diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3aa538a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.gitattributes
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+# Default behaviour, for if core.autocrlf isn't set
+* text=auto
+
+configure text eol=lf
diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ed7c97f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+Makefile.config
+
+testdbm.byte
+testdbm.opt
+
+# general patterns
+
+*.o
+*.a
+*.so
+*.obj
+*.lib
+*.dll
+*.cm[ioxat]
+*.cmx[as]
+*.cmti
+*.annot
+*.exe
+*.sw[po]
diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index eab9b37..e14744c 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@
 #                                                                       #
 #########################################################################
 
-include Makefile.config
+-include Makefile.config
 
 OCAMLC=ocamlc
 OCAMLOPT=ocamlopt
@@ -66,7 +66,7 @@ install::
 	if test -f dbm.cmxs; then cp dbm.cmxs $(LIBDIR)/; fi
 
 clean::
-	rm -f *.cm* *.$(O) *.$(A) *.$(SO)
+	rm -f *.cm* *.$(O) *.$(A) *.$(SO) Makefile.config
 
 testdbm.byte: dbm.cma testdbm.ml
 	$(OCAMLC) -o $@ dbm.cma testdbm.ml
diff --git a/Makefile.config b/Makefile.config
deleted file mode 100644
index 998989d..0000000
--- a/Makefile.config
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,4 +0,0 @@
-OCAML_STDLIB=/home/xleroy/.opam/4.03.0/lib/ocaml
-DBM_INCLUDES=
-DBM_LINK=-lgdbm_compat -lgdbm
-DBM_DEFINES=-DDBM_USES_GDBM_NDBM
diff --git a/configure b/configure
index 9a3d094..2df6033 100755
--- a/configure
+++ b/configure
@@ -25,6 +25,10 @@ echo
 
 stdlib=`ocamlc -where`
 
+# This slightly strange looking command will prefer c_compiler for versions
+# of OCaml which have it, but will fallback to bytecode_c_compiler otherwise
+CC=${CC:-`ocamlc -config | tr -d '\r' | sed -ne 's/.*c_compiler: //p' | head -n 1`}
+
 hasgot() {
   rm -f hasgot.c
   (echo "#include <$2>"
@@ -36,7 +40,7 @@ hasgot() {
    fi
    echo '  return 0;'
    echo '}') > hasgot.c
-  ${CC:-cc} -I$1 -o hasgot.exe hasgot.c $3 $4
+  $CC -I$1 -o hasgot.exe hasgot.c $3 $4 2>/dev/null
   res=$?
   rm -f hasgot.c hasgot.exe
   return $res
@@ -46,7 +50,7 @@ dbm_include="not found"
 dbm_link="not found"
 dbm_defines=""
 
-for dir in /usr/include /usr/include/db1 /usr/include/gdbm /usr/local/include; do
+for dir in `$CC -xc -E -v /dev/null 2>&1 | sed -e '1,/#include <...>/d' -e '/End of search list./,$d'` /usr/include /usr/include/db1 /usr/include/gdbm /usr/local/include ; do
   if test -f $dir/ndbm.h; then
     dbm_include=$dir
     dbm_defines="-DDBM_COMPAT"