diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index 418f7468873c..c494313e92cc 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -77,6 +77,15 @@ else()
 	MESSAGE(STATUS "Found little endian system. Good.")
 endif(${BIGENDIAN})
 
+check_c_source_compiles("
+int main() {
+#include \"${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/src/is_supported_platform.h\"
+}" IS_SUPPORTED_PLATFORM)
+if(NOT IS_SUPPORTED_PLATFORM)
+  MESSAGE(FATAL_ERROR "The target platform is not supported!")
+endif(NOT IS_SUPPORTED_PLATFORM)
+MESSAGE(STATUS "Is the target platform supported: ${IS_SUPPORTED_PLATFORM}")
+
 if(APPLE)
 	option(USE_MAC_INTEGRATION "Enable OS X integration" ON)
 else(APPLE)
diff --git a/src/common/darktable.c b/src/common/darktable.c
index 576cc246904b..9eb3a446a41e 100644
--- a/src/common/darktable.c
+++ b/src/common/darktable.c
@@ -449,46 +449,7 @@ int dt_init(int argc, char *argv[], const int init_gui, lua_State *L)
   _dt_sigsegv_old_handler = signal(SIGSEGV, &_dt_sigsegv_handler);
 #endif
 
-#if !defined(__BYTE_ORDER__) || __BYTE_ORDER__ != __ORDER_LITTLE_ENDIAN__
-#error "Unfortunately we only work on litte-endian systems."
-#endif
-
-#if(defined(__amd64__) || defined(__amd64) || defined(__x86_64__) || defined(__x86_64) || defined(__i386__)  \
-    || defined(__i386))
-#define DT_SUPPORTED_X86 1
-#else
-#define DT_SUPPORTED_X86 0
-#endif
-
-#if defined(__aarch64__) && defined(__ARM_64BIT_STATE) && defined(__ARM_ARCH) && defined(__ARM_ARCH_8A)
-#define DT_SUPPORTED_ARMv8A 1
-#else
-#define DT_SUPPORTED_ARMv8A 0
-#endif
-
-#if !DT_SUPPORTED_X86 && !DT_SUPPORTED_ARMv8A
-#error "Unfortunately we only work on amd64/x86 (64-bit and maybe 32-bit) and ARMv8-A (64-bit only)."
-#endif
-
-#if !DT_SUPPORTED_X86
-#if !defined(__SIZEOF_POINTER__) || __SIZEOF_POINTER__ < 8
-#error "On non-x86, we only support 64-bit."
-#else
-  if(sizeof(void *) < 8)
-  {
-    fprintf(stderr, "[dt_init] On non-x86, we only support 64-bit.\n");
-    return 1;
-  }
-#endif
-#endif
-
-#undef DT_SUPPORTED_ARMv8A
-#undef DT_SUPPORTED_X86
-
-#if !defined(__SSE2__) || !defined(__SSE__)
-#pragma message "Building without SSE2 is highly experimental."
-#pragma message "Expect a LOT of functionality to be broken. You have been warned."
-#endif
+#include "is_supported_platform.h"
 
   int sse2_supported = 0;
 
diff --git a/src/is_supported_platform.h b/src/is_supported_platform.h
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..d7cda6e5ec74
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/is_supported_platform.h
@@ -0,0 +1,66 @@
+/*
+    This file is part of darktable,
+    copyright (c) 2016 Roman Lebedev.
+
+    darktable is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify
+    it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
+    the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or
+    (at your option) any later version.
+
+    darktable is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+    but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+    MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
+    GNU General Public License for more details.
+
+    You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
+    along with darktable.  If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
+*/
+
+#if !defined(__BYTE_ORDER__) || __BYTE_ORDER__ != __ORDER_LITTLE_ENDIAN__
+#error "Unfortunately we only work on litte-endian systems."
+#endif
+
+#if(defined(__amd64__) || defined(__amd64) || defined(__x86_64__) || defined(__x86_64) || defined(__i386__)       \
+    || defined(__i386))
+#define DT_SUPPORTED_X86 1
+#else
+#define DT_SUPPORTED_X86 0
+#endif
+
+#if defined(__aarch64__) && defined(__ARM_64BIT_STATE) && defined(__ARM_ARCH) && defined(__ARM_ARCH_8A)
+#define DT_SUPPORTED_ARMv8A 1
+#else
+#define DT_SUPPORTED_ARMv8A 0
+#endif
+
+#if DT_SUPPORTED_X86 && DT_SUPPORTED_ARMv8A
+#error "Looks like hardware platform detection macros are broken?"
+#endif
+
+#if !DT_SUPPORTED_X86 && !DT_SUPPORTED_ARMv8A
+#error "Unfortunately we only work on amd64/x86 (64-bit and maybe 32-bit) and ARMv8-A (64-bit only)."
+#endif
+
+#if !DT_SUPPORTED_X86
+#if !defined(__SIZEOF_POINTER__) || __SIZEOF_POINTER__ < 8
+#error "On non-x86, we only support 64-bit."
+#else
+if(sizeof(void *) < 8)
+{
+  fprintf(stderr, "[dt_init] On non-x86, we only support 64-bit.\n");
+  return 1;
+}
+#endif
+#endif
+
+#undef DT_SUPPORTED_ARMv8A
+#undef DT_SUPPORTED_X86
+
+#if !defined(__SSE2__) || !defined(__SSE__)
+#pragma message "Building without SSE2 is highly experimental."
+#pragma message "Expect a LOT of functionality to be broken. You have been warned."
+#endif
+
+// modelines: These editor modelines have been set for all relevant files by tools/update_modelines.sh
+// vim: shiftwidth=2 expandtab tabstop=2 cindent
+// kate: tab-indents: off; indent-width 2; replace-tabs on; indent-mode cstyle; remove-trailing-spaces modified;