https://bugs.gentoo.org/show_bug.cgi?id=427432
https://bugzilla.gnome.org/show_bug.cgi?id=680363

--- macros/mate-autogen.orig	2009-05-27 23:29:07.000000000 +0200
+++ macros/mate-autogen	2012-07-24 10:29:13.064750613 +0200
@@ -77,6 +77,7 @@
     vc_min_version=$4
     vc_source=$5
     vc_status=1
+    vc_option="--version"
 
     vc_checkprog=`eval echo "\\$$vc_variable"`
     if [ -n "$vc_checkprog" ]; then
@@ -89,11 +90,19 @@
     else
 	vc_comparator=">="
     fi
+    # The most reliable way to check pkg-config version is to query the actual
+    # virtual
+    # pkg-config package entry's modversion.  This works in all known
+    # implementations.
+
+    if test "x$vc_package" = "xpkg-config"; then
+	vc_option="--modversion pkg-config"
+    fi
     printbold "checking for $vc_package $vc_comparator $vc_min_version..."
     for vc_checkprog in $vc_checkprogs; do
 	echo $ECHO_N "  testing $vc_checkprog... " $ECHO_C
-	if $vc_checkprog --version < /dev/null > /dev/null 2>&1; then
-	    vc_actual_version=`$vc_checkprog --version | head -n 1 | \
+	if $vc_checkprog $vc_option < /dev/null > /dev/null 2>&1; then
+	    vc_actual_version=`$vc_checkprog $vc_option | head -n 1 | \
                                sed 's/^.*[ 	]\([0-9.]*[a-z]*\).*$/\1/'`
 	    if compare_versions $vc_min_version $vc_actual_version; then
 		echo "found $vc_actual_version"