diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 1334796e..0c2a4b91 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -140,9 +140,13 @@ ICG_EXE := ${TRICK_HOME}/bin/trick-ICG
 ################################################################################
 # DEFAULT TARGET
 # 1 Build Trick-core and Trick Data-products.
-all: no_dp dp java
+all: no_dp dp
 	@ echo ; echo "Trick compilation complete:" ; date
 
+ifeq ($(USE_JAVA), 1)
+all: java
+endif
+
 #-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 # 1.1 Build Trick-core
 no_dp: $(TRICK_LIB) $(TRICK_SWIG_LIB)
diff --git a/autoconf/configure.ac b/autoconf/configure.ac
index 17516749..62a5752c 100644
--- a/autoconf/configure.ac
+++ b/autoconf/configure.ac
@@ -129,6 +129,26 @@ AC_DEFUN([AX_UDUNITS_HOME],[
     AC_SUBST([UDUNITS_HOME])
 ])
 
+dnl test if we want to use java, default to yes
+AC_DEFUN([AX_JAVA],[
+    AC_ARG_ENABLE([java],
+                  AS_HELP_STRING([--enable-java], [use java (default is yes)]),
+                  AS_IF([test "x$enable_java" = xyes], [USE_JAVA="1"], [USE_JAVA="0"]),
+                  [USE_JAVA="1"]
+                 )
+    AC_SUBST([USE_JAVA])
+    AS_IF([test "$USE_JAVA" = "1"],[
+        AC_PROG_AWK
+        AX_PROG_JAVA_CC(javac)
+        JAVA_VER=`$JAVA_CC -version 2>&1 | $ac_cv_path_PERL -ne 'print $& if /\d+\.\d+/'`
+        AC_MSG_CHECKING([$JAVA_CC version >= 1.8])
+        AX_COMPARE_VERSION([$JAVA_VER],[ge],[1.8], [AC_MSG_RESULT([yes])],
+         [AC_MSG_RESULT([no])
+          AC_MSG_ERROR([Trick requires javac version >= 1.8])
+         ])
+     ],[])
+])
+
 dnl test if we want to use er7_utils, default to yes
 AC_DEFUN([AX_ER7_UTILS],[
     AC_ARG_ENABLE([er7utils],
@@ -154,8 +174,9 @@ AC_DEFUN([AX_JSC_DIRS],[
     AC_SUBST([MOTIF_HOME])
 ])
 
-dnl add extra paths to find xml headers and X headers on the mac.
+dnl add extra paths to find gcc on RHEL 6 systems
 PATH="/opt/rh/devtoolset-3/root/usr/bin:${PATH}"
+dnl add extra paths to find xml headers and X headers on the mac.
 XTRAINCPATHS="-I/usr/include/libxml2/ -I/usr/X11/include"
 CFLAGS="$CFLAGS $XTRAINCPATHS"
 CPPFLAGS="$CPPFLAGS $XTRAINCPATHS"
@@ -191,15 +212,8 @@ AC_PATH_PROG(SWIG, swig, noswig, "/bin:/usr/bin:/usr/local/bin:/sw/bin")
 AS_IF([test "$ac_cv_path_SWIG" = "noswig"],AC_MSG_ERROR([could not find swig]),[])
 AC_PATH_PROG(GNUPLOT, gnuplot, nognuplot)
 AS_IF([test "$ac_cv_path_GNUPLOT" = "nognuplot"],AC_MSG_NOTICE([could not find gnuplot]),[])
-dnl AX_COMPARE_VERSION requires awk.
-AC_PROG_AWK
-AX_PROG_JAVA_CC(javac)
-JAVA_VER=`$JAVA_CC -version 2>&1 | $ac_cv_path_PERL -ne 'print $& if /\d+\.\d+/'`
-AC_MSG_CHECKING([$JAVA_CC version >= 1.8])
-AX_COMPARE_VERSION([$JAVA_VER],[ge],[1.8], [AC_MSG_RESULT([yes])],
- [AC_MSG_RESULT([no])
-  AC_MSG_ERROR([Trick requires javac version >= 1.8])
- ])
+
+AX_JAVA
 
 dnl look for libraries and headers we need to compile
 AC_PATH_X
diff --git a/configure b/configure
index c30dbc54..9d559793 100755
--- a/configure
+++ b/configure
@@ -663,6 +663,7 @@ GCJ_OPTS
 ac_ct_JAVA_CC
 JAVA_CC_FLAGS
 JAVA_CC
+USE_JAVA
 GNUPLOT
 SWIG
 PYTHON
@@ -726,6 +727,7 @@ SHELL'
 ac_subst_files=''
 ac_user_opts='
 enable_option_checking
+enable_java
 with_x
 with_llvm
 with_udunits
@@ -1370,6 +1372,7 @@ Optional Features:
   --disable-option-checking  ignore unrecognized --enable/--with options
   --disable-FEATURE       do not include FEATURE (same as --enable-FEATURE=no)
   --enable-FEATURE[=ARG]  include FEATURE [ARG=yes]
+  --enable-java           use java (default is yes)
   --enable-er7utils       use er7_utils (default is yes)
 
 Optional Packages:
@@ -2480,6 +2483,8 @@ ac_configure="$SHELL $ac_aux_dir/configure"  # Please don't use this var.
 
 
 
+
+
 
 
 
@@ -5118,7 +5123,24 @@ if test "$ac_cv_path_GNUPLOT" = "nognuplot"; then :
   { $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: could not find gnuplot" >&5
 $as_echo "$as_me: could not find gnuplot" >&6;}
 fi
-for ac_prog in gawk mawk nawk awk
+
+
+    # Check whether --enable-java was given.
+if test "${enable_java+set}" = set; then :
+  enableval=$enable_java; if test "x$enable_java" = xyes; then :
+  USE_JAVA="1"
+else
+  USE_JAVA="0"
+fi
+else
+  USE_JAVA="1"
+
+fi
+
+
+    if test "$USE_JAVA" = "1"; then :
+
+        for ac_prog in gawk mawk nawk awk
 do
   # Extract the first word of "$ac_prog", so it can be a program name with args.
 set dummy $ac_prog; ac_word=$2
@@ -5160,7 +5182,7 @@ fi
   test -n "$AWK" && break
 done
 
-if test -n "$ac_tool_prefix"; then
+        if test -n "$ac_tool_prefix"; then
   for ac_prog in javac
   do
     # Extract the first word of "$ac_tool_prefix$ac_prog", so it can be a program name with args.
@@ -5271,8 +5293,8 @@ if test "$JAVA_CC" = "gcj"; then
 fi
 test -z "$JAVA_CC" && as_fn_error $? "no acceptable java compiler found in \$PATH" "$LINENO" 5
 
-JAVA_VER=`$JAVA_CC -version 2>&1 | $ac_cv_path_PERL -ne 'print $& if /\d+\.\d+/'`
-{ $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: checking $JAVA_CC version >= 1.8" >&5
+        JAVA_VER=`$JAVA_CC -version 2>&1 | $ac_cv_path_PERL -ne 'print $& if /\d+\.\d+/'`
+        { $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: checking $JAVA_CC version >= 1.8" >&5
 $as_echo_n "checking $JAVA_CC version >= 1.8... " >&6; }
 
 
@@ -5310,11 +5332,14 @@ x$ax_compare_version_B" | sed 's/^ *//' | sort -r | sed "s/x${ax_compare_version
 $as_echo "yes" >&6; }
     else { $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: result: no" >&5
 $as_echo "no" >&6; }
-  as_fn_error $? "Trick requires javac version >= 1.8" "$LINENO" 5
+          as_fn_error $? "Trick requires javac version >= 1.8" "$LINENO" 5
 
   fi
 
 
+fi
+
+
 ac_ext=cpp
 ac_cpp='$CXXCPP $CPPFLAGS'
 ac_compile='$CXX -c $CXXFLAGS $CPPFLAGS conftest.$ac_ext >&5'
diff --git a/share/trick/makefiles/config_user.mk.in b/share/trick/makefiles/config_user.mk.in
index c2f2aa03..26c8d3af 100644
--- a/share/trick/makefiles/config_user.mk.in
+++ b/share/trick/makefiles/config_user.mk.in
@@ -7,9 +7,11 @@ LEX    = @LEX@
 YACC   = @BISON@
 SWIG   = @SWIG@
 PYTHON = @PYTHON@
-JAVAC  = @JAVA_CC@
 CLANG  = @CLANG@
 
+USE_JAVA = @USE_JAVA@
+JAVAC  = @JAVA_CC@
+
 LLVM_HOME = @LLVM_HOME@
 
 PYTHON_INCLUDES = @PYTHON_CPPFLAGS@