diff --git a/config/autoconf.mk.in b/config/autoconf.mk.in
index 6940f74514ac..decd67b2cf30 100644
--- a/config/autoconf.mk.in
+++ b/config/autoconf.mk.in
@@ -59,6 +59,7 @@ ENABLE_TESTS	= @ENABLE_TESTS@
 ENABLE_PICS     = @ENABLE_PICS@
 NO_UNIX_LDAP	= @NO_UNIX_LDAP@
 BUILD_IDLC = @BUILD_IDLC@
+USE_IMPLICIT_ARCHIVE = @USE_IMPLICIT_ARCHIVE@
 
 MOZ_STRIP_NOT_EXPORTED = @MOZ_STRIP_NOT_EXPORTED@
 
diff --git a/config/rules.mk b/config/rules.mk
index c965b113d65a..1a0d5b3d10e9 100644
--- a/config/rules.mk
+++ b/config/rules.mk
@@ -554,8 +554,7 @@ endif
 SUB_LOBJS	= $(shell for lib in $(SHARED_LIBRARY_LIBS); do $(AR_LIST) $${lib} $(CLEANUP1); done;)
 endif
 
-ifndef SHARED_LIBRARY_LIBS
-
+ifdef USE_IMPLICIT_ARCHIVE
 # This rule overrides the builtin rule that tells make how to insert object
 # files into archive libraries.  A few notes about what is going on:
 # The whole point of doing this is to avoid having to store the .o files in
@@ -572,6 +571,7 @@ ifndef SHARED_LIBRARY_LIBS
 # as we proceed from command to the next.  This means that the "ar t" is
 # evaluating the library before we insert new objects.
 #
+ifndef SHARED_LIBRARY_LIBS
 $(LIBRARY)(%.o): %.o
 	@echo 'queueing $< for insertion into $(LIBRARY)'; \
 	touch $(LIBRARY:%.a=.%.timestamp)
@@ -593,6 +593,17 @@ $(LIBRARY): $(LIBRARY)($(OBJS) $(LOBJS)) $(LIBRARY:%.a=.%.timestamp) Makefile.in
 
 else
 
+$(LIBRARY): $(OBJS) $(LOBJS) Makefile Makefile.in
+	rm -f $@
+	@rm -f $(SUB_LOBJS)
+	@for lib in $(SHARED_LIBRARY_LIBS); do $(AR_EXTRACT) $${lib}; $(CLEANUP2); done
+	$(AR) $(AR_FLAGS) $(OBJS) $(LOBJS) $(SUB_LOBJS)
+	$(RANLIB) $@
+	@rm -f foodummyfilefoo $(SUB_LOBJS)
+endif # ! SHARED_LIBRARY_LIBS
+
+else # ! USE_IMPLICIT_ARCHIVE
+
 $(LIBRARY): $(OBJS) $(LOBJS) Makefile Makefile.in
 	rm -f $@
 ifdef SHARED_LIBRARY_LIBS
@@ -603,8 +614,8 @@ endif
 	$(RANLIB) $@
 	@rm -f foodummyfilefoo $(SUB_LOBJS)
 
-endif
-else
+endif # USE_IMPLICIT_ARCHIVE
+else # OS2
 ifdef OS2_IMPLIB
 $(LIBRARY): $(OBJS) $(DEF_FILE)
 	rm -f $@
@@ -1293,7 +1304,7 @@ $(MDDEPDIR):
 MDDEPEND_FILES		:= $(wildcard $(MDDEPDIR)/*.pp)
 
 ifdef MDDEPEND_FILES
-ifdef SHARED_LIBRARY_LIBS
+ifdef PERL
 # The script mddepend.pl checks the dependencies and writes to stdout
 # one rule to force out-of-date objects. For example,
 #   foo.o boo.o: FORCE
diff --git a/configure.in b/configure.in
index 3d828389fbf6..29ceeaaa0312 100644
--- a/configure.in
+++ b/configure.in
@@ -2678,6 +2678,12 @@ AC_ARG_ENABLE(verbose-config-defs,
 	VERBOSE_CONFIG_DEFS=
     fi])
 
+dnl use GNU make's implicit archive feature to save space
+MOZ_ARG_ENABLE_BOOL(implicit-archive,
+[  --enable-implicit-archive
+                          Use GNU make's implicit archive feature],
+    USE_IMPLICIT_ARCHIVE=1)
+
 dnl ========================================================
 dnl =
 dnl = --diable-dtd-debug
@@ -2815,6 +2821,7 @@ AC_SUBST(FULL_STATIC_BUILD)
 AC_SUBST(NO_UNIX_LDAP)
 AC_SUBST(BUILD_IDLC)
 AC_SUBST(MOZ_ENABLE_GTK_MOZILLA)
+AC_SUBST(USE_IMPLICIT_ARCHIVE)
 
 AC_SUBST(MOZ_COMPONENTS_VERSION_SCRIPT_LDFLAGS)
 AC_SUBST(MOZ_STRIP_NOT_EXPORTED)