
+exec ${GUILE-guile} --no-auto-compile -e '(configure)' -s "$0" ${1+"$@"}
 !#
 
 ;;; Mes --- Maxwell Equations of Software
@@ -46,9 +45,6 @@ exec ${GUILE} --no-auto-compile -L $(pwd) -C $(pwd) -e 'main' -s "$0" ${1+"$@"}
 ;;; You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
 ;;; along with Mes.  If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
 
-(define (main args)
-  ((@@ (configure) main) args))
-
 (define-module (configure)
   #:use-module (srfi srfi-26)
   #:use-module (ice-9 and-let-star)
@@ -57,7 +53,8 @@ exec ${GUILE} --no-auto-compile -L $(pwd) -C $(pwd) -e 'main' -s "$0" ${1+"$@"}
   #:use-module (ice-9 match)
   #:use-module (ice-9 optargs)
   #:use-module (ice-9 popen)
-  #:use-module (ice-9 rdelim))
+  #:use-module (ice-9 rdelim)
+  #:export (main))
 
 (define *shell* "sh")
 (define PACKAGE "mes")
@@ -128,6 +125,11 @@ exec ${GUILE} --no-auto-compile -L $(pwd) -C $(pwd) -e 'main' -s "$0" ${1+"$@"}
                                        (char-set-complement (char-set #\.)))))
             (map string->number version)))
 
+(define* (PATH-search-path name #:key (default name) warn?)
+  (or (search-path (string-split (getenv "PATH") #\:) name)
+      (and (and warn? (format (current-error-port) "warning: not found: ~a\n" name))
+           default)))
+
 (define optional '())
 (define required '())
 (define* (check-version name expected
@@ -137,12 +139,14 @@ exec ${GUILE} --no-auto-compile -L $(pwd) -C $(pwd) -e 'main' -s "$0" ${1+"$@"}
                         (version-option '--version)
                         (compare tuple<=)
                         (command name))
-  (stderr "checking for ~a~a..." name
+  (stderr "checking for ~a~a..." (basename name)
           (if (null? expected) ""
               (format #f " [~a]" (version->string expected))))
   (let* ((output (gulp-pipe (format #f "~a ~a 2>&1" command version-option)))
          (actual (string->version output))
-         (pass? (and actual (compare expected actual))))
+         (pass? (and actual (compare expected actual)))
+         ;(pass? (PATH-search-path command))
+         )
     (stderr "~a ~a\n" (if pass? (if (pair? actual) "" " yes")
                           (if actual " no, found" "")) (version->string actual))
     (or pass?
@@ -247,12 +251,12 @@ Some influential environment variables:
         (print-help)
         (exit 0))
       (set! *verbose?* verbose?)
-      (check-version 'guile '(2 0))
+      (check-version "guile" '(2 0))
       (check-version HEX2 '(0 1))
       (check-version M1 '(0 2))
-      (check-version 'nyacc '(0 80 3) #:command (string-append GUILE " -c '(use-modules (nyacc lalr)) (display *nyacc-version*)'"))
+      (check-version "nyacc" '(0 80 41) #:command (string-append GUILE " -c '(use-modules (nyacc lalr)) (display *nyacc-version*)'"))
 
-      (check-version 'bash '(4 0))
+      (check-version "bash" '(4 0))
       (when (and (not (member ARCH '("i686" "x86_64"))) (not with-courage?))
         (stderr "platform not supported: ~a, try --with-courage\n" ARCH)
         (exit 1))
@@ -263,8 +267,8 @@ Some influential environment variables:
         (check-header-c "limits.h" "linux-headers"))
       (if (not (check-version CC32 '(4 8) #:optional? #t))
           (set! CC32 #f))
-      (set! make? (check-version 'make '(4 0) #:optional? #t))
-      (check-version 'perl '(5))
+      (set! make? (check-version "make" '(4 0) #:optional? #t))
+      (check-version "perl" '(5))
 
       (when (pair? required)
         (stderr "\nMissing dependencies [~a], run\n\n" ((->string ", ") required))