diff --git a/common/autoconf/libraries.m4 b/common/autoconf/libraries.m4
--- jdk8/common/autoconf/libraries.m4
+++ jdk8/common/autoconf/libraries.m4
@@ -499,11 +499,40 @@
 # Check for the gif library
 #
 
-USE_EXTERNAL_LIBJPEG=true
-AC_CHECK_LIB(gif, main, [],
-             [ USE_EXTERNAL_LIBGIF=false
-               AC_MSG_NOTICE([Will use gif decoder bundled with the OpenJDK source])
-             ])
+AC_ARG_WITH(giflib, [AS_HELP_STRING([--with-giflib],
+	[use giflib from build system or OpenJDK source (system, bundled) @<:@bundled@:>@])])
+
+AC_CHECK_LIB(gif, DGifGetCode,
+             [ GIFLIB_FOUND=yes ],
+             [ GIFLIB_FOUND=no ])
+
+AC_MSG_CHECKING([for which giflib to use])
+
+# default is bundled
+DEFAULT_GIFLIB=bundled
+
+#
+# if user didn't specify, use DEFAULT_GIFLIB
+#
+if test "x${with_giflib}" = "x"; then
+    with_giflib=${DEFAULT_GIFLIB}
+fi
+
+
+if test "x${with_giflib}" = "xbundled"; then
+    USE_EXTERNAL_LIBGIF=false
+    AC_MSG_RESULT([bundled])
+elif test "x${with_giflib}" = "xsystem"; then
+    if test "x${GIFLIB_FOUND}" = "xyes"; then
+        USE_EXTERNAL_LIBGIF=true
+        AC_MSG_RESULT([system])
+    else
+        AC_MSG_RESULT([system not found])
+        AC_MSG_ERROR([--with-giflib=system specified, but no giflib found!])
+    fi
+else
+    AC_MSG_ERROR([Invalid value of --with-giflib: ${with_giflib}, use 'system' or 'bundled'])
+fi
 AC_SUBST(USE_EXTERNAL_LIBGIF)
 
 ###############################################################################
diff --git a/makefiles/CompileNativeLibraries.gmk b/makefiles/CompileNativeLibraries.gmk
--- jdk8/jdk/makefiles/CompileNativeLibraries.gmk
+++ jdk8/jdk/makefiles/CompileNativeLibraries.gmk
@@ -2385,18 +2385,23 @@
 
 ifndef BUILD_HEADLESS_ONLY
 LIBSPLASHSCREEN_DIRS:=\
-	$(JDK_TOPDIR)/src/share/native/sun/awt/giflib \
 	$(JDK_TOPDIR)/src/share/native/sun/awt/image/jpeg \
 	$(JDK_TOPDIR)/src/share/native/sun/awt/libpng \
 	$(JDK_TOPDIR)/src/share/native/sun/awt/splashscreen
 
+ifeq ($(USE_EXTERNAL_LIBGIF),true)
+    LIBGIF := -lgif
+else
+    LIBSPLASHSCREEN_DIRS += $(JDK_TOPDIR)/src/share/native/sun/awt/giflib
+    LIBGIF_CFLAGS := -I$(JDK_TOPDIR)/src/share/native/sun/awt/giflib
+endif
+
 ifneq ($(OPENJDK_TARGET_OS), macosx)
     LIBSPLASHSCREEN_DIRS += $(JDK_TOPDIR)/src/$(OPENJDK_TARGET_OS_API_DIR)/native/sun/awt/splashscreen
 else
     LIBSPLASHSCREEN_DIRS += $(JDK_TOPDIR)/src/macosx/native/sun/awt/splashscreen
 endif
 
-
 LIBSPLASHSCREEN_CFLAGS:=-DSPLASHSCREEN -DPNG_NO_MMX_CODE \
 	$(foreach dir,$(LIBSPLASHSCREEN_DIRS),-I$(dir))
 
@@ -2448,11 +2453,11 @@
 		EXCLUDE_FILES:=imageioJPEG.c jpegdecoder.c pngtest.c,\
 		LANG:=C,\
 		OPTIMIZATION:=LOW, \
-		CFLAGS:=$(LIBSPLASHSCREEN_CFLAGS) $(CFLAGS_JDKLIB),\
+		CFLAGS:=$(LIBSPLASHSCREEN_CFLAGS) $(CFLAGS_JDKLIB) -I$(LIBGIF_CFLAGS),\
 		MAPFILE:=$(JDK_TOPDIR)/makefiles/mapfiles/libsplashscreen/mapfile-vers, \
 		LDFLAGS:=$(LDFLAGS_JDKLIB) \
 			 $(call SET_SHARED_LIBRARY_ORIGIN),\
-		LDFLAGS_SUFFIX:=$(LIBSPLASHSCREEN_LDFLAGS_SUFFIX) $(LIBZ),\
+		LDFLAGS_SUFFIX:=$(LIBSPLASHSCREEN_LDFLAGS_SUFFIX) $(LIBZ) $(LIBGIF),\
 		LDFLAGS_SUFFIX_solaris:=-lc,\
 		VERSIONINFO_RESOURCE:=$(JDK_TOPDIR)/src/windows/resource/version.rc,\
 		RC_FLAGS:=$(RC_FLAGS)\
diff --git a/src/share/native/sun/awt/splashscreen/splashscreen_gif.c b/src/share/native/sun/awt/splashscreen/splashscreen_gif.c
--- jdk8/jdk/src/share/native/sun/awt/splashscreen/splashscreen_gif.c
+++ jdk8/jdk/src/share/native/sun/awt/splashscreen/splashscreen_gif.c
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@
 #include "splashscreen_impl.h"
 #include "splashscreen_gfx.h"
 
-#include "../giflib/gif_lib.h"
+#include "gif_lib.h"
 
 #define GIF_TRANSPARENT     0x01
 #define GIF_USER_INPUT      0x02