Building Lyx, xforms library problem

Hello all:

    I'm looking for a linux-based replacement for MS Publisher.  I did a Web 
search, and the closest thing I could find was a tex-based frontend program 
called Lyx.  I downloaded the source for Lyx 1.1.6.  The documentation 
informed me that I needed a package called xforms, so I also downloaded 
xforms version 0.89.  The problem I have is in building Lyx.  All the modules 
compile, but on the link, it fails with scads of references to unknown 
functions such as fl_activate_object (which I know happen to be in the 
"forms" library from xforms 0.89.)  For some reason the makefile doesn't seem 
to be able to find it.  Unfortunately, makefiles seem to have gotten very 
complicated since my Unix hacking days of the 1980's, and I can't figure out 
what's happening.
    The Lyx source came with a library called "libxforms.a" which is apparently 
not the same as xforms; it appears to be built on top of it.  I tried copying 
the xforms library file "libforms.a" into the same directory where the 
libxforms.a resides, but that didn't fix the problem.  I've looked in the 
makefile, and though it references libxforms, there's no reference to 
libforms.  I could add one in but I'm mystified by the ".la" extension they 
use for the libraries.  I assume it's some kind of symbol or reference table, 
because each library seems to have files with both ".a" and ".la" extensions. 
 But there was no "libforms.la" library included with the xforms 0.89 
package, so I don't know what to do with it.
    My guess is that there's probably some environment variable that would tell 
the Lyx makefile where to look for libforms, because I don't think they'd 
expect you to modify the makefile for a standard build.  Have any of you had 
experience with this package?  I've done a web search for Lyx build problems, 
unfortunately the references are almost all in French (and you know how 
wonderfully those auto-translation programs work.  :-) )  In the meantime, 
I've downloaded the Gnu make manual, but I was wondering if there were any 
other references that would be helpful.

    Thanks in advance,

Vaughn Treude
Nakota Software, Inc.