diff --git a/Makefile.in b/Makefile.in
index 7ebc79dd..cb92f876 100644
--- a/Makefile.in
+++ b/Makefile.in
@@ -93,6 +93,7 @@ subdir = .
 ACLOCAL_M4 = $(top_srcdir)/aclocal.m4
 am__aclocal_m4_deps = $(top_srcdir)/m4/ax_check_sign.m4 \
 	$(top_srcdir)/m4/ax_cxx_compile_stdcxx.m4 \
+	$(top_srcdir)/m4/ax_cxx_namespace.m4 \
 	$(top_srcdir)/m4/ax_lib_mysql.m4 $(top_srcdir)/m4/ax_numval.m4 \
 	$(top_srcdir)/m4/ax_pthread.m4 \
 	$(top_srcdir)/m4/hawk_try_cflags.m4 \
diff --git a/aclocal.m4 b/aclocal.m4
index 130f0916..8cb6e58c 100644
--- a/aclocal.m4
+++ b/aclocal.m4
@@ -1210,6 +1210,7 @@ AC_SUBST([am__untar])
 
 m4_include([m4/ax_check_sign.m4])
 m4_include([m4/ax_cxx_compile_stdcxx.m4])
+m4_include([m4/ax_cxx_namespace.m4])
 m4_include([m4/ax_lib_mysql.m4])
 m4_include([m4/ax_numval.m4])
 m4_include([m4/ax_pthread.m4])
diff --git a/bin/Makefile.in b/bin/Makefile.in
index 610cba34..37fb7b80 100644
--- a/bin/Makefile.in
+++ b/bin/Makefile.in
@@ -93,6 +93,7 @@ subdir = bin
 ACLOCAL_M4 = $(top_srcdir)/aclocal.m4
 am__aclocal_m4_deps = $(top_srcdir)/m4/ax_check_sign.m4 \
 	$(top_srcdir)/m4/ax_cxx_compile_stdcxx.m4 \
+	$(top_srcdir)/m4/ax_cxx_namespace.m4 \
 	$(top_srcdir)/m4/ax_lib_mysql.m4 $(top_srcdir)/m4/ax_numval.m4 \
 	$(top_srcdir)/m4/ax_pthread.m4 \
 	$(top_srcdir)/m4/hawk_try_cflags.m4 \
diff --git a/configure b/configure
index 5da43ba2..fe5f990f 100755
--- a/configure
+++ b/configure
@@ -6924,9 +6924,48 @@ fi
 
 if test "${HAVE_CXX}" = "yes"
 then
-		AX_CXX_NAMESPACE_STD
 
-  ax_cxx_compile_alternatives="11 0x"    ax_cxx_compile_cxx11_required=false
+{ printf "%s\n" "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: checking whether the compiler implements namespaces" >&5
+printf %s "checking whether the compiler implements namespaces... " >&6; }
+if test ${ax_cv_cxx_namespaces+y}
+then :
+  printf %s "(cached) " >&6
+else $as_nop
+  ac_ext=cpp
+ac_cpp='$CXXCPP $CPPFLAGS'
+ac_compile='$CXX -c $CXXFLAGS $CPPFLAGS conftest.$ac_ext >&5'
+ac_link='$CXX -o conftest$ac_exeext $CXXFLAGS $CPPFLAGS $LDFLAGS conftest.$ac_ext $LIBS >&5'
+ac_compiler_gnu=$ac_cv_cxx_compiler_gnu
+
+ cat confdefs.h - <<_ACEOF >conftest.$ac_ext
+/* end confdefs.h.  */
+namespace Outer { namespace Inner { int i = 0; }}
+                                   using namespace Outer::Inner; int foo(void) { return i;}
+_ACEOF
+if ac_fn_cxx_try_compile "$LINENO"
+then :
+  ax_cv_cxx_namespaces=yes
+else $as_nop
+  ax_cv_cxx_namespaces=no
+fi
+rm -f core conftest.err conftest.$ac_objext conftest.beam conftest.$ac_ext
+ ac_ext=c
+ac_cpp='$CPP $CPPFLAGS'
+ac_compile='$CC -c $CFLAGS $CPPFLAGS conftest.$ac_ext >&5'
+ac_link='$CC -o conftest$ac_exeext $CFLAGS $CPPFLAGS $LDFLAGS conftest.$ac_ext $LIBS >&5'
+ac_compiler_gnu=$ac_cv_c_compiler_gnu
+
+
+fi
+{ printf "%s\n" "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: result: $ax_cv_cxx_namespaces" >&5
+printf "%s\n" "$ax_cv_cxx_namespaces" >&6; }
+if test "$ax_cv_cxx_namespaces" = yes; then
+
+printf "%s\n" "#define HAVE_NAMESPACES /**/" >>confdefs.h
+
+fi
+
+		  ax_cxx_compile_alternatives="11 0x"    ax_cxx_compile_cxx11_required=false
   ac_ext=cpp
 ac_cpp='$CXXCPP $CPPFLAGS'
 ac_compile='$CXX -c $CXXFLAGS $CPPFLAGS conftest.$ac_ext >&5'
diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index f72224cd..f995a90b 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ AC_CHECK_PROG(HAVE_CXX, $CXX, yes, no)
 if test "${HAVE_CXX}" = "yes"  
 then
 	dnl check if the C++ compiler supports namespace
-	AX_CXX_NAMESPACE_STD
+	AX_CXX_NAMESPACES
 	dnl HAVE_CXX11
 	AX_CXX_COMPILE_STDCXX(11, , optional)
 fi
diff --git a/lib/Makefile.in b/lib/Makefile.in
index a139aa7f..ccdf6ddb 100644
--- a/lib/Makefile.in
+++ b/lib/Makefile.in
@@ -120,6 +120,7 @@ subdir = lib
 ACLOCAL_M4 = $(top_srcdir)/aclocal.m4
 am__aclocal_m4_deps = $(top_srcdir)/m4/ax_check_sign.m4 \
 	$(top_srcdir)/m4/ax_cxx_compile_stdcxx.m4 \
+	$(top_srcdir)/m4/ax_cxx_namespace.m4 \
 	$(top_srcdir)/m4/ax_lib_mysql.m4 $(top_srcdir)/m4/ax_numval.m4 \
 	$(top_srcdir)/m4/ax_pthread.m4 \
 	$(top_srcdir)/m4/hawk_try_cflags.m4 \
diff --git a/lib/hawk-cfg.h.in b/lib/hawk-cfg.h.in
index dfa8ddd8..0f2a9092 100644
--- a/lib/hawk-cfg.h.in
+++ b/lib/hawk-cfg.h.in
@@ -307,6 +307,9 @@
 /* Define to 1 if MySQL libraries are available */
 #undef HAVE_MYSQL
 
+/* define if the compiler implements namespaces */
+#undef HAVE_NAMESPACES
+
 /* Define to 1 if you have the `nanosleep' function. */
 #undef HAVE_NANOSLEEP
 
diff --git a/mod/Makefile.in b/mod/Makefile.in
index 59794d3b..d3b2db3a 100644
--- a/mod/Makefile.in
+++ b/mod/Makefile.in
@@ -100,6 +100,7 @@ subdir = mod
 ACLOCAL_M4 = $(top_srcdir)/aclocal.m4
 am__aclocal_m4_deps = $(top_srcdir)/m4/ax_check_sign.m4 \
 	$(top_srcdir)/m4/ax_cxx_compile_stdcxx.m4 \
+	$(top_srcdir)/m4/ax_cxx_namespace.m4 \
 	$(top_srcdir)/m4/ax_lib_mysql.m4 $(top_srcdir)/m4/ax_numval.m4 \
 	$(top_srcdir)/m4/ax_pthread.m4 \
 	$(top_srcdir)/m4/hawk_try_cflags.m4 \
diff --git a/samples/Makefile.in b/samples/Makefile.in
index c2d200ed..ed481e56 100644
--- a/samples/Makefile.in
+++ b/samples/Makefile.in
@@ -94,6 +94,7 @@ subdir = samples
 ACLOCAL_M4 = $(top_srcdir)/aclocal.m4
 am__aclocal_m4_deps = $(top_srcdir)/m4/ax_check_sign.m4 \
 	$(top_srcdir)/m4/ax_cxx_compile_stdcxx.m4 \
+	$(top_srcdir)/m4/ax_cxx_namespace.m4 \
 	$(top_srcdir)/m4/ax_lib_mysql.m4 $(top_srcdir)/m4/ax_numval.m4 \
 	$(top_srcdir)/m4/ax_pthread.m4 \
 	$(top_srcdir)/m4/hawk_try_cflags.m4 \
diff --git a/t/Makefile.in b/t/Makefile.in
index 7218ce48..667f64ad 100644
--- a/t/Makefile.in
+++ b/t/Makefile.in
@@ -93,6 +93,7 @@ subdir = t
 ACLOCAL_M4 = $(top_srcdir)/aclocal.m4
 am__aclocal_m4_deps = $(top_srcdir)/m4/ax_check_sign.m4 \
 	$(top_srcdir)/m4/ax_cxx_compile_stdcxx.m4 \
+	$(top_srcdir)/m4/ax_cxx_namespace.m4 \
 	$(top_srcdir)/m4/ax_lib_mysql.m4 $(top_srcdir)/m4/ax_numval.m4 \
 	$(top_srcdir)/m4/ax_pthread.m4 \
 	$(top_srcdir)/m4/hawk_try_cflags.m4 \
diff --git a/tools/Makefile.in b/tools/Makefile.in
index 21c97112..0935fce7 100644
--- a/tools/Makefile.in
+++ b/tools/Makefile.in
@@ -93,6 +93,7 @@ subdir = tools
 ACLOCAL_M4 = $(top_srcdir)/aclocal.m4
 am__aclocal_m4_deps = $(top_srcdir)/m4/ax_check_sign.m4 \
 	$(top_srcdir)/m4/ax_cxx_compile_stdcxx.m4 \
+	$(top_srcdir)/m4/ax_cxx_namespace.m4 \
 	$(top_srcdir)/m4/ax_lib_mysql.m4 $(top_srcdir)/m4/ax_numval.m4 \
 	$(top_srcdir)/m4/ax_pthread.m4 \
 	$(top_srcdir)/m4/hawk_try_cflags.m4 \