Index: Python/dynload_shlib.c
===================================================================
--- Python/dynload_shlib.c	(revision 86870)
+++ Python/dynload_shlib.c	(working copy)
@@ -51,10 +51,12 @@
     {"module.exe", "rb", C_EXTENSION},
     {"MODULE.EXE", "rb", C_EXTENSION},
 #else  /* !__VMS */
-    {"." SOABI ".so", "rb", C_EXTENSION},
-    {"module." SOABI ".so", "rb", C_EXTENSION},
-    {".so", "rb", C_EXTENSION},
-    {"module.so", "rb", C_EXTENSION},
+#ifdef SO_EXTRA
+    {SO_EXTRA, "rb", C_EXTENSION},
+    {"module" SO_EXTRA, "rb", C_EXTENSION},
+#endif
+    {SO_BASE, "rb", C_EXTENSION},
+    {"module" SO_BASE, "rb", C_EXTENSION},
 #endif  /* __VMS */
 #endif  /* defined(PYOS_OS2) && defined(PYCC_GCC) */
 #endif  /* __CYGWIN__ */
Index: configure.in
===================================================================
--- configure.in	(revision 86870)
+++ configure.in	(working copy)
@@ -3643,14 +3643,32 @@
 AC_SUBST(SOABI)
 AC_MSG_CHECKING(ABIFLAGS)
 AC_MSG_RESULT($ABIFLAGS)
+
+AC_MSG_CHECKING(LDVERSION)
+LDVERSION=$VERSION$ABIFLAGS
+AC_MSG_RESULT($LDVERSION)
+
 AC_MSG_CHECKING(SOABI)
+# default value for SOABI: 'cpython-'+version+flags
 SOABI='cpython-'`echo $VERSION | tr -d .`${ABIFLAGS}
+
+AC_ARG_WITH(soabi,
+            AS_HELP_STRING([--with-soabi], [ABI version string for extension modules]),
+[
+	case $withval in
+	no)  SOABI="";;         # no version tag
+	yes) ;;                 # use precomputed version tag
+	*)   SOABI="$withval";; # use given tag
+	esac
+],
+[                              # when the option is not passed...
+	case $ac_sys_system in
+	Linux*|GNU*) ;;         # ...Linux uses the value computed above
+	*)	     SOABI="";; # ...but other platforms don't use it.
+	esac
+])
 AC_MSG_RESULT($SOABI)
 
-AC_MSG_CHECKING(LDVERSION)
-LDVERSION='$(VERSION)$(ABIFLAGS)'
-AC_MSG_RESULT($LDVERSION)
-
 # SO is the extension of shared libraries `(including the dot!)
 # -- usually .so, .sl on HP-UX, .dll on Cygwin
 AC_MSG_CHECKING(SO)
@@ -3664,8 +3683,6 @@
 		esac
 		;;
 	CYGWIN*)   SO=.dll;;
-	Linux*|GNU*)
-		   SO=.${SOABI}.so;;
 	*)	   SO=.so;;
 	esac
 else
@@ -3680,7 +3697,17 @@
 	echo '====================================================================='
 	sleep 10
 fi
+AC_SUBST(DYNLOAD_CFLAGS)
+DYNLOAD_CFLAGS="-DSO_BASE='\"$SO\"'"
+# prepend the SOABI to shared modules extension
+if test ! -z "$SOABI"
+then
+	SO=.$SOABI$SO
+	DYNLOAD_CFLAGS=$DYNLOAD_CFLAGS" -DSO_EXTRA='\"$SO\"'"
+fi
 AC_MSG_RESULT($SO)
+AC_MSG_CHECKING(dynload flags)
+AC_MSG_RESULT($DYNLOAD_CFLAGS)
 
 # Check whether right shifting a negative integer extends the sign bit
 # or fills with zeros (like the Cray J90, according to Tim Peters).
Index: Makefile.pre.in
===================================================================
--- Makefile.pre.in	(revision 86870)
+++ Makefile.pre.in	(working copy)
@@ -37,6 +37,7 @@
 SVNVERSION=	@SVNVERSION@
 SOABI=		@SOABI@
 LDVERSION=	@LDVERSION@
+DYNLOAD_CFLAGS=@DYNLOAD_CFLAGS@
 
 GNULD=		@GNULD@
 
@@ -562,9 +563,8 @@
 Modules/python.o: $(srcdir)/Modules/python.c
 	$(MAINCC) -c $(PY_CORE_CFLAGS) -o $@ $(srcdir)/Modules/python.c
 
 Python/dynload_shlib.o: $(srcdir)/Python/dynload_shlib.c Makefile
-	$(CC) -c $(PY_CORE_CFLAGS) \
-		-DSOABI='"$(SOABI)"' \
+	$(CC) -c $(PY_CORE_CFLAGS) $(DYNLOAD_CFLAGS) \
 		-o $@ $(srcdir)/Python/dynload_shlib.c
 
 Python/sysmodule.o: $(srcdir)/Python/sysmodule.c Makefile