diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index b7b9135..de1ff37 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -3,35 +3,37 @@ CONFIG= ./config
 
 include $(CONFIG)
 
-OBJS= src/luasql.o src/ls_$T.o
+OBJS= src/luasql.o
+SRCS= src/luasql.h src/luasql.c
 
+# list of all driver names
+DRIVER_LIST= $(subst src/ls_,,$(basename $(wildcard src/ls_*.c)))
 
-SRCS= src/luasql.h src/luasql.c \
-	src/ls_firebird.c \
-	src/ls_postgres.c \
-	src/ls_odbc.c \
-	src/ls_oci8.c \
-	src/ls_mysql.c \
-	src/ls_sqlite.c \
-	src/ls_sqlite3.c
+# used for help formatting
+EMPTY=
+SPACE= $(EMPTY) $(EMPTY)
 
-AR= ar rcu
-RANLIB= ranlib
+all : 
+	@echo "usage: make { $(subst $(SPACE),$(SPACE)|$(SPACE),$(DRIVER_LIST)) }"
 
+# explicity matches against the list of avilable driver names
+$(DRIVER_LIST) : % : src/%.so
 
-lib: src/$(LIBNAME)
+# builds the specified driver
+src/%.so : src/ls_%.c $(OBJS) 
+	$(CC) $(CFLAGS) src/ls_$*.c -o $@ $(LIB_OPTION) $(OBJS) $(DRIVER_INCS_$*) $(DRIVER_LIBS_$*)
 
-src/$(LIBNAME): $(OBJS)
-	export MACOSX_DEPLOYMENT_TARGET="10.3"; $(CC) $(CFLAGS) -o $@ $(LIB_OPTION) $(OBJS) $(DRIVER_LIBS)
+# builds the general LuaSQL functions
+$(OBJS) : $(SRCS)
+	$(CC) $(CFLAGS) -c src/luasql.c -o src/luasql.o
 
 install:
 	mkdir -p $(LUA_LIBDIR)/luasql
-	cp src/$(LIBNAME) $(LUA_LIBDIR)/luasql
+	cp src/*.so $(LUA_LIBDIR)/luasql
 
 jdbc_driver:
 	cd src/jdbc; make $@
 
 clean:
-	rm -f src/$(LIBNAME) src/*.o
+	rm -f src/*.so src/*.o
 
-# $Id: Makefile,v 1.56 2008/05/30 17:21:18 tomas Exp $
diff --git a/config b/config
index 7dd267b..1bbf9df 100644
--- a/config
+++ b/config
@@ -1,68 +1,54 @@
-# $Id: config,v 1.10 2008/05/30 17:21:18 tomas Exp $
-
-# Driver (leave uncommented ONLY the line with the name of the driver)
-T= mysql
-#T= oci8
-#T= odbc
-#T= postgres
-#T= sqlite
-#T=sqlite3
-#T=firebird
-
 # Installation directories
 
 # Default prefix
-PREFIX = /usr/local
+PREFIX ?= /usr
 
-# System's libraries directory (where binary libraries are installed)
-LUA_LIBDIR= $(PREFIX)/lib/lua/5.1
-
-# System's lua directory (where Lua libraries are installed)
-LUA_DIR= $(PREFIX)/share/lua/5.1
-
-# Lua includes directory
-LUA_INC= $(PREFIX)/include
-
-# Lua version number (first and second digits of target version)
-LUA_VERSION_NUM= 501
+# Lua version and dirs
+LUA_SYS_VER ?= 5.2
+LUA_LIBDIR ?= $(PREFIX)/lib/lua/$(LUA_SYS_VER)
+LUA_DIR ?= $(PREFIX)/share/lua/$(LUA_SYS_VER)
+LUA_INC ?= $(PREFIX)/include/lua$(LUA_SYS_VER)
 
 # OS dependent
-LIB_OPTION= -shared #for Linux
-#LIB_OPTION= -bundle -undefined dynamic_lookup #for MacOS X
+UNAME_S := $(shell uname -s)
+ifeq ($(UNAME_S),Darwin) # MacOS
+	LIB_OPTION ?= -bundle -undefined dynamic_lookup -mmacosx-version-min=10.3
+else # Linux/BSD
+	LIB_OPTION ?= -shared
+endif
 
-LIBNAME= $T.so
+# driver specific params
+# - MySQL
+#DRIVER_LIBS_mysql ?= -L/usr/local/mysql/lib -lmysqlclient -lz
+#DRIVER_INCS_mysql ?= -I/usr/local/mysql/include
+DRIVER_LIBS_mysql ?= -L/usr/lib -lmysqlclient -lz
+DRIVER_INCS_mysql ?= -I/usr/include/mysql
+# - Oracle OCI8
+DRIVER_LIBS_oci8 ?= -L/home/oracle/OraHome1/lib -lz -lclntsh
+DRIVER_INCS_oci8 ?= -I/home/oracle/OraHome1/rdbms/demo \
+                    -I/home/oracle/OraHome1/rdbms/public
+# - PostgreSQL
+#DRIVER_LIBS_postgres ?= -L/usr/local/pgsql/lib -lpq
+#DRIVER_INCS_postgres ?= -I/usr/local/pgsql/include/
+DRIVER_LIBS_postgres ?= -L/usr/lib -lpq
+DRIVER_INCS_postgres ?= -I/usr/include/postgresql
+# - SQLite
+DRIVER_LIBS_sqlite ?= -lsqlite
+DRIVER_INCS_sqlite ?=
+# - SQLite3 
+DRIVER_LIBS_sqlite3 ?= -L/opt/local/lib -lsqlite3
+DRIVER_INCS_sqlite3 ?= -I/opt/local/include
+# - ODBC
+DRIVER_LIBS_odbc ?= -L/usr/local/lib -lodbc
+DRIVER_INCS_odbc ?= -DUNIXODBC -I/usr/local/include
+# - Firebird
+DRIVER_LIBS_firebird ?= -L/usr/local/firebird -lfbclient
+DRIVER_INCS_firebird ?=
 
-# Compilation parameters
-# Driver specific
-######## MySQL
-#DRIVER_LIBS= -L/usr/local/mysql/lib -lmysqlclient -lz
-#DRIVER_INCS= -I/usr/local/mysql/include
-DRIVER_LIBS= -L/usr/lib -lmysqlclient -lz
-DRIVER_INCS= -I/usr/include/mysql
-######## Oracle OCI8
-#DRIVER_LIBS= -L/home/oracle/OraHome1/lib -lz -lclntsh
-#DRIVER_INCS= -I/home/oracle/OraHome1/rdbms/demo -I/home/oracle/OraHome1/rdbms/public
-######## PostgreSQL
-#DRIVER_LIBS= -L/usr/local/pgsql/lib -lpq
-#DRIVER_INCS= -I/usr/local/pgsql/include/
-#DRIVER_LIBS= -L/usr/lib -lpq
-#DRIVER_INCS= -I/usr/include/postgresql
-######## SQLite
-#DRIVER_LIBS= -lsqlite
-#DRIVER_INCS=
-######## SQLite3 
-#DRIVER_LIBS= -L/opt/local/lib -lsqlite3
-#DRIVER_INCS= -I/opt/local/include
-######## ODBC
-#DRIVER_LIBS= -L/usr/local/lib -lodbc
-#DRIVER_INCS= -DUNIXODBC -I/usr/local/include
-######## Firebird
-#DRIVER_LIBS= -L/usr/local/firebird -lfbclient
-#DRIVER_INCS=
-
-WARN= -Wall -Wmissing-prototypes -Wmissing-declarations -ansi -pedantic
-INCS= -I$(LUA_INC)
-CFLAGS= -O2 $(WARN) -fPIC $(DRIVER_INCS) $(INCS) -DLUASQL_VERSION_NUMBER='"$V"' $(DEFS)
+# general compilation parameters
+WARN = -Wall -Wmissing-prototypes -Wmissing-declarations -pedantic
+INCS = -I$(LUA_INC)
+DEFS =
+CFLAGS = -O2 -std=gnu99 $(WARN) -fPIC $(DRIVER_INCS) $(INCS) \
+         -DLUASQL_VERSION_NUMBER='"$V"' $(DEFS)
 CC= gcc
-
-# $Id: config,v 1.10 2008/05/30 17:21:18 tomas Exp $