diff --git a/src/node.cc b/src/node.cc
index 824439d549..046c95d983 100644
--- a/src/node.cc
+++ b/src/node.cc
@@ -1428,7 +1428,7 @@ error:
 
 static void CheckStatus(EV_P_ ev_timer *watcher, int revents) {
   assert(watcher == &gc_timer);
-  assert(revents == EV_TIMER);
+  assert(revents == EV_TIMEOUT);
 
 #if HAVE_GETMEM
   // check memory
diff --git a/wscript b/wscript
index c338ad4b68..f6f5a84bfe 100644
--- a/wscript
+++ b/wscript
@@ -38,12 +38,7 @@ def set_options(opt):
                 , help='Build with -lefence for debugging [Default: False]'
                 , dest='efence'
                 )
-  opt.add_option( '--system'
-                , action='store_true'
-                , default=False
-                , help='Build using system libraries and headers (like a debian build) [Default: False]'
-                , dest='system'
-                )
+
   opt.add_option( '--without-ssl'
                 , action='store_true'
                 , default=False
@@ -51,14 +46,95 @@ def set_options(opt):
                 , dest='without_ssl'
                 )
 
+
+  opt.add_option('--shared-v8'
+                , action='store_true'
+                , default=False
+                , help='Link to a shared V8 DLL instead of static linking'
+                , dest='shared_v8'
+                )
+
+  opt.add_option( '--shared-v8-includes'
+                , action='store'
+                , default=False
+                , help='Directory containing V8 header files'
+                , dest='shared_v8_includes'
+                )
+
+  opt.add_option( '--shared-v8-libpath'
+                , action='store'
+                , default=False
+                , help='A directory to search for the shared V8 DLL'
+                , dest='shared_v8_libpath'
+                )
+
+  opt.add_option( '--shared-v8-libname'
+                , action='store'
+                , default=False
+                , help="Alternative lib name to link to (default: 'v8')"
+                , dest='shared_v8_libname'
+                )
+
+
+  opt.add_option('--shared-cares'
+                , action='store_true'
+                , default=False
+                , help='Link to a shared C-Ares DLL instead of static linking'
+                , dest='shared_cares'
+                )
+
+  opt.add_option( '--shared-cares-includes'
+                , action='store'
+                , default=False
+                , help='Directory containing C-Ares header files'
+                , dest='shared_cares_includes'
+                )
+
+  opt.add_option( '--shared-cares-libpath'
+                , action='store'
+                , default=False
+                , help='A directory to search for the shared C-Ares DLL'
+                , dest='shared_cares_libpath'
+                )
+
+
+  opt.add_option('--shared-libev'
+                , action='store_true'
+                , default=False
+                , help='Link to a shared libev DLL instead of static linking'
+                , dest='shared_libev'
+                )
+
+  opt.add_option( '--shared-libev-includes'
+                , action='store'
+                , default=False
+                , help='Directory containing libev header files'
+                , dest='shared_libev_includes'
+                )
+
+  opt.add_option( '--shared-libev-libpath'
+                , action='store'
+                , default=False
+                , help='A directory to search for the shared libev DLL'
+                , dest='shared_libev_libpath'
+                )
+
+
+
+
 def configure(conf):
   conf.check_tool('compiler_cxx')
   if not conf.env.CXX: conf.fatal('c++ compiler not found')
   conf.check_tool('compiler_cc')
   if not conf.env.CC: conf.fatal('c compiler not found')
 
-  conf.env["USE_DEBUG"] = Options.options.debug
-  conf.env["USE_SYSTEM"] = Options.options.system
+  o = Options.options
+
+  conf.env["USE_DEBUG"] = o.debug
+
+  conf.env["USE_SHARED_V8"] = o.shared_v8 or o.shared_v8_includes or o.shared_v8_libpath or o.shared_v8_libname
+  conf.env["USE_SHARED_CARES"] = o.shared_cares or o.shared_cares_includes or o.shared_cares_libpath
+  conf.env["USE_SHARED_LIBEV"] = o.shared_libev or o.shared_libev_includes or o.shared_libev_libpath
 
   conf.check(lib='dl', uselib_store='DL')
   if not sys.platform.startswith("sunos"):
@@ -107,17 +183,63 @@ def configure(conf):
     if not conf.check(lib='nsl', uselib_store="NSL"):
       conf.fatal("Cannot find nsl library")
 
+
+
   conf.sub_config('deps/libeio')
-  if not Options.options.system:
-    conf.sub_config('deps/libev')
-    conf.sub_config('deps/c-ares')
+
+
+
+  if conf.env['USE_SHARED_V8']:
+    v8_includes = [];
+    if o.shared_v8_includes: v8_includes.append(o.shared_v8_includes);
+
+    v8_libpath = [];
+    if o.shared_v8_libpath: v8_libpath.append(o.shared_v8_libpath);
+
+    if not o.shared_v8_libname: o.shared_v8_libname = 'v8'
+
+    if not conf.check_cxx(lib=o.shared_v8_libname, header_name='v8.h',
+                          uselib_store='V8',
+                          includes=v8_includes,
+                          libpath=v8_libpath):
+      conf.fatal("Cannot find v8")
+
+    if o.debug:
+      if not conf.check_cxx(lib=o.shared_v8_libname + '_g', header_name='v8.h',
+                            uselib_store='V8_G',
+                            includes=v8_includes,
+                            libpath=v8_libpath):
+        conf.fatal("Cannot find v8_g")
+
+  if conf.env['USE_SHARED_CARES']:
+    cares_includes = [];
+    if o.shared_cares_includes: cares_includes.append(o.shared_cares_includes);
+    cares_libpath = [];
+    if o.shared_cares_libpath: cares_libpath.append(o.shared_cares_libpath);
+    if not conf.check_cxx(lib='cares',
+                          header_name='ares.h',
+                          uselib_store='CARES',
+                          includes=cares_includes,
+                          libpath=cares_libpath):
+      conf.fatal("Cannot find c-ares")
   else:
-    if not conf.check(lib='v8', uselib_store='V8'):
-      conf.fatal("Cannot find V8")
-    if not conf.check(lib='ev', uselib_store='EV'):
+    conf.sub_config('deps/c-ares')
+
+
+  if conf.env['USE_SHARED_LIBEV']:
+    libev_includes = [];
+    if o.shared_libev_includes: libev_includes.append(o.shared_libev_includes);
+    libev_libpath = [];
+    if o.shared_libev_libpath: libev_libpath.append(o.shared_libev_libpath);
+    if not conf.check_cxx(lib='ev', header_name='ev.h',
+                          uselib_store='EV',
+                          includes=libev_includes,
+                          libpath=libev_libpath):
       conf.fatal("Cannot find libev")
-    if not conf.check(lib='cares', uselib_store='CARES'):
-      conf.fatal("Cannot find c-ares")
+  else:
+    conf.sub_config('deps/libev')
+
+
 
   conf.define("HAVE_CONFIG_H", 1)
 
@@ -212,14 +334,13 @@ def v8_cmd(bld, variant):
 
 def build_v8(bld):
   v8 = bld.new_task_gen(
-    source        = 'deps/v8/SConstruct ' 
-                  + bld.path.ant_glob('v8/include/*') 
-                  + bld.path.ant_glob('v8/src/*'),
+    source        = 'deps/v8/SConstruct '
+                    + bld.path.ant_glob('v8/include/*')
+                    + bld.path.ant_glob('v8/src/*'),
     target        = bld.env["staticlib_PATTERN"] % "v8",
     rule          = v8_cmd(bld, "default"),
     before        = "cxx",
-    install_path  = None
-  )
+    install_path  = None)
   v8.uselib = "EXECINFO"
   bld.env["CPPPATH_V8"] = "deps/v8/include"
   t = join(bld.srcnode.abspath(bld.env_of_name("default")), v8.target)
@@ -232,8 +353,9 @@ def build_v8(bld):
     v8_debug.rule   = v8_cmd(bld, "debug")
     v8_debug.target = bld.env["staticlib_PATTERN"] % "v8_g"
     v8_debug.uselib = "EXECINFO"
+    bld.env["CPPPATH_V8_G"] = "deps/v8/include"
     t = join(bld.srcnode.abspath(bld.env_of_name("debug")), v8_debug.target)
-    bld.env_of_name('debug').append_value("LINKFLAGS_V8", t)
+    bld.env_of_name('debug').append_value("LINKFLAGS_V8_G", t)
 
   bld.install_files('${PREFIX}/include/node/', 'deps/v8/include/*.h')
 
@@ -252,11 +374,11 @@ def build(bld):
   print "DEST_CPU: " + bld.env['DEST_CPU']
   print "Parallel Jobs: " + str(Options.options.jobs)
 
-  if not bld.env["USE_SYSTEM"]:
-    bld.add_subdirs('deps/libeio deps/libev deps/c-ares')
-    build_v8(bld)
-  else:
-    bld.add_subdirs('deps/libeio')
+  bld.add_subdirs('deps/libeio')
+
+  if not bld.env['USE_SHARED_V8']: build_v8(bld)
+  if not bld.env['USE_SHARED_LIBEV']: bld.add_subdirs('deps/libev')
+  if not bld.env['USE_SHARED_CARES']: bld.add_subdirs('deps/c-ares')
 
 
   ### http_parser
@@ -324,6 +446,11 @@ def build(bld):
   node = bld.new_task_gen("cxx", "program")
   node.name         = "node"
   node.target       = "node"
+  node.uselib = 'RT EV OPENSSL CARES EXECINFO DL KVM SOCKET NSL'
+  node.add_objects = 'eio http_parser'
+  node.install_path = '${PREFIX}/lib'
+  node.install_path = '${PREFIX}/bin'
+  node.chmod = 0755
   node.source = """
     src/node.cc
     src/node_buffer.cc
@@ -341,38 +468,23 @@ def build(bld):
     src/node_timer.cc
     src/node_script.cc
   """
-  if bld.env["USE_OPENSSL"]:
-    node.source += "src/node_crypto.cc"
+  if bld.env["USE_OPENSSL"]: node.source += "src/node_crypto.cc"
 
-  if not bld.env["USE_SYSTEM"]:
-    node.includes = """
-      src/ 
-      deps/v8/include
-      deps/libev
-      deps/c-ares
-      deps/libeio
-      deps/http_parser
-    """
+  node.includes = """
+    src/
+    deps/libeio
+    deps/http_parser
+  """
 
-    node.includes += ' deps/c-ares/' + bld.env['DEST_OS'] + '-' + bld.env['DEST_CPU']
+  if not bld.env["USE_SHARED_V8"]: node.includes += ' deps/v8/include '
 
+  if not bld.env["USE_SHARED_LIBEV"]:
+    node.add_objects += ' ev '
+    node.includes += ' deps/libev '
 
-    node.add_objects = 'cares ev eio http_parser'
-    node.uselib_local = ''
-    node.uselib = 'RT OPENSSL V8 EXECINFO DL KVM SOCKET NSL'
-  else:
-    node.includes = """
-      src/
-      deps/libeio
-      deps/http_parser
-    """
-    node.add_objects = 'eio http_parser'
-    node.uselib_local = 'eio'
-    node.uselib = 'RT EV OPENSSL CARES V8 EXECINFO DL KVM SOCKET NSL'
-
-  node.install_path = '${PREFIX}/lib'
-  node.install_path = '${PREFIX}/bin'
-  node.chmod = 0755
+  if not bld.env["USE_SHARED_CARES"]:
+    node.add_objects += ' cares '
+    node.includes += '  deps/c-ares deps/c-ares/' + bld.env['DEST_OS'] + '-' + bld.env['DEST_CPU']
 
   def subflags(program):
     if os.path.exists(join(cwd, ".git")):
@@ -399,11 +511,14 @@ def build(bld):
   if bld.env["USE_DEBUG"]:
     node_g = node.clone("debug")
     node_g.target = "node_g"
-    
+    node_g.uselib += ' V8_G'
+
     node_version_g = node_version.clone("debug")
     node_version_g.dict = subflags(node_g)
     node_version_g.install_path = None
 
+  # After creating the debug clone, append the V8 dep
+  node.uselib += ' V8'
 
   bld.install_files('${PREFIX}/include/node/', """
     config.h