diff --git a/Makefile.in b/Makefile.in
index 39f8a63355..6360400c26 100644
--- a/Makefile.in
+++ b/Makefile.in
@@ -89,6 +89,7 @@ RANLIB = @RANLIB@
 SET_MAKE = @SET_MAKE@
 SHELL = @SHELL@
 SOURCE_TOP_DIR = @SOURCE_TOP_DIR@
+STATIC_FLAGS = @STATIC_FLAGS@
 STRIP = @STRIP@
 VERSION = @VERSION@
 ac_ct_CC = @ac_ct_CC@
diff --git a/configure b/configure
index 7c4795f9d0..4fb37cda82 100755
--- a/configure
+++ b/configure
@@ -330,7 +330,7 @@ ac_includes_default="\
 # include <unistd.h>
 #endif"
 
-ac_subst_vars='SHELL PATH_SEPARATOR PACKAGE_NAME PACKAGE_TARNAME PACKAGE_VERSION PACKAGE_STRING PACKAGE_BUGREPORT exec_prefix prefix program_transform_name bindir sbindir libexecdir datadir sysconfdir sharedstatedir localstatedir libdir includedir oldincludedir infodir mandir build_alias host_alias target_alias DEFS ECHO_C ECHO_N ECHO_T LIBS build build_cpu build_vendor build_os host host_cpu host_vendor host_os target target_cpu target_vendor target_os INSTALL_PROGRAM INSTALL_SCRIPT INSTALL_DATA CYGPATH_W PACKAGE VERSION ACLOCAL AUTOCONF AUTOMAKE AUTOHEADER MAKEINFO AMTAR install_sh STRIP ac_ct_STRIP INSTALL_STRIP_PROGRAM AWK SET_MAKE am__leading_dot MAJOR_VERSION MINOR_VERSION SOURCE_TOP_DIR MAINTAINER_MODE_TRUE MAINTAINER_MODE_FALSE MAINT CC CFLAGS LDFLAGS CPPFLAGS ac_ct_CC EXEEXT OBJEXT DEPDIR am__include am__quote AMDEP_TRUE AMDEP_FALSE AMDEPBACKSLASH CCDEPMODE am__fastdepCC_TRUE am__fastdepCC_FALSE CXX CXXFLAGS ac_ct_CXX CXXDEPMODE am__fastdepCXX_TRUE am__fastdepCXX_FALSE CPP RANLIB ac_ct_RANLIB EGREP CLIENT_BIN_FILENAME LIBOBJS LTLIBOBJS'
+ac_subst_vars='SHELL PATH_SEPARATOR PACKAGE_NAME PACKAGE_TARNAME PACKAGE_VERSION PACKAGE_STRING PACKAGE_BUGREPORT exec_prefix prefix program_transform_name bindir sbindir libexecdir datadir sysconfdir sharedstatedir localstatedir libdir includedir oldincludedir infodir mandir build_alias host_alias target_alias DEFS ECHO_C ECHO_N ECHO_T LIBS build build_cpu build_vendor build_os host host_cpu host_vendor host_os target target_cpu target_vendor target_os INSTALL_PROGRAM INSTALL_SCRIPT INSTALL_DATA CYGPATH_W PACKAGE VERSION ACLOCAL AUTOCONF AUTOMAKE AUTOHEADER MAKEINFO AMTAR install_sh STRIP ac_ct_STRIP INSTALL_STRIP_PROGRAM AWK SET_MAKE am__leading_dot MAJOR_VERSION MINOR_VERSION SOURCE_TOP_DIR MAINTAINER_MODE_TRUE MAINTAINER_MODE_FALSE MAINT CC CFLAGS LDFLAGS CPPFLAGS ac_ct_CC EXEEXT OBJEXT DEPDIR am__include am__quote AMDEP_TRUE AMDEP_FALSE AMDEPBACKSLASH CCDEPMODE am__fastdepCC_TRUE am__fastdepCC_FALSE CXX CXXFLAGS ac_ct_CXX CXXDEPMODE am__fastdepCXX_TRUE am__fastdepCXX_FALSE CPP RANLIB ac_ct_RANLIB EGREP CLIENT_BIN_FILENAME STATIC_FLAGS LIBOBJS LTLIBOBJS'
 ac_subst_files=''
 
 # Initialize some variables set by options.
@@ -6656,6 +6656,13 @@ fi
 CLIENT_BIN_FILENAME=boinc_${MAJOR_VERSION}.${MINOR_VERSION}_$host${EXEEXT}
 
 
+# by default, create static binaries on linux.
+if [ "$target_os" = "linux-gnu" ]; then
+    STATIC_FLAGS="-static -static-libgcc"
+fi
+echo "checking static flags... ${STATIC_FLAGS:-(none)}"
+
+
                                                                                                                                   ac_config_files="$ac_config_files RSAEuro/source/Makefile RSAEuro/Makefile api/Makefile apps/Makefile client/Makefile db/Makefile lib/Makefile sched/Makefile tools/Makefile test/Makefile test/version.inc test/version.py Makefile"
 
 
@@ -7388,6 +7395,7 @@ s,@RANLIB@,$RANLIB,;t t
 s,@ac_ct_RANLIB@,$ac_ct_RANLIB,;t t
 s,@EGREP@,$EGREP,;t t
 s,@CLIENT_BIN_FILENAME@,$CLIENT_BIN_FILENAME,;t t
+s,@STATIC_FLAGS@,$STATIC_FLAGS,;t t
 s,@LIBOBJS@,$LIBOBJS,;t t
 s,@LTLIBOBJS@,$LTLIBOBJS,;t t
 CEOF