diff --git a/ChangeLog b/ChangeLog
index 739419a0..fd6dd28f 100644
--- a/ChangeLog
+++ b/ChangeLog
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@
 - deprecated.h is now defined in terms of current functionality, rather than
   repeating stuff
 - im_flood() and friends rewritten, typically 4x faster
+- removed --with-cimg option, added --disable-cxx
 
 26/11/09 started 7.20.3
 - updated en_GB.po translation 
diff --git a/Makefile.am b/Makefile.am
index 7fe50f71..40658b4a 100644
--- a/Makefile.am
+++ b/Makefile.am
@@ -1,8 +1,20 @@
-# only build in the python dir if we can
+
+# turn off libvipsCC if C++ is disabled
+if ENABLE_CXX
+C_COMPILE_DIR = libvipsCC
+C_DIST_DIR =
+C_PKGCONFIG = vipsCC-7.${IM_MINOR_VERSION}.pc
+
+# turn on Python if we can (requires C++)
 if HAVE_PYTHON
 P_COMPILE_DIR = swig
 P_DIST_DIR =
+endif
+
 else
+C_COMPILE_DIR =
+C_DIST_DIR = libvipsCC 
+C_PKGCONFIG =
 P_COMPILE_DIR =
 P_DIST_DIR = swig
 endif
@@ -10,24 +22,25 @@ endif
 SUBDIRS = \
 	libvips \
 	tools \
-	libvipsCC \
 	man \
 	po \
 	doc \
+	$(C_COMPILE_DIR) \
 	$(P_COMPILE_DIR) 
 
 EXTRA_DIST = \
 	m4 \
 	benchmark \
 	bootstrap.sh \
-	vipsCC-7.${IM_MINOR_VERSION}.pc.in \
 	vips-7.${IM_MINOR_VERSION}.pc.in \
+	vipsCC-7.${IM_MINOR_VERSION}.pc.in \
 	acinclude.m4 \
 	depcomp \
+	$(C_DIST_DIR) \
 	$(P_DIST_DIR)
 
 pkgconfigdir = $(libdir)/pkgconfig
-pkgconfig_DATA = vips-7.${IM_MINOR_VERSION}.pc vipsCC-7.${IM_MINOR_VERSION}.pc
+pkgconfig_DATA = vips-7.${IM_MINOR_VERSION}.pc $(C_PKGCONFIG)
 
 install-exec-hook:
 	-rm -rf ${DESTDIR}$(datadir)/doc/vips
diff --git a/TODO b/TODO
index 27863c22..6334fbaa 100644
--- a/TODO
+++ b/TODO
@@ -1,6 +1,10 @@
 - we sill have the old flood-fill code there, move to deprecated
 
-- add a --without-cpp option?
+  should we have new API? we could have a single "im_floodfill" that allows
+  two inputs and has an "equals" param and junk im_flood(), im_flood_blob()
+  and im_flood_other()
+
+- what does G_UNLIKELY() do? can we use it?
 
 - rename vipsCC in SWIG as pyvips?
 
diff --git a/configure.in b/configure.in
index f1ca07af..2128a611 100644
--- a/configure.in
+++ b/configure.in
@@ -95,9 +95,25 @@ AC_C_RESTRICT
 AC_PROG_RANLIB
 AC_PROG_INSTALL
 AC_PROG_LN_S
-AC_PROG_CXX
 AM_WITH_DMALLOC
 
+# option to build without C++
+# handy for some embedded applications
+# also, including C++ source causes link problems on some
+# platforms, so have an option to disable it
+AC_ARG_ENABLE(cxx, 
+  AS_HELP_STRING([--enable-cxx], [build C++ components (default: enabled)]))
+
+if test x"$enable_cxx" != "xno"; then
+  AC_PROG_CXX
+  AC_DEFINE(ENABLE_CXX,1,[build C++ components])
+  AM_CONDITIONAL(ENABLE_CXX, true)
+  enable_cxx=yes
+else
+  AM_CONDITIONAL(ENABLE_CXX, false)
+  enable_cxx=no
+fi
+
 # we need a fully expanded version of $libdir
 # without this we get something like
 #    define IM_LIBDIR ${exec_prefix}/lib
@@ -437,9 +453,15 @@ AC_ARG_WITH([python],
     [build without Python bindings (default: test)]))
 
 if test x"$with_python" != "xno"; then
-  AM_PATH_PYTHON(2.2,,
-    [with_python=no
-     AC_MSG_WARN([Python not found; disabling Python binding])])
+  if test x"$enable_cxx" = "xno"; then
+    # if C++ if off, we can't do Python
+    with_python=no
+    AC_MSG_WARN([C++ is off, disabling Python binding])
+  else
+    AM_PATH_PYTHON(2.2,,
+      [with_python=no
+       AC_MSG_WARN([Python not found; disabling Python binding])])
+  fi
 fi
 
 if test x"$with_python" != "xno"; then
@@ -458,21 +480,6 @@ else
   AM_CONDITIONAL(HAVE_PYTHON, false)
 fi
 
-# make CImg wrapper? including C++ source causes link problems on some
-# platforms, so have an option to disable it
-AC_ARG_WITH([cimg], 
-  AS_HELP_STRING([--without-cimg], [build without CImg (default: with-cimg)]))
-
-if test x"$with_cimg" != "xno"; then
-  AM_CONDITIONAL(WITH_CIMG, true)
-  AC_DEFINE(WITH_CIMG,1,[include cimg package])
-  with_cimg=yes
-else
-  AM_CONDITIONAL(WITH_CIMG, false)
-  AC_MSG_WARN([disabling CImg binding])
-  with_cimg=no
-fi
-
 # Gather all up for VIPS_CFLAGS, VIPS_INCLUDES and VIPS_LIBS
 # sort includes to get longer, more specific dirs first
 # helps, for example, selecting graphicsmagick over imagemagick
@@ -547,6 +554,7 @@ AC_MSG_RESULT([
 * general build options
 native win32:				$vips_os_win32
 open files in binary mode: 		$vips_binary_open
+build C++ components:			$enable_cxx
 evaluate with threads: 			$enable_threads
 make symlinks for commands in bin: 	$enable_links
 build docs with gtkdoc 			$enable_gtk_doc
@@ -566,5 +574,4 @@ file import/export with libjpeg:	$with_jpeg
 use libexif to load/save JPEG metadata: $with_libexif
 video capture with v4l: 		$with_v4l
 build Python binding: 			$with_python
-build CImg wrapper: 			$with_cimg
 ])
diff --git a/libvips/Makefile.am b/libvips/Makefile.am
index 478230e3..f611d2be 100644
--- a/libvips/Makefile.am
+++ b/libvips/Makefile.am
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
-# only build in the cimg dir if it's enabled
-if WITH_CIMG
+# only build in the cimg dir if C++ is enabled
+if ENABLE_CXX
 C_COMPILE_DIR = cimg
 C_DIST_DIR =
 C_LIB = cimg/libcimg.la
diff --git a/libvips/iofuncs/package.c b/libvips/iofuncs/package.c
index 77147af9..7d73ab85 100644
--- a/libvips/iofuncs/package.c
+++ b/libvips/iofuncs/package.c
@@ -546,9 +546,9 @@ static im_package im__iofuncs = {
 static im_package *built_in[] = {
 	&im__arithmetic,
 	&im__boolean,
-#ifdef WITH_CIMG
+#ifdef ENABLE_CXX
 	&im__cimg,
-#endif /*WITH_CIMG*/
+#endif /*ENABLE_CXX*/
 	&im__colour,
 	&im__conversion,
 	&im__convolution,
diff --git a/libvips/resample/Makefile.am b/libvips/resample/Makefile.am
index 2c6f6dfc..4985f70f 100644
--- a/libvips/resample/Makefile.am
+++ b/libvips/resample/Makefile.am
@@ -1,18 +1,37 @@
+# only build the C++ stuff if it's enabled
+if ENABLE_CXX
+C_SOURCES = \
+	bicubic.cpp \
+	yafrsmooth.cpp \
+	nohalo1.cpp \
+	snohalo1.cpp \
+	nohalo2.cpp \
+	templates.h 
+C_DIST =
+else
+C_SOURCES = 
+C_DIST = \
+	bicubic.cpp \
+	yafrsmooth.cpp \
+	nohalo1.cpp \
+	snohalo1.cpp \
+	nohalo2.cpp \
+	templates.h 
+endif
+
 noinst_LTLIBRARIES = libresample.la
 
 libresample_la_SOURCES = \
 	im_affine.c \
-	bicubic.cpp \
 	interpolate.c \
-	yafrsmooth.cpp \
 	im_shrink.c \
 	im_stretch3.c \
 	im_rightshift_size.c \
-	nohalo1.cpp \
-	snohalo1.cpp \
-	nohalo2.cpp \
-	templates.h \
 	transform.c \
-	resample_dispatch.c
+	resample_dispatch.c \
+	$(C_SOURCES)
+
+EXTRA_DIST = \
+	$(C_DIST)
 
 INCLUDES = -I${top_srcdir}/libvips/include @VIPS_CFLAGS@ @VIPS_INCLUDES@ 
diff --git a/libvips/resample/interpolate.c b/libvips/resample/interpolate.c
index 07e97f99..42b8677c 100644
--- a/libvips/resample/interpolate.c
+++ b/libvips/resample/interpolate.c
@@ -504,11 +504,14 @@ vips__interpolate_init( void )
 
 	vips_interpolate_nearest_get_type();
 	vips_interpolate_bilinear_get_type();
+
+#ifdef ENABLE_CXX
 	vips_interpolate_bicubic_get_type();
 	vips_interpolate_yafrsmooth_get_type();
 	vips_interpolate_nohalo1_get_type();
 	vips_interpolate_snohalo1_get_type();
 	vips_interpolate_nohalo2_get_type();
+#endif /*ENABLE_CXX*/
 }
 
 /* Make an interpolator from a nickname.
diff --git a/tools/iofuncs/Makefile.am b/tools/iofuncs/Makefile.am
index 577daac1..f2cb6e45 100644
--- a/tools/iofuncs/Makefile.am
+++ b/tools/iofuncs/Makefile.am
@@ -14,8 +14,7 @@ LDADD = @VIPS_CFLAGS@ ${top_builddir}/libvips/libvips.la @VIPS_LIBS@
 if ENABLE_LINKS
 install-exec-hook:
 	${top_srcdir}/src/scripts/post_install ${DESTDIR}${bindir}
-endif
-
 uninstall-hook:
 	${RM} ${bindir}/im_*
+endif