diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000000..43a61e4e1bc558
--- /dev/null
+++ b/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1,26 @@
+Dependencies
+============
+
+For Ubuntu 12.04:
+
+    sudo apt-get install build-essential cmake libncurses5-dev
+
+TODO: release the Dockerfile which has this in it
+
+TODO: Arch instructions
+
+TODO: OSX instructions
+
+
+Building
+========
+
+To generate the `Makefile`s:
+
+    make cmake
+
+To build and run the tests:
+
+    make test
+
+
diff --git a/config/CMakeLists.txt b/config/CMakeLists.txt
index 3d9fd04c25a9be..36ffb0c81067a8 100644
--- a/config/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/config/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -1,9 +1,21 @@
 include(CheckTypeSize)
+include(CheckCSourceCompiles)
+
 check_type_size("int" SIZEOF_INT)
 check_type_size("long" SIZEOF_LONG)
 check_type_size("time_t" SIZEOF_TIME_T)
 check_type_size("off_t" SIZEOF_OFF_T)
 
+check_c_source_compiles("
+#include <libintl.h>
+
+int main(int argc, char** argv) {
+  gettext(\"foo\");
+  bindtextdomain(\"foo\", \"bar\");
+  bind_textdomain_codeset(\"foo\", \"bar\");
+  textdomain(\"foo\");
+}" HAVE_WORKING_LIBINTL)
+
 # generate configuration header and update include directories
 configure_file (
   "${PROJECT_SOURCE_DIR}/config/config.h.in"
diff --git a/config/config.h.in b/config/config.h.in
index 6606c78c87f125..60729562af5131 100644
--- a/config/config.h.in
+++ b/config/config.h.in
@@ -14,7 +14,6 @@
 #define _FILE_OFFSET_BITS 64
 #define HAVE_ATTRIBUTE_UNUSED 1
 #define HAVE_BCMP 1
-#define HAVE_BIND_TEXTDOMAIN_CODESET 1
 #define HAVE_DATE_TIME 1
 #define HAVE_DIRENT_H 1
 #define HAVE_DLFCN_H 1
@@ -33,7 +32,6 @@
 #define HAVE_GETPWNAM 1
 #define HAVE_GETPWUID 1
 #define HAVE_GETRLIMIT 1
-#define HAVE_GETTEXT 1
 #define HAVE_GETTIMEOFDAY 1
 #define HAVE_GETWD 1
 #define HAVE_ICONV 1
@@ -61,7 +59,8 @@
 #define HAVE_READLINK 1
 #define HAVE_RENAME 1
 #define HAVE_SELECT 1
-#define HAVE_SELINUX 1
+// TODO: add proper cmake check
+// #define HAVE_SELINUX 1
 #define HAVE_SETENV 1
 #define HAVE_SETJMP_H 1
 #define HAVE_SETPGID 1
@@ -82,11 +81,13 @@
 #define HAVE_STRING_H 1
 #define HAVE_STRINGS_H 1
 #define HAVE_STRNCASECMP 1
-#define HAVE_STROPTS_H 1
+// TODO: add proper cmake check
+// #define HAVE_STROPTS_H 1
 #define HAVE_STRPBRK 1
 #define HAVE_STRTOL 1
 #define HAVE_SVR4_PTYS 1
-#define HAVE_SYSCONF 1
+// TODO: add proper cmake check
+// #define HAVE_SYSCONF 1
 #define HAVE_SYSINFO 1
 #define HAVE_SYSINFO_MEM_UNIT 1
 #define HAVE_SYS_IOCTL_H 1
@@ -96,7 +97,8 @@
 #define HAVE_SYS_SELECT_H 1
 #define HAVE_SYS_STATFS_H 1
 #define HAVE_SYS_SYSCTL_H 1
-#define HAVE_SYS_SYSINFO_H 1
+// TODO: add proper cmake check
+// #define HAVE_SYS_SYSINFO_H 1
 #define HAVE_SYS_TIME_H 1
 #define HAVE_SYS_TYPES_H 1
 #define HAVE_SYS_UTSNAME_H 1
@@ -115,6 +117,7 @@
 #define HAVE_UTIMES 1
 #define HAVE_WCHAR_H 1
 #define HAVE_WCTYPE_H 1
+#cmakedefine HAVE_WORKING_LIBINTL
 #define RETSIGTYPE void
 #define SIGRETURN return
 #define SYS_SELECT_WITH_SYS_TIME 1
diff --git a/src/CMakeLists.txt b/src/CMakeLists.txt
index 65138a6d5de514..48aa9250fe2fa5 100644
--- a/src/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/src/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -14,5 +14,20 @@ file( GLOB IO_SOURCES io/*.c )
 
 add_executable (vim ${NEOVIM_SOURCES} ${IO_SOURCES}) 
 
-target_link_libraries (vim m termcap selinux) 
+target_link_libraries (vim m)
+
+include(CheckLibraryExists)
+check_library_exists(termcap tgetent "" HAVE_LIBTERMCAP)
+
+if (HAVE_LIBTERMCAP)
+  target_link_libraries(vim termcap)
+else()
+  check_library_exists(curses tgetent "" HAVE_LIBCURSES)
+  if (HAVE_LIBCURSES)
+    target_link_libraries(vim curses)
+  else()
+    message(FATAL_ERROR "can't find something resembling -ltermcap")
+  endif()
+endif()
+
 include_directories ("${PROJECT_SOURCE_DIR}/src/proto") 
diff --git a/src/ex_cmds2.c b/src/ex_cmds2.c
index 42ccf5a416a67f..0162031b75d709 100644
--- a/src/ex_cmds2.c
+++ b/src/ex_cmds2.c
@@ -3349,11 +3349,7 @@ char_u * get_mess_lang()              {
 }
 
 /* Complicated #if; matches with where get_mess_env() is used below. */
-#if (defined(FEAT_EVAL) && !((defined(HAVE_LOCALE_H) || defined(X_LOCALE)) \
-  && defined(LC_MESSAGES))) \
-  || ((defined(HAVE_LOCALE_H) || defined(X_LOCALE)) \
-  && (defined(FEAT_GETTEXT) || defined(FEAT_MBYTE)) \
-  && !defined(LC_MESSAGES))
+#ifdef HAVE_WORKING_LIBINTL
 static char_u *get_mess_env __ARGS((void));
 
 /*
@@ -3411,8 +3407,7 @@ void set_lang_var()          {
   set_vim_var_string(VV_LC_TIME, loc, -1);
 }
 
-#if (defined(HAVE_LOCALE_H) || defined(X_LOCALE)) \
-  && (defined(FEAT_GETTEXT) || defined(FEAT_MBYTE))
+#ifdef HAVE_WORKING_LIBINTL
 /*
  * ":language":  Set the language (locale).
  */
diff --git a/src/ex_docmd.c b/src/ex_docmd.c
index d3d9c256beefb6..88fe8e1c5d3a97 100644
--- a/src/ex_docmd.c
+++ b/src/ex_docmd.c
@@ -206,8 +206,7 @@ static void ex_X __ARGS((exarg_T *eap));
 static void ex_fold __ARGS((exarg_T *eap));
 static void ex_foldopen __ARGS((exarg_T *eap));
 static void ex_folddo __ARGS((exarg_T *eap));
-#if !((defined(HAVE_LOCALE_H) || defined(X_LOCALE)) \
-  && (defined(FEAT_GETTEXT) || defined(FEAT_MBYTE)))
+#ifndef HAVE_WORKING_LIBINTL
 # define ex_language            ex_ni
 #endif
 # define ex_sign                ex_ni
@@ -3161,8 +3160,7 @@ char_u      *buff;          /* buffer for command string */
     xp->xp_pattern = arg;
     break;
 
-#if (defined(HAVE_LOCALE_H) || defined(X_LOCALE)) \
-    && (defined(FEAT_GETTEXT) || defined(FEAT_MBYTE))
+#ifdef HAVE_WORKING_LIBINTL
   case CMD_language:
     p = skiptowhite(arg);
     if (*p == NUL) {
@@ -4452,8 +4450,7 @@ static struct {
   {EXPAND_HELP, "help"},
   {EXPAND_HIGHLIGHT, "highlight"},
   {EXPAND_HISTORY, "history"},
-#if (defined(HAVE_LOCALE_H) || defined(X_LOCALE)) \
-  && (defined(FEAT_GETTEXT) || defined(FEAT_MBYTE))
+#ifdef HAVE_WORKING_LIBINTL
   {EXPAND_LOCALES, "locale"},
 #endif
   {EXPAND_MAPPINGS, "mapping"},
diff --git a/src/ex_getln.c b/src/ex_getln.c
index ee9fc079fe36f5..dbef0a9449e346 100644
--- a/src/ex_getln.c
+++ b/src/ex_getln.c
@@ -3783,8 +3783,7 @@ int options;              /* EW_ flags */
       {EXPAND_AUGROUP, get_augroup_name, TRUE, TRUE},
       {EXPAND_CSCOPE, get_cscope_name, TRUE, TRUE},
       {EXPAND_PROFILE, get_profile_name, TRUE, TRUE},
-#if (defined(HAVE_LOCALE_H) || defined(X_LOCALE)) \
-      && (defined(FEAT_GETTEXT) || defined(FEAT_MBYTE))
+#ifdef HAVE_WORKING_LIBINTL
       {EXPAND_LANGUAGE, get_lang_arg, TRUE, FALSE},
       {EXPAND_LOCALES, get_locales, TRUE, FALSE},
 #endif
diff --git a/src/mbyte.c b/src/mbyte.c
index 66f26826c49acd..8b7abe15eefbd3 100644
--- a/src/mbyte.c
+++ b/src/mbyte.c
@@ -612,7 +612,7 @@ char_u * mb_init()              {
     set_string_option_direct((char_u *)"fencs", -1,
         (char_u *)"ucs-bom,utf-8,default,latin1", OPT_FREE, 0);
 
-#if defined(HAVE_BIND_TEXTDOMAIN_CODESET) && defined(FEAT_GETTEXT)
+#ifdef HAVE_WORKING_LIBINTL
   /* GNU gettext 0.10.37 supports this feature: set the codeset used for
    * translated messages independently from the current locale. */
   (void)bind_textdomain_codeset(VIMPACKAGE,
diff --git a/src/os_unix.c b/src/os_unix.c
index 83a65cf9b5252d..cf50cfb28e37eb 100644
--- a/src/os_unix.c
+++ b/src/os_unix.c
@@ -623,14 +623,6 @@ static char *signal_stack;
 static void init_signal_stack()                 {
   if (signal_stack != NULL) {
 # ifdef HAVE_SIGALTSTACK
-#  if defined(__APPLE__) && (!defined(MAC_OS_X_VERSION_MAX_ALLOWED) \
-    || MAC_OS_X_VERSION_MAX_ALLOWED <= 1040)
-    /* missing prototype.  Adding it to osdef?.h.in doesn't work, because
-     * "struct sigaltstack" needs to be declared. */
-    extern int sigaltstack __ARGS((const struct sigaltstack *ss,
-                                   struct sigaltstack *oss));
-#  endif
-
     sigstk.ss_sp = signal_stack;
     sigstk.ss_size = SIGSTKSZ;
     sigstk.ss_flags = 0;
diff --git a/src/vim.h b/src/vim.h
index 3095dbf54193b2..93f66cf4380007 100644
--- a/src/vim.h
+++ b/src/vim.h
@@ -336,22 +336,22 @@ typedef unsigned long u8char_T;     /* long should be 32 bits or more */
 # define USE_IM_CONTROL
 #endif
 
-/*
- * For dynamically loaded gettext library.  Currently, only for Win32.
- */
-
-
-/*
- * The _() stuff is for using gettext().  It is a no-op when libintl.h is not
- * found or the +multilang feature is disabled.
- */
+#ifdef HAVE_WORKING_LIBINTL
 #  include <libintl.h>
 #  define _(x) gettext((char *)(x))
+// XXX do we actually need this?
 #  ifdef gettext_noop
-#   define N_(x) gettext_noop(x)
+#    define N_(x) gettext_noop(x)
 #  else
-#   define N_(x) x
+#    define N_(x) x
 #  endif
+#else
+#  define _(x) ((char *)(x))
+#  define N_(x) x
+#  define bindtextdomain(x, y) /* empty */
+#  define bind_textdomain_codeset(x, y) /* empty */
+#  define textdomain(x) /* empty */
+#endif
 
 /*
  * flags for update_screen()