diff --git a/CHANGES b/CHANGES
index 9fb1522e97c3a43abe7c3c0a84f66d648021a9a7..2d707386000fa6667ad40013b9c5f575330aec20 100644
--- a/CHANGES
+++ b/CHANGES
@@ -6,6 +6,15 @@
 
                                   Changelog
 
+Daniel (2 March 2007)
+- Robert A. Monat and Shmulik Regev helped out to fix the new */Makefile.vc8
+  makefiles that are included in the source release archives, generated from
+  the Makefile.vc6 files by the maketgz script. I also modified the root
+  Makefile to have a VC variable that defaults to vc6 but can be overridden to
+  allow it to be used for vc8 as well. Like this:
+
+    nmake VC=vc8 vc
+
 Daniel (27 February 2007)
 - Hang Kin Lau found and fixed: When I use libcurl to connect to an https
   server through a proxy and have the remote https server port set using the
diff --git a/Makefile.dist b/Makefile.dist
index 29ca57530c6b97082d35733c46da6c20b7d52615..20ddbcc2ad29ce7a959c9a5acf152f1995f21210 100644
--- a/Makefile.dist
+++ b/Makefile.dist
@@ -21,6 +21,8 @@
 # $Id$
 ###########################################################################
 
+VC=vc6
+
 all:
 	./configure
 	make
@@ -87,106 +89,106 @@ mingw32-clean:
 
 vc-clean:
 	cd lib
-	nmake -f Makefile.vc6 clean
+	nmake -f Makefile.$(VC) clean
 	cd ..\src
-	nmake -f Makefile.vc6 clean
+	nmake -f Makefile.$(VC) clean
 
 vc-all:
 	cd lib
-	nmake -f Makefile.vc6 cfg=release
-	nmake -f Makefile.vc6 cfg=release-ssl
-	nmake -f Makefile.vc6 cfg=release-zlib
-	nmake -f Makefile.vc6 cfg=release-ssl-zlib
-	nmake -f Makefile.vc6 cfg=release-ssl-dll
-	nmake -f Makefile.vc6 cfg=release-zlib-dll
-	nmake -f Makefile.vc6 cfg=release-ssl-dll-zlib-dll
-	nmake -f Makefile.vc6 cfg=release-dll
-	nmake -f Makefile.vc6 cfg=release-dll-ssl-dll
-	nmake -f Makefile.vc6 cfg=release-dll-zlib-dll
-	nmake -f Makefile.vc6 cfg=release-dll-ssl-dll-zlib-dll
-	nmake -f Makefile.vc6 cfg=debug
-	nmake -f Makefile.vc6 cfg=debug-ssl
-	nmake -f Makefile.vc6 cfg=debug-zlib
-	nmake -f Makefile.vc6 cfg=debug-ssl-zlib
-	nmake -f Makefile.vc6 cfg=debug-ssl-dll
-	nmake -f Makefile.vc6 cfg=debug-zlib-dll
-	nmake -f Makefile.vc6 cfg=debug-ssl-dll-zlib-dll
-	nmake -f Makefile.vc6 cfg=debug-dll
-	nmake -f Makefile.vc6 cfg=debug-dll-ssl-dll
-	nmake -f Makefile.vc6 cfg=debug-dll-zlib-dll
-	nmake -f Makefile.vc6 cfg=debug-dll-ssl-dll-zlib-dll
+	nmake -f Makefile.$(VC) cfg=release
+	nmake -f Makefile.$(VC) cfg=release-ssl
+	nmake -f Makefile.$(VC) cfg=release-zlib
+	nmake -f Makefile.$(VC) cfg=release-ssl-zlib
+	nmake -f Makefile.$(VC) cfg=release-ssl-dll
+	nmake -f Makefile.$(VC) cfg=release-zlib-dll
+	nmake -f Makefile.$(VC) cfg=release-ssl-dll-zlib-dll
+	nmake -f Makefile.$(VC) cfg=release-dll
+	nmake -f Makefile.$(VC) cfg=release-dll-ssl-dll
+	nmake -f Makefile.$(VC) cfg=release-dll-zlib-dll
+	nmake -f Makefile.$(VC) cfg=release-dll-ssl-dll-zlib-dll
+	nmake -f Makefile.$(VC) cfg=debug
+	nmake -f Makefile.$(VC) cfg=debug-ssl
+	nmake -f Makefile.$(VC) cfg=debug-zlib
+	nmake -f Makefile.$(VC) cfg=debug-ssl-zlib
+	nmake -f Makefile.$(VC) cfg=debug-ssl-dll
+	nmake -f Makefile.$(VC) cfg=debug-zlib-dll
+	nmake -f Makefile.$(VC) cfg=debug-ssl-dll-zlib-dll
+	nmake -f Makefile.$(VC) cfg=debug-dll
+	nmake -f Makefile.$(VC) cfg=debug-dll-ssl-dll
+	nmake -f Makefile.$(VC) cfg=debug-dll-zlib-dll
+	nmake -f Makefile.$(VC) cfg=debug-dll-ssl-dll-zlib-dll
 
 vc:
 	cd lib
-	nmake /f Makefile.vc6 cfg=release
+	nmake /f Makefile.$(VC) cfg=release
 	cd ..\src
-	nmake /f Makefile.vc6
+	nmake /f Makefile.$(VC)
 
 vc-zlib:
 	cd lib
-	nmake /f Makefile.vc6 cfg=release-zlib
+	nmake /f Makefile.$(VC) cfg=release-zlib
 	cd ..\src
-	nmake /f Makefile.vc6 cfg=release-zlib
+	nmake /f Makefile.$(VC) cfg=release-zlib
 
 vc-ssl:
 	cd lib
-	nmake /f Makefile.vc6 cfg=release-ssl
+	nmake /f Makefile.$(VC) cfg=release-ssl
 	cd ..\src
-	nmake /f Makefile.vc6 cfg=release-ssl
+	nmake /f Makefile.$(VC) cfg=release-ssl
 
 vc-ssl-zlib:
 	cd lib
-	nmake /f Makefile.vc6 cfg=release-ssl-zlib
+	nmake /f Makefile.$(VC) cfg=release-ssl-zlib
 	cd ..\src
-	nmake /f Makefile.vc6 cfg=release-ssl-zlib
+	nmake /f Makefile.$(VC) cfg=release-ssl-zlib
 
 vc-ssl-dll:
 	cd lib
-	nmake /f Makefile.vc6 cfg=release-ssl-dll
+	nmake /f Makefile.$(VC) cfg=release-ssl-dll
 	cd ..\src
-	nmake /f Makefile.vc6 cfg=release-ssl-dll
+	nmake /f Makefile.$(VC) cfg=release-ssl-dll
 
 vc-dll-ssl-dll:
 	cd lib
-	nmake /f Makefile.vc6 cfg=release-dll-ssl-dll
+	nmake /f Makefile.$(VC) cfg=release-dll-ssl-dll
 	cd ..\src
-	nmake /f Makefile.vc6 cfg=release-dll-ssl-dll
+	nmake /f Makefile.$(VC) cfg=release-dll-ssl-dll
 
 vc-dll:
 	cd lib
-	nmake /f Makefile.vc6 cfg=release-dll
+	nmake /f Makefile.$(VC) cfg=release-dll
 	cd ..\src
-	nmake /f Makefile.vc6 cfg=release-dll
+	nmake /f Makefile.$(VC) cfg=release-dll
 
 vc-dll-zlib-dll:
 	cd lib
-	nmake /f Makefile.vc6 cfg=release-dll-zlib-dll
+	nmake /f Makefile.$(VC) cfg=release-dll-zlib-dll
 	cd ..\src
-	nmake /f Makefile.vc6 cfg=release-dll-zlib-dll
+	nmake /f Makefile.$(VC) cfg=release-dll-zlib-dll
 
 vc-dll-ssl-dll-zlib-dll:
 	cd lib
-	nmake /f Makefile.vc6 cfg=release-dll-ssl-dll-zlib-dll
+	nmake /f Makefile.$(VC) cfg=release-dll-ssl-dll-zlib-dll
 	cd ..\src
-	nmake /f Makefile.vc6 cfg=release-dll-ssl-dll-zlib-dll
+	nmake /f Makefile.$(VC) cfg=release-dll-ssl-dll-zlib-dll
 
 vc-ssl-dll-zlib-dll:
 	cd lib
-	nmake /f Makefile.vc6 cfg=release-ssl-dll-zlib-dll
+	nmake /f Makefile.$(VC) cfg=release-ssl-dll-zlib-dll
 	cd ..\src
-	nmake /f Makefile.vc6 cfg=release-ssl-dll-zlib-dll
+	nmake /f Makefile.$(VC) cfg=release-ssl-dll-zlib-dll
 
 vc-zlib-dll:
 	cd lib
-	nmake /f Makefile.vc6 cfg=release-zlib-dll
+	nmake /f Makefile.$(VC) cfg=release-zlib-dll
 	cd ..\src
-	nmake /f Makefile.vc6 cfg=release-zlib-dll
+	nmake /f Makefile.$(VC) cfg=release-zlib-dll
 
 vc-sspi:
 	cd lib
-	nmake /f Makefile.vc6 cfg=release WINDOWS_SSPI=1
+	nmake /f Makefile.$(VC) cfg=release WINDOWS_SSPI=1
 	cd ..\src
-	nmake /f Makefile.vc6 cfg=release WINDOWS_SSPI=1
+	nmake /f Makefile.$(VC) cfg=release WINDOWS_SSPI=1
 
 djgpp:
 	$(MAKE) -C lib -f Makefile.dj
diff --git a/RELEASE-NOTES b/RELEASE-NOTES
index 97ca13ea48d0a4da078634b69d2e6238c8ceac2a..079d7d0ceb3d5f9ea6e77cdd27f3731e42bcc83f 100644
--- a/RELEASE-NOTES
+++ b/RELEASE-NOTES
@@ -18,7 +18,8 @@ This release includes the following changes:
  o changed default anonymous FTP password
  o changed the CURLOPT_FTP_SSL_CCC option to handle active and passive
    CCC shutdown
- o Added the --ftp-ssl-ccc-mode command line option
+ o added the --ftp-ssl-ccc-mode command line option
+ o includes VC8 Makefiles in the release archive
 
 This release includes the following bugfixes:
 
diff --git a/maketgz b/maketgz
index 4a42dba221a493580a54daa649e8d7d841997a96..b71ace0456f07fa2e95b3b35523d822fc0e669b1 100755
--- a/maketgz
+++ b/maketgz
@@ -38,6 +38,11 @@ sed -e 's/^#define LIBCURL_VERSION .*/#define LIBCURL_VERSION "'$libversion'"/g'
 # Replace version number in header file:
 sed 's/#define CURL_VERSION .*/#define CURL_VERSION "'$curlversion'"/g' $CHEADER >$CHEADER.dist
 
+echo "generate VC8 makefiles"
+# Generate VC8 versions from the VC6 Makefile versions 
+sed -e "s#/GX /DWIN32 /YX#/EHsc /DWIN32#" -e 's#/GZ#/RTC1#' -e 's/VC6/VC8/g' lib/Makefile.vc6 > lib/Makefile.vc8.dist
+sed -e "s#/GX /DWIN32 /YX#/EHsc /DWIN32#" -e 's#/GZ#/RTC1#' -e 's/VC6/VC8/g' src/Makefile.vc6 > src/Makefile.vc8.dist
+
 # Replace version number in plist file:
 PLIST=lib/libcurl.plist
 sed "s/7\.12\.3/$libversion/g" $PLIST > $PLIST.dist