diff --git a/NEWS b/NEWS
index 08da1df533..fe81062700 100644
--- a/NEWS
+++ b/NEWS
@@ -25,13 +25,16 @@ version 1.0.
 1.2
 ---
 
+- Allow building the F90 MPI bindings as shared libraries for most
+  compilers / platforms.  Explicitly disallow building the F90
+  bindings as shared libraries on OS X because of complicated
+  situations with Fortran common blocks and lack of support for
+  unresolved common symbols in shared libraries.
 - Addition of "dr" (data reliability) PML.
 - Added stacktrace support for Solaris and Mac OS X.
 - Update event library to libevent-1.1a
 - Fixed standards conformance issues with MPI_ERR_TRUNCATED and
   setting MPI_ERROR during MPI_TEST/MPI_WAIT.
-- Added support for building the Fortran 90 bindings library as
-  a shared library.
 - Addition of "cm" PML to better support library-level matching
   interconnects, with initial support for Myrinet/MX and Portals.
 - Really check that the $CXX given to configure is a C++ compiler
diff --git a/config/ompi_setup_f90.m4 b/config/ompi_setup_f90.m4
index 0e08f2cab6..6d9aa4a8ec 100644
--- a/config/ompi_setup_f90.m4
+++ b/config/ompi_setup_f90.m4
@@ -112,6 +112,39 @@ AS_IF([test $OMPI_WANT_F90_BINDINGS -eq 1],
      fi
 ])
 
+# BWB - FIX ME - remove once everyone updates to LT 2.0.
+# 
+AS_IF([test $OMPI_WANT_F90_BINDINGS -eq 1],
+      [if test $OMPI_F77 != $OMPI_F90; then
+           lt_ver=`grep '^VERSION' $srcdir/config/ltmain.sh | cut -f2 -d= | cut -f1 -d'.'`
+           if test $lt_ver -lt 2 ; then 
+               AC_MSG_ERROR([You appear to be trying to build the Fortran 90
+ layer with Libtool 1.5.x or earlier and a Fortran 77 / Fortran 90 compiler
+ combination that will not work with this configuration.  You must either
+ use a different Fortran 77 / Fortran 90 compiler (one where it is the same
+ compiler for both languages), upgrade to Libtool 2.x, or disable the
+ Fortran 90 bindings.])
+           fi
+       fi
+ ])
+
+# OS X does not allow undefined common symbols in shared libraries.
+# Because we can't figure out how to implement MPI_STATUSES_IGNORE and
+# friends wihtout common symbols, on OS X we can't build the F90
+# bindings as a shared library.
+AC_MSG_CHECKING([if need to force static library])
+case "$host" in
+    *apple-darwin*)
+        AC_MSG_RESULT([yes])
+        ompi_f90_force_static="yes"
+    ;;
+    *)
+        AC_MSG_RESULT([no])
+        ompi_f90_force_static="no"
+    ;;
+esac
+AM_CONDITIONAL(OMPI_F90_FORCE_STATIC, test "$ompi_f90_force_static" = "yes")
+
 # if we're still good, then save the extra file types.  Do this last
 # because it implies tests that should be invoked by the above tests
 # (e.g., running the fortran compiler).
diff --git a/config/ompi_setup_wrappers.m4 b/config/ompi_setup_wrappers.m4
index 0c5cb3ef24..d068f91d69 100644
--- a/config/ompi_setup_wrappers.m4
+++ b/config/ompi_setup_wrappers.m4
@@ -255,7 +255,7 @@ AC_DEFUN([OMPI_SETUP_WRAPPER_FINAL],[
     AC_SUBST([OMPI_WRAPPER_F77_REQUIRED_FILE])
 
     if test "$OMPI_WANT_F90_BINDINGS" = "1" ; then
-        OMPI_WRAPPER_F90_REQUIRED_FILE="libmpi_f90.a"
+        OMPI_WRAPPER_F90_REQUIRED_FILE="libmpi_f90.la"
     else
         OMPI_WRAPPER_F90_REQUIRED_FILE="not supported"
     fi
diff --git a/ompi/mpi/f90/Makefile.am b/ompi/mpi/f90/Makefile.am
index d483085501..1561cf89d8 100644
--- a/ompi/mpi/f90/Makefile.am
+++ b/ompi/mpi/f90/Makefile.am
@@ -50,33 +50,19 @@
 
 SUBDIRS = scripts
 
-AM_FCFLAGS = -I$(top_builddir)/ompi/include -I$(top_srcdir)/ompi/include $(OMPI_FC_MODULE_FLAG). -I$(srcdir)
-
-# Override the default f90 rules because we have to insert
-# $(FCFLAGS_f90) right before the source filename.  This is necessary
-# for cases where the compiler expects source files to end in .f, and
-# if we want our .f90 files to be compilable, we have to insert a
-# special flag right before the source filename (e.g., xlf).
-
-.f90.o:
-	$(FCCOMPILE) -c -o $@ $(FCFLAGS_f90) $<
-
-.f90.obj:
-	$(FCCOMPILE) -c -o $@ $(FCFLAGS_f90) `$(CYGPATH_W) '$<'`
-
-.f90.lo:
-	$(LTFCCOMPILE) -c -o $@ $(FCFLAGS_f90) $<
-
+AM_FCFLAGS = -I$(top_builddir)/ompi/include -I$(top_srcdir)/ompi/include \
+             $(OMPI_FC_MODULE_FLAG). -I$(srcdir) \
+             -I$(top_builddir)/ompi/mpi/f90
 
 # Do different things if the top-level configure decided that we're
 # going to build F90 bindings or not.
 
-lib_LIBRARIES =
+lib_LTLIBRARIES =
 if OMPI_WANT_F90_BINDINGS
 
 # Add the f90 library to the list of libraries to build
 
-lib_LIBRARIES += libmpi_f90.a
+lib_LTLIBRARIES += libmpi_f90.la
 
 # Ensure that the F90 interfaces are re-generated based on the values
 # that come in from configure
@@ -107,7 +93,7 @@ mpi-f90-interfaces.h: $(srcdir)/scripts/mpi-f90-interfaces.h.sh
 # So we have to pass in the pwd to the scripts so that they know where
 # some_script is.
 
-$(nodist_libmpi_f90_a_SOURCES): fortran_kinds.sh
+$(nodist_libmpi_f90_la_SOURCES): fortran_kinds.sh
 	@ p="`pwd`"; \
 	echo $(srcdir)/scripts/$@.sh $$p \> $@; \
 	$(srcdir)/scripts/$@.sh $$p > $@ ;
@@ -143,15 +129,17 @@ mpi.obj: mpi.f90 mpi-f90-interfaces.h
 	@echo "***************************************************************"
 	$(FCCOMPILE) -c -I. -o $@ $(FCFLAGS_f90) `$(CYGPATH_W) '$<'`
 
+BUILT_SOURCES = mpi-f90-interfaces.h
+
 else
-lib_LIBRARIES +=
+lib_LTLIBRARIES +=
 endif
 
 # mpi.f90 is the only f90 source file directly in libmpif90 that gets
 # distributed.  This file is always in the library, regardless of the
 # size that we're building.
 
-libmpi_f90_a_SOURCES = \
+libmpi_f90_la_SOURCES = \
      attr_fn-f90-interfaces.h \
      mpi.f90
 
@@ -249,15 +237,22 @@ large_sources = \
 # The rest of the files that are in the library depend on which size
 # we're building.
 
-nodist_libmpi_f90_a_SOURCES = $(trivial_sources)
+nodist_libmpi_f90_la_SOURCES = $(trivial_sources)
 if OMPI_WANT_BUILD_F90_SMALL
-nodist_libmpi_f90_a_SOURCES += $(small_sources)
+nodist_libmpi_f90_la_SOURCES += $(small_sources)
 endif
 if OMPI_WANT_BUILD_F90_MEDIUM
-nodist_libmpi_f90_a_SOURCES += $(small_sources) $(medium_sources)
+nodist_libmpi_f90_la_SOURCES += $(small_sources) $(medium_sources)
 endif
 if OMPI_WANT_BUILD_F90_LARGE
-nodist_libmpi_f90_a_SOURCES += $(small_sources) $(medium_sources) $(large_sources)
+nodist_libmpi_f90_la_SOURCES += $(small_sources) $(medium_sources) $(large_sources)
+endif
+
+# see note in config/ompi_setup_f90.m4
+if OMPI_F90_FORCE_STATIC
+libmpi_f90_la_LDFLAGS = -static
+else
+libmpi_f90_la_LDFLAGS = 
 endif
 
 #
@@ -265,7 +260,7 @@ endif
 #
 
 MOSTLYCLEANFILES = *.mod *.ompi_module
-DISTCLEANFILES = $(nodist_libmpi_f90_a_SOURCES)
+DISTCLEANFILES = $(nodist_libmpi_f90_la_SOURCES)
 
 #
 # Install the generated .mod files.  Unfortunately, each F90 compiler