diff --git a/configure b/configure
index 37f1b6b04..9d314daab 100755
--- a/configure
+++ b/configure
@@ -9,6 +9,11 @@
 
 # ******************** variables ****************
 
+TOPDIR="$(cd `dirname $0`; pwd)"
+
+# we ensure that the configure script is run from TOPDIR
+cd $TOPDIR
+
 CFG_ARGS="$0 $1 $2 $3 $4 $5 $6 $7 $8 $9"
 
 ARG_BEQUIET=0
@@ -211,12 +216,16 @@ genConfigMake() {
   fi
   
   echo "# GNUstep environment configuration" > $ARG_CFGMAKE
+
   cfgwrite "#   created by: '$CFG_ARGS'"
   cfgwrite ""
   
   cfgwrite "# Note: you can override any option as a 'make' parameter, eg:"
   cfgwrite "#         $MAKE debug=yes"
   cfgwrite ""
+
+  cfgwrite "TOPDIR:=$TOPDIR"
+  cfgwrite ""
   
   #cfgwrite "# print on the cmdline that this file is being used"
   #cfgwrite "all :: "
@@ -227,6 +236,7 @@ genConfigMake() {
   cfgwrite "SOGO_MINOR_VERSION=9"
   cfgwrite "SOPE_MAJOR_VERSION=4"
   cfgwrite "SOPE_MINOR_VERSION=9"
+  cfgwrite ""
   
   if test $ARG_WITH_DEBUG = 1; then
     cfgwrite "# configured to produce debugging code";
@@ -290,6 +300,8 @@ genConfigMake() {
       cfgwrite "ADDITIONAL_CPPFLAGS += -DLDAP_CONFIG=1"
       cfgwrite "ldap_config:=yes"
   fi  
+
+  cfgwrite "include \$(TOPDIR)/general.make"
 }
 
 checkLinking() {
diff --git a/general.make b/general.make
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..a97947d4c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/general.make
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+ifeq ($(debug),yes)
+ADDITIONAL_OBJCFLAGS=-O1
+else
+ADDITIONAL_OBJCFLAGS=-Wuninitialized
+endif