diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index fde323b8..87b2b831 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -5,15 +5,11 @@ NAME=sems
 .PHONY: all
 all: modules
 
+COREPATH=core
 include Makefile.defs
 
 modules = core apps
 
-# or, if you want to build all that is there:
-# modules = $(filter-out $(wildcard Makefile* README doc *gz), \
-#			$(wildcard *) ) 
-# imodules = $(filter-out ser-0.9.6-sems, $(modules))
-
 .PHONY: clean
 clean:
 	-@rm -f *.so
diff --git a/Makefile.defs b/Makefile.defs
index 7a18ecf5..e6b6d9c5 100644
--- a/Makefile.defs
+++ b/Makefile.defs
@@ -54,7 +54,8 @@ USE_MONITORING=yes
 
 LDFLAGS += -lm
 
-OS     = $(shell uname -s | sed -e s/SunOS/solaris/ | tr "[A-Z]" "[a-z]")
+OS   := $(shell $(CC) $(EXTRA_CFLAGS) -o $(COREPATH)/../getos $(COREPATH)/../getos.c && $(COREPATH)/../getos)
+ARCH := $(shell $(CC) $(EXTRA_CFLAGS) -o $(COREPATH)/../getarch $(COREPATH)/../getarch.c && $(COREPATH)/../getarch)
 
 ifdef USE_SPANDSP
 ifneq ($(spandsp_defs), 1)
@@ -80,7 +81,6 @@ endif
 
 # Additions for Solaris support.
 ifeq ($(OS),solaris)
-	GETARCH=uname -p
 	CPPFLAGS += -DHAVE_SYS_SOCKIO_H -DBSD_COMP -fPIC -include compat/solaris.h
         CFLAGS += -DHAVE_SYS_SOCKIO_H -DBSD_COMP -fPIC -include compat/solaris.h
         # For nanosleep.
@@ -91,14 +91,10 @@ ifeq ($(OS),solaris)
 	# I don't have libspeex installed.
 	# binrpcctrl does some really weird header stuff that doesn't work.
 	exclude_modules += binrpcctrl ilbc speex
-else
-	GETARCH=uname -m
 endif
 
-ARCH ?= $(shell $(GETARCH) |sed -e s/i.86/i386/ -e s/sun4u/sparc64/  \
-			-e s/armv4l/arm/ -e "s/Power Macintosh/ppc/" \
-			-e "s/cobalt/mips2/" \
-			-e s/amd64/x86_64/ )
+
+
 
 # fix sparc -> sparc64
 ifeq ($(ARCH),sparc)
@@ -144,7 +140,7 @@ else
 ifeq ($(OS), netbsd)
 	LDFLAGS += -rdynamic -pthread
 else
-ifeq ($(OS), darwin)
+ifeq ($(OS), macosx)
 	LDFLAGS += -rdynamic -pthread
 	LIB_LDFLAGS = -flat_namespace -undefined suppress -bundle
 	CXXFLAGS += -fno-common
@@ -184,9 +180,6 @@ PREFIX ?= /usr/local
 prefix = $(PREFIX)
 BASEDIR ?=
 basedir = $(BASEDIR)
-# for install-ser-cfg
-SERPREFIX ?= /opt/ser-sems
-ser-prefix = $(SERPREFIX)
 
 # Redhat users should use sems.redhat instead of sems
 # the file will be to $(bin-prefix)/$(bin-dir)/sems copied.
@@ -259,7 +252,7 @@ INSTALL-DOC = $(INSTALL) -m 644
 INSTALL-AUDIO = $(INSTALL) -m 644
 
 #export stuff to sub-makes
-export REL_VERSION RELEASE OS
+export REL_VERSION RELEASE OS ARCH
 export CPPFLAGS CXXFLAGS LDFLAGS CFLAGS LIB_LDFLAGS
 export CXX CC LD
 export DESTDIR PREFIX prefix basedir ser-prefix
diff --git a/core/Makefile b/core/Makefile
index 77124ebb..57f762d9 100644
--- a/core/Makefile
+++ b/core/Makefile
@@ -39,6 +39,8 @@ fulldoc:
 	rm -Rf doxygen_output; doxygen doxygen_fulldoc ; \
 	rm -rf ../doc/doxygen_fulldoc ; mv doxygen_output ../doc/doxygen_fulldoc
 
+COREPATH=.
+
 include ../Makefile.defs
 
 LDFLAGS += -lstdc++ 
@@ -71,7 +73,7 @@ endif
 	$(CXX) -MM $< $(CPPFLAGS) $(CXXFLAGS) > $@
 
 $(NAME): $(NAME).o $(OBJS) ../Makefile.defs
-	$(LD) -o $(NAME) $(NAME).o $(OBJS) $(LDFLAGS)
+	$(LD) -o $(NAME) $(NAME).o $(OBJS) $(LDFLAGS) $(EXTRA_LDFLAGS)
 
 install: all mk-install-dirs \
 	install-audio \
diff --git a/getarch.c b/getarch.c
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..fc9be09f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/getarch.c
@@ -0,0 +1,40 @@
+#include <stdio.h>
+
+/* 
+ * CPU detection (http://predef.sourceforge.net/prearch.html)
+ */
+#if defined(__i386__)
+# define ARCH "x86"
+
+#elif (defined(__x86_64__) || defined(__x86_64) || defined(__amd64__) || defined(__amd64))
+# define ARCH "x86_64"
+
+#elif defined(__arm__)
+# if defined(__thumb__)
+#  define ARCH "arm-thumb"
+# else
+#  define ARCH "arm"
+# endif
+
+#elif (defined(__ia64__) || defined(__IA64) || defined(__IA64__))
+# define ARCH "ia64"
+
+#elif defined(__m68k__)
+# define ARCH "m68k"
+
+#elif (defined(__mips__) || defined(mips))
+# define ARCH "mips"
+
+#elif (defined(__powerpc) || defined(__powerpc__) || defined(__POWERPC__) || defined(__ppc__))
+# define ARCH "ppc"
+
+#else
+#define ARCH "unknown"
+#warning "Could not detect CPU Architecture"
+
+#endif
+
+main()
+{
+  printf(ARCH "\n");
+}
diff --git a/getos.c b/getos.c
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..2f551668
--- /dev/null
+++ b/getos.c
@@ -0,0 +1,38 @@
+#include <stdio.h>
+
+/*
+ * OS detection (see http://predef.sourceforge.net/preos.html)
+ */
+#if (defined(linux) || defined(__linux))
+# define OS "linux"
+
+#elif (defined(sun) || defined(__sun))
+# define OS "solaris"
+
+#elif (defined(__APPLE__) && defined(__MACH__))
+# define OS "macosx"
+
+#elif defined(__FreeBSD__)
+# define OS "freebsd"
+
+#elif defined(__NetBSD__)
+# define OS "netbsd"
+
+#elif defined(__OpenBSD__)
+# define OS "openbsd"
+
+#elif defined(__bsdi__)
+# define OS "bsdi"
+
+#elif defined(__DragonFly__)
+# define OS "dragonfly"
+
+#else
+# define OS "unknown"
+# warning "Could not detect the OS"
+#endif
+
+main()
+{
+  printf(OS "\n");
+}