diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..e98f745d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+libsvm.a
+svm-predict
+svm-scale
+svm-train
+svm.o
diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index db6ab346..be3dfa4b 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -3,8 +3,20 @@ CFLAGS = -Wall -Wconversion -O3 -fPIC
 SHVER = 2
 OS = $(shell uname)
 
+LIB = /usr/local/lib
+CP 	= cp
+LN 	= ln -sf
+
 all: svm-train svm-predict svm-scale
 
+install: lib
+	if [ ! -w $(LIB) ]; then  \
+		CP='sudo cp'; \
+		LN='sudo ln -sf'; \
+	fi; \
+	$(CP) libsvm.so.2 $(LIB)
+	$(LN) $(LIB)/libsvm.so.$(SHVER) $(LIB)/libsvm.so
+
 lib: svm.o
 	if [ "$(OS)" = "Darwin" ]; then \
 		SHARED_LIB_FLAG="-dynamiclib -Wl,-install_name,libsvm.so.$(SHVER)"; \
@@ -13,6 +25,10 @@ lib: svm.o
 	fi; \
 	$(CXX) $${SHARED_LIB_FLAG} svm.o -o libsvm.so.$(SHVER)
 
+slib: svm.o
+	ar rcs libsvm.a svm.o
+
+
 svm-predict: svm-predict.c svm.o
 	$(CXX) $(CFLAGS) svm-predict.c svm.o -o svm-predict -lm
 svm-train: svm-train.c svm.o