diff --git a/sc2/ChangeLog b/sc2/ChangeLog
index 54baf474f..84d71174f 100644
--- a/sc2/ChangeLog
+++ b/sc2/ChangeLog
@@ -1,4 +1,6 @@
 Changes towards version 0.4:
+- Made the unix build scripts more portable. Removed some small
+  bugs. - SvdB
 - No longer chdir() to the content dir (bug #564)
   Environment variables and ~ are interpreted in the supplied content
   path now.
diff --git a/sc2/build.vars.in b/sc2/build.vars.in
index bb2bb1c63..1da5b6469 100644
--- a/sc2/build.vars.in
+++ b/sc2/build.vars.in
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@
 COMPILE=gcc
 MKDEPEND='gcc -MM'
 MAKE='@MAKE@'
+ECHON='@ECHON@'
 uqm_CFLAGS='@CFLAGS@'
 uqm_LDFLAGS='@LDFLAGS@'
 uqm_INSTALL_BINDIR='@INSTALL_BINDIR@'
diff --git a/sc2/build/unix/build.config b/sc2/build/unix/build.config
index be61af105..0d05097c8 100644
--- a/sc2/build/unix/build.config
+++ b/sc2/build/unix/build.config
@@ -222,7 +222,7 @@ uqm_process_config() {
 	substitute_vars SUBSTITUTE_VARS SUBSTITUTE_FILES src "$BUILD_WORK"
 
 	# Make build.vars from build.vars.in, substituting variables.
-	SUBSTITUTE_VARS="CFLAGS LDFLAGS MAKE DEBUG SOUNDMODULE HAVE_OPENGL \
+	SUBSTITUTE_VARS="CFLAGS LDFLAGS MAKE ECHON DEBUG SOUNDMODULE HAVE_OPENGL \
 			USE_ZIP_IO \
 			INSTALL_LIBDIR INSTALL_BINDIR INSTALL_SHAREDIR \
 			REZ SETFILE WINDRES"
diff --git a/sc2/build/unix/build.sh b/sc2/build/unix/build.sh
index 96e49f922..80deca6f7 100644
--- a/sc2/build/unix/build.sh
+++ b/sc2/build/unix/build.sh
@@ -88,7 +88,7 @@ if [ -z "$TARGET" ]; then
 	exit 1
 fi
 BUILD_PROJECT="$TARGET"
-export TARGET BUILD_PROJECT COMPILE MKDEPEND
+export TARGET BUILD_PROJECT COMPILE MKDEPEND ECHON
 export "${BUILD_PROJECT}_CFLAGS" "${BUILD_PROJECT}_LDFLAGS" 
 
 # Add trailing / from objs dir
diff --git a/sc2/build/unix/build_functions b/sc2/build/unix/build_functions
index 36d02417a..eb4a8fad9 100644
--- a/sc2/build/unix/build_functions
+++ b/sc2/build/unix/build_functions
@@ -69,7 +69,7 @@ build_do_recursive() {
 
 # Build dependancy information for one file
 build_dependancies() {
-	eval echo -n \$BUILD_WORK/\${${BUILD_PROJECT}_OBJS}\$BUILD_REC_PATH
+	eval $ECHON \$BUILD_WORK/\${${BUILD_PROJECT}_OBJS}\$BUILD_REC_PATH
 	eval eval \\\$MKDEPEND \"\${${BUILD_PROJECT}_CFLAGS}\" \"\\\$1\"
 }
 
@@ -95,9 +95,9 @@ build_rec_dependancies() {
 
 	eval DEPEND_FILE="\$BUILD_WORK/.depend.\${${BUILD_PROJECT}_NAME}"
 	{
-		eval echo -n "\$BUILD_WORK_ESC/target-\${${BUILD_PROJECT}_NAME}:"
+		eval $ECHON "\$BUILD_WORK_ESC/target-\${${BUILD_PROJECT}_NAME}:"
 		for OFILE in $OFILES $EXTRA_OFILES; do
-			echo -n " $OFILE"
+			$ECHON " $OFILE"
 		done
 		echo
 		build_do_recursive build_dependancies :
diff --git a/sc2/build/unix/config_functions b/sc2/build/unix/config_functions
index c3c15ff03..7db2a2d74 100644
--- a/sc2/build/unix/config_functions
+++ b/sc2/build/unix/config_functions
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ try_compile_c() {
 	fi
 	cat > "$TEMPFILE.c"
 	echo_and_perform $COMPILE $1 $2 "$TEMPFILE.c" \
-			-o "$TEMPFILE.out" 2>&1 >> "$BUILDLOG"
+			-o "$TEMPFILE.out" >> "$BUILDLOG" 2>&1
 	RESULT=$?
 	rm -f "$TEMPFILE.c" "$TEMPFILE.out"
 	return $RESULT
@@ -58,7 +58,7 @@ try_compile_and_run_c() {
 	fi
 	cat > "$TEMPFILE.c"
 	echo_and_perform $COMPILE $1 $2 "$TEMPFILE.c" \
-			-o "$TEMPFILE.out" 2>&1 >> "$BUILDLOG"
+			-o "$TEMPFILE.out" >> "$BUILDLOG" 2>&1
 	if [ $? -ne 0 ]; then
 		return -1
 	fi
@@ -119,7 +119,7 @@ have_program() {
 
 	eval eval TEMP_FILE="\\\"\$PROG_${PROG}_FILE\\\""
 
-	type "$TEMP_FILE" 2>&1 > /dev/null
+	type "${TEMP_FILE%% *}" > /dev/null 2>&1
 	if [ $? -ne 0 ]; then
 		build_message "$TEMP_NAME not found."
 		return 1
@@ -245,7 +245,7 @@ have_symbol() {
 
 	# TODO: I'll want the include handling to be done differently
         #       eventually.
-	try_compile_c "$TEMP_CFLAGS" "$TEMP_LDFLAGS" << EOF 2>&1 > /dev/null
+	try_compile_c "$TEMP_CFLAGS" "$TEMP_LDFLAGS" << EOF > /dev/null 2>&1
 #include <stdio.h>
 #include <sys/types.h>
 #include <stdlib.h>
@@ -287,7 +287,7 @@ have_header() {
 	local HEADER
 	HEADER="$1"
 
-	try_compile_c "$TEMP_CFLAGS" "$TEMP_LDFLAGS" << EOF 2>&1 > /dev/null
+	try_compile_c "$TEMP_CFLAGS" "$TEMP_LDFLAGS" << EOF > /dev/null 2>&1
 #include <$HEADER>
 int main() {
 	return 0;
@@ -399,6 +399,8 @@ HAVE_SYMBOLS=""
 
 config_requirements() {
 	# Requirements for the config program itself
+	have_program echon || exit 1
+	ECHON="$PROG_echon_FILE"
 	have_program sed || exit 1
 	SED="$PROG_sed_FILE"
 	have_program tr || exit 1
diff --git a/sc2/build/unix/config_proginfo b/sc2/build/unix/config_proginfo
index 05fb7a20c..e8aff3575 100644
--- a/sc2/build/unix/config_proginfo
+++ b/sc2/build/unix/config_proginfo
@@ -28,6 +28,39 @@ PROG_sed_FILE="sed"
 PROG_sed_ACTION=""
 PROG_sed_VERSION=''
 
+PROG_echon_NAME="'echo -n' capable echo"
+PROG_echon_FILE=""
+PROG_echon_ACTION=""
+PROG_echon_VERSION=''
+PROG_echon_DETECT="echon_detect"
+echon_detect() {
+	local TEST
+	
+	# Default echo (probably builtin)
+	TEST=`echo -n X`
+	if [ "$TEST" = X ]; then
+		PROG_echon_FILE="echo -n"
+		return 0;
+	fi
+
+	# External echo
+	TEST=`/bin/echo -n X`
+	if [ "$TEST" = X ]; then
+		PROG_echon_FILE="/bin/echo -n"
+		return 0;
+	fi
+
+	# Using printf as echo
+	TEST=`printf %s X`
+	if [ "$TEST" = X ]; then
+		PROG_echon_FILE="printf %s"
+		return 0;
+	fi
+
+	# No good echo found	
+	return 1
+}
+
 PROG_make_NAME="Make"
 case "$OSNAME" in
 	FreeBSD|OpenBSD|SunOS)
diff --git a/sc2/build/unix/menu_functions b/sc2/build/unix/menu_functions
index 37c27e349..236c6b0c4 100644
--- a/sc2/build/unix/menu_functions
+++ b/sc2/build/unix/menu_functions
@@ -277,7 +277,7 @@ EOF
 
 		echo
 		echo "Press a number plus <ENTER> if you want to change something, "
-		echo -n "or just <ENTER> if everything is ok: "
+		$ECHON "or just <ENTER> if everything is ok: "
 		read CHOICE
 
 		# Check if the choice was empty
@@ -367,7 +367,7 @@ EOF
 
 		echo
 		echo "Select the option you want by typing a number plus <ENTER>"
-		echo -n "or just <ENTER> if everything is ok: "
+		$ECHON "or just <ENTER> if everything is ok: "
 		read CHOICE
 		echo
 
@@ -434,7 +434,7 @@ EOF
 		eval TEMP_DEFAULT="\$INPUT_${ITEM}_DEFAULT"
 		echo "  Default value: $TEMP_DEFAULT"
 		echo "  Current value: $TEMP_VALUE"
-		echo -n "  New value:     "
+		$ECHON "  New value:     "
 		read NEW_VALUE
 		
 		# If no new value is entered, keep the old one.