To install on Fedora Linux you need webkitgtk-dev, valac and waf
Search valac in the repository and download and install both compat-vala and vala
Search webkitgtk-dev and install it.
Enter into root and
yum install waf
Now...exit root
download the birdfont tar file and untar to another default folder named birdfont
cd into birdfont and run
./waf configure
./waf build
now you need to be in root and enter
./waf install
Now i got past configure
[rod@rod birdfont]$ ./waf configure
Setting top to : /home/rod/Downloads/birdfont
Setting out to : /home/rod/Downloads/birdfont/build
Checking for 'gcc' (c compiler) : ok
Checking for program pkg-config : /usr/bin/pkg-config
Checking for 'gobject-2.0' : yes
Checking for 'gthread-2.0' : yes
Checking for program valac-0.8 : not found
Checking for program valac : /usr/bin/valac
Checking for valac version >= (0, 8, 0) : (0, 16, 0)
Checking for 'glib-2.0' >= 2.16.0 : yes
Checking for 'gio-2.0' >= 2.16.0 : yes
Checking for 'gtk+-2.0' >= 2.16.0 : yes
Checking for 'libxml-2.0' : yes
Checking for 'webkit-1.0' : yes
'configure' finished successfully (1.044s)
but got this error when i went to run ./waf build
/usr/bin/ld: src/CutBackgroundTool.c.0.o: undefined reference to symbol 'fmax@@GLIBC_2.1'
/usr/bin/ld: note: 'fmax@@GLIBC_2.1' is defined in DSO /lib/libm.so.6 so try adding it to the linker command line
/lib/libm.so.6: could not read symbols: Invalid operation
collect2: error: ld returned 1 exit status
Waf: Leaving directory `/home/rod/Downloads/birdfont/build'
Build failed
I am not sure which LIBS to link to here.