diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 99ac470ff..14d9659a4 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -13,3 +13,7 @@ yarn-error.log
 npm-packages-offline-cache/
 
 config.mk
+configure.py
+
+\#*\#
+*~
diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index b33ac71bd..1e7d65e04 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ lint: tsc yarn-install
 	$(tslint) -e src/i18n/strings.ts --project tsconfig.json -t verbose 'src/**/*.ts' 'src/**/*.tsx'
 
 .PHONY: yarn-install
-yarn-install: 
+yarn-install:
 	yarn install
 
 
@@ -83,7 +83,7 @@ else
 .PHONY: install
 install: tsc
 	@echo "installing to" $(prefix)
-	npm install -g --prefix $(prefix) .	
+	npm install -g --prefix $(prefix) .
 endif
 
 .PHONY: watch
diff --git a/configure b/configure
index df74a8fef..fe59b5bba 100755
--- a/configure
+++ b/configure
@@ -1,99 +1,118 @@
-#!/usr/bin/env bash
+#!/bin/sh
 
-set -eu
+# This file is part of TALER
+# (C) 2019 GNUnet e.V.
+#
+# This is very simple POSIX sh script which
+# identifies the first matching
+# python3 identifier in $PATH and produces
+# configure.py from configure.py.in, and then
+# calls the new executable configure.py.
+#
+# It should be portable on Unices. Report bugs on
+# the bugtracker if you discover that it isn't
+# working as intended.
+#
+# Authors:
+# Author: ng0 <ng0@taler.net>
+#
+# Permission to use, copy, modify, and/or distribute this software for any
+# purpose with or without fee is hereby granted.
+#
+# THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" AND THE AUTHOR DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES
+# WITH REGARD TO THIS SOFTWARE INCLUDING ALL IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF
+# MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHOR BE
+# LIABLE FOR ANY SPECIAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES
+# OR ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER RESULTING FROM LOSS OF USE, DATA OR PROFITS,
+# WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, NEGLIGENCE OR OTHER TORTIOUS ACTION,
+# ARISING OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE USE OR PERFORMANCE OF
+# THIS SOFTWARE.
+#
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: 0BSD
 
-prefix=/usr/local
-
-usage() {
-  echo "Usage: ./configure [OPTION]"
-  echo
-  echo "Configuration:"
-  echo "  -h, --help              display this help and exit"
-  echo
-  echo "Installation directories:"
-  echo "  --prefix=PREFIX         install architecture-independent files in PREFIX [$prefix]"
+# there is a function used in curl to replicate which(1), but
+# it uses too many other tools. this one uses command and in
+# gnunet so far has no reports about failures.
+existence()
+{
+    command -v "$1" >/dev/null 2>&1
 }
 
-
-# -allow a command to fail with !'s side effect on errexit
-# -use return value from ${PIPESTATUS[0]}, because ! hosed $?
-! getopt --test > /dev/null
-if [[ ${PIPESTATUS[0]} -ne 4 ]]; then
-    echo 'getopt not available'
-    exit 1
+# We have to check every possible variant of the
+# executable name because there is a PEP which
+# defines the executable to be like this.
+if existence python3; then
+    python="python3"
+elif existence python3.1; then
+    python="python3.1"
+elif existence python3.2; then
+    python="python3.2"
+elif existence python3.3; then
+    python="python3.3"
+elif existence python3.4; then
+    python="python3.4"
+elif existence python3.5; then
+    python="python3.5"
+elif existence python3.6; then
+    python="python3.6"
+elif existence python3.7; then
+    python="python3.7"
+elif existence python3.8; then
+    python="python3.8"
+else
+    echo "*** No known python3 executable found in path ***"
+    echo "*** falling back to env(1) python             ***"
+    # Unreliable, but if env finds no python, we still can
+    # not assume python in a fixed location.
+    # TODO: Check this in a clean chroot!
+    python="env python"
 fi
 
-LONGOPTS=prefix:,help
-OPTIONS=h
+# we could check the return value here via || echo "blafoo"
+# or fail anyway once configure.py is invoked because we
+# don't have python if we reach the point to fail.
+PYTHON=$($python -c 'import sys; print(sys.executable)')
+#echo $PYTHON
 
-! PARSED=$(getopt --options=$OPTIONS --longoptions=$LONGOPTS --name "$0" -- "$@")
-if [[ ${PIPESTATUS[0]} -ne 0 ]]; then
-    # e.g. return value is 1
-    #  then getopt has complained about wrong arguments to stdout
-    exit 2
+if ! existence node; then
+    echo 'Error: node executable not found.'
+    echo 'If you are using Linux, Ubuntu or Debian, try installing the'
+    echo 'node-legacy package or symlink node to nodejs.'
+else
+    node_version=$(node --version)
+    #echo "Using node ${node_version}"
+    if ! node -p 'process.exit(!(/v([0-9]+)/.exec(process.version)[1] >= 4))'; then
+        echo 'Your node version is too old, use Node 4.x or newer'
+    fi
 fi
 
-# read getopt's output this way to handle the quoting right:
-eval set -- "$PARSED"
-
-while true; do
-    case "$1" in
-      --prefix)
-        prefix="$2"
-        shift 2
-        ;;
-      -h|--help)
-        usage
-        exit 1
-        ;;
-      --)
-        shift
-        break
-        ;;
-      *)
-        echo "Programming error"
-        exit 3
-        ;;
-    esac
-done
-
-cat << EOF > config.mk
-# this file is autogenerated by ./configure
-prefix=$prefix
-EOF
-
-node_version=$(node --version)
-if [ ! "$?" -eq 0 ]; then
-  echo 'Error: node executable not found.'
-  echo 'If you are using ubuntu or debian, try installing the'
-  echo 'node-legacy package or symlink node to nodejs.'
-  exit 1
-fi
-echo "Using node ${node_version}"
-
-if ! node -p 'process.exit(!(/v([0-9]+)/.exec(process.version)[1] >= 4))'; then
-  echo 'Your node version is too old, use something >v4.x.x'
-  exit 1
+if ! existence yarn; then
+    echo 'ERROR: yarn missing. See https://yarnpkg.com/en/docs/install'
 fi
 
-if ! yarn --version &>/dev/null; then
-  echo 'Error: yarn missing. See https://yarnpkg.com/en/docs/install'
-  exit 1
+# for the weird systems and sandboxes, only as a anotice.
+# make will fail anyway.
+if ! existence find; then
+    echo "INFO: find(1) is missing"
+fi
+if ! existence xargs; then
+    echo "INFO: xargs(1) is missing"
+fi
+if ! existence msgmerge; then
+    echo "INFO: msgmerge(1) is missing"
 fi
 
-if ! find --version &>/dev/null; then
-  echo 'Error: find missing'
-  exit 1
-fi
-
-if ! xargs --version &>/dev/null; then
-  echo 'Error: xargs missing'
-  exit 1
-fi
-
-if ! msgmerge --version &>/dev/null; then
-  echo "Warning: msgmerge missing, i18n won't work"
-  exit 1
-fi
+# Remove leftover configure.py file
+rm configure.py
 
+# Now we will just assume sed exists,
+# and replace only the executable name.
+sed -e "s,[@]PYTHON[@],$PYTHON,g" < ./configure.py.in > configure.py
+chmod +x configure.py
 
+# Call configure.py, assuming all went well.
+# $1 is read by configure.py as the prefix.
+# If $1 is empty, the python script checks the
+# environment for PREFIX. We might need more
+# variables and switches, such as DESTDIR.
+./configure.py "$1"
diff --git a/configure.py.in b/configure.py.in
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..9369410ed
--- /dev/null
+++ b/configure.py.in
@@ -0,0 +1,72 @@
+#!@PYTHON@
+
+# This file is part of TALER
+# (C) 2019 GNUnet e.V.
+#
+# Authors:
+# Author: ng0 <ng0@taler.net>
+#
+# Permission to use, copy, modify, and/or distribute this software for any
+# purpose with or without fee is hereby granted.
+#
+# THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" AND THE AUTHOR DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES
+# WITH REGARD TO THIS SOFTWARE INCLUDING ALL IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF
+# MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHOR BE
+# LIABLE FOR ANY SPECIAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES
+# OR ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER RESULTING FROM LOSS OF USE, DATA OR PROFITS,
+# WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, NEGLIGENCE OR OTHER TORTIOUS ACTION,
+# ARISING OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE USE OR PERFORMANCE OF
+# THIS SOFTWARE.
+#
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: 0BSD
+
+import argparse
+import os
+import sys
+import logging
+
+# This script so far generates config.mk.
+# The only value it produces is prefix,
+# which is either taken as the first argument
+# to this script, or as --prefix=, or read
+# from the environment variable PREFIX.
+#
+# TODO: Also respect DESTDIR ($PREFIX/$DESTDIR/rest).
+
+
+def _read_prefix():
+    logging.basicConfig(level=logging.DEBUG)
+    logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
+
+    if 'PREFIX' in os.environ:
+        logger.debug('PREFIX from environment')
+        myprefix = os.environ.get('PREFIX')
+        if myprefix is not None and os.path.isdir(myprefix) is True:
+            logger.debug('PREFIX from environment: %s', myprefix)
+            return myprefix
+
+    else:
+        logger.debug('PREFIX from argv')
+        parser = argparse.ArgumentParser()
+        parser.add_argument("-p",
+                            "--prefix",
+                            type=str,
+                            required=True,
+                            help='Directory prefix for installation')
+        logger.debug('parser.parse_args step')
+        args = parser.parse_args()
+        logger.debug('%s', args)
+        myprefix = args.prefix
+        # if args.prefix is not None and os.path.isdir(myprefix) is True:
+        if args.prefix and os.path.isdir(myprefix) is True:
+            return myprefix
+
+def main():
+    myprefix = str(_read_prefix())
+    f = open('config.mk', 'w+')
+    f.write('# this file is autogenerated by ./configure\n')
+    f.write('prefix=' + myprefix + '\n')
+    f.close()
+
+
+main()