diff --git a/NEWS b/NEWS
index 0d5e51359..c83e2d675 100644
--- a/NEWS
+++ b/NEWS
@@ -54,6 +54,13 @@ When you use GDS to evaluate Scheme code from Emacs, you can now use
 `C-u' to indicate that you want to single step through that code. See
 `Evaluating Scheme Code' in the manual for more details.
 
+* Changes to the distribution
+
+** Automake's `AM_MAINTAINER_MODE' is no longer used
+
+Thus, the `--enable-maintainer-mode' configure option is no longer
+available: Guile is now always configured in "maintainer mode".
+
 * Bugs fixed
 
 ** `guile-config link' now prints `-L$libdir' before `-lguile'
diff --git a/configure.in b/configure.in
index fcccb2048..e67e1d84a 100644
--- a/configure.in
+++ b/configure.in
@@ -48,7 +48,6 @@ AC_CONFIG_SRCDIR([GUILE-VERSION])
 
 . $srcdir/GUILE-VERSION
 
-AM_MAINTAINER_MODE
 AC_CONFIG_HEADERS([config.h])
 AH_TOP(/*GUILE_CONFIGURE_COPYRIGHT*/)
 
diff --git a/doc/Makefile.am b/doc/Makefile.am
index 5a850fc51..188fa8334 100644
--- a/doc/Makefile.am
+++ b/doc/Makefile.am
@@ -43,9 +43,8 @@ EXTRA_DIST = groupings.alist # guile-api.alist
 # pending the papers from Robert Merkel
 # EXTRA_DIST = guile.1
 
-if MAINTAINER_MODE
 include $(top_srcdir)/am/maintainer-dirs
 guile-api.alist: guile-api.alist-FORCE
 	( cd $(top_builddir) ; $(mscripts)/update-guile-api.alist )
 guile-api.alist-FORCE:
-endif
+
diff --git a/ice-9/Makefile.am b/ice-9/Makefile.am
index 454b117cc..72c2655e5 100644
--- a/ice-9/Makefile.am
+++ b/ice-9/Makefile.am
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 ## Process this file with automake to produce Makefile.in.
 ##
-##   Copyright (C) 1998,1999,2000,2001,2003, 2004, 2006 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
+##   Copyright (C) 1998,1999,2000,2001,2003, 2004, 2006, 2008 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
 ##
 ##   This file is part of GUILE.
 ##
@@ -46,7 +46,6 @@ TAGS_FILES = $(subpkgdata_DATA)
 ## test.scm is not currently installed.
 EXTRA_DIST = $(ice9_sources) test.scm compile-psyntax.scm
 
-if MAINTAINER_MODE
 # We expect this to never be invoked when there is not already
 # ice-9/psyntax.pp in %load-path, since compile-psyntax.scm depends
 # on ice-9/syncase.scm, which does `(load-from-path "ice-9/psyntax.pp")'.
@@ -56,4 +55,4 @@ include $(top_srcdir)/am/pre-inst-guile
 psyntax.pp: psyntax.ss
 	$(preinstguile) -s $(srcdir)/compile-psyntax.scm \
 		$(srcdir)/psyntax.ss $(srcdir)/psyntax.pp
-endif
+