diff --git a/src/server/Makefile b/src/server/Makefile
index 884e95360..84afae5d2 100644
--- a/src/server/Makefile
+++ b/src/server/Makefile
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ pgf.fcgi:
 	cp dist/build/pgf.fcgi/pgf.fcgi .
 
 gwt:
+	chmod a+x gwt/Translate-compile
 	gwt/Translate-compile
 
 gf-gwt.jar:
diff --git a/src/server/gwt/Translate-compile b/src/server/gwt/Translate-compile
index 608f17e99..5b2e5ee0a 100644
--- a/src/server/gwt/Translate-compile
+++ b/src/server/gwt/Translate-compile
@@ -10,4 +10,8 @@ if [ -z "$GWT_CLASSPATH" ]; then
   exit 1
 fi
 
-java -XstartOnFirstThread -Xmx256M -cp "$APPDIR/src:$APPDIR/bin:$GWT_CLASSPATH" com.google.gwt.dev.GWTCompiler -out "$APPDIR/www" "$@" se.chalmers.cs.gf.gwt.TranslateApp;
+if [ `uname` = "Darwin" ]; then 
+  GWT_JAVA_OPTS=-XstartOnFirstThread
+fi
+
+java $GWT_JAVA_OPTS -Xmx256M -cp "$APPDIR/src:$APPDIR/bin:$GWT_CLASSPATH" com.google.gwt.dev.GWTCompiler -out "$APPDIR/www" "$@" se.chalmers.cs.gf.gwt.TranslateApp;
diff --git a/src/server/gwt/Translate-shell-external b/src/server/gwt/Translate-shell-external
index 78a258ec5..0a18912fd 100644
--- a/src/server/gwt/Translate-shell-external
+++ b/src/server/gwt/Translate-shell-external
@@ -10,4 +10,8 @@ if [ -z "$GWT_CLASSPATH" ]; then
   exit 1
 fi
 
-java -XstartOnFirstThread -Xmx256M -cp "$APPDIR/src:$APPDIR/bin:$GWT_CLASSPATH" com.google.gwt.dev.GWTShell -out "$APPDIR/www" -noserver "$@" http://localhost:41296/gwt/www/se.chalmers.cs.gf.gwt.TranslateApp/Translate.html;
+if [ `uname` = "Darwin" ]; then
+  GWT_JAVA_OPTS=-XstartOnFirstThread
+fi
+
+java $GWT_JAVA_OPTS -Xmx256M -cp "$APPDIR/src:$APPDIR/bin:$GWT_CLASSPATH" com.google.gwt.dev.GWTShell -out "$APPDIR/www" -noserver "$@" http://localhost:41296/gwt/www/se.chalmers.cs.gf.gwt.TranslateApp/Translate.html;