diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index ce937457..543b972d 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -75,8 +75,19 @@ IF( MINGW OR UNIX )
                     -W
                    )
     ENDIF()
-
-    IF ( CYGWIN )
+    
+    if (CMAKE_COMPILER_IS_GNUCC)
+        execute_process(COMMAND ${CMAKE_C_COMPILER} -dumpversion
+                        OUTPUT_VARIABLE GCC_VERSION)
+        string(REGEX MATCHALL "[0-9]+" GCC_VERSION_COMPONENTS ${GCC_VERSION})
+        list(GET GCC_VERSION_COMPONENTS 0 GCC_MAJOR)
+        list(GET GCC_VERSION_COMPONENTS 1 GCC_MINOR)
+
+        message(STATUS Compiler major ${GCC_MAJOR})
+        message(STATUS ${GCC_MINOR})
+    endif()
+
+    IF ( CYGWIN OR ( ${GCC_MAJOR} GREATER 5 ))
         ADD_DEFINITIONS( -std=gnu++98 ) # to support snprintf
     ELSE()
         ADD_DEFINITIONS( -std=c++98 )
diff --git a/config/configure.ac b/config/configure.ac
index 1e0c6fd4..2dab6d35 100644
--- a/config/configure.ac
+++ b/config/configure.ac
@@ -335,6 +335,26 @@ for u in gettext msginit msgmerge msgfmt msgconv msgfilter ; do
     fi
 done
 
+AC_DEFUN([AX_GCC_VERSION], [
+  GCC_VERSION=""
+  AX_CHECK_COMPILE_FLAG([-dumpversion],
+     [ax_gcc_version_option=yes],
+     [ax_gcc_version_option=no])
+
+  AS_IF([test "x$GCC" = "xyes"],[
+    AS_IF([test "x$ax_gcc_version_option" != "xno"],[
+      AC_CACHE_CHECK([gcc version],[ax_cv_gcc_version],[
+        ax_cv_gcc_version="`$CC -dumpversion`"
+        AS_IF([test "x$ax_cv_gcc_version" = "x"],[
+          ax_cv_gcc_version=""
+        ])
+      ])
+      GCC_VERSION=$ax_cv_gcc_version
+    ])
+  ])
+  AC_SUBST([GCC_VERSION])
+])
+
 # 1188 v0.26 uses c++98
 # 1188 v0.27 should have an option to specify versions such as c++11
 case "$host_os" in
@@ -345,7 +365,9 @@ case "$host_os" in
         CPPFLAGS="$CPPFLAGS"               # mingw doesn't link pthreads if you specify -std !!
     ;;
     *)
-        CPPFLAGS="$CPPFLAGS -std=c++98"    # // all others use c++98
+        if [ $GCC_VERSION -le 5 ]; then CPPFLAGS="$CPPFLAGS -std=c++98"    # // most others use c++98
+        else                            CPPFLAGS="$CPPFLAGS -std=gnu++98"  # // but not GCC 6
+        fi
     ;;
 esac
 
diff --git a/samples/Makefile b/samples/Makefile
index 366c810b..8c4c17c8 100644
--- a/samples/Makefile
+++ b/samples/Makefile
@@ -123,7 +123,7 @@ LINK.cc += -rpath $(PREFIX) -L$(PREFIX)
 # to build the samples. Some errors only show up in this scenario, e.g., errors
 # due to missing headers which are not installed (depending on compile-time
 # settings) but may be wrongly included from other headers.
-COMPILE.cc += -I$(top_srcdir)/include -I$(top_srcdir)/include/exiv2
+COMPILE.cc += -I$(top_srcdir)/include -I$(top_srcdir)/include/exiv2 -std=gnu++98 
 
 # ******************************************************************************
 # Rules
diff --git a/src/jpgimage.cpp b/src/jpgimage.cpp
index 21d3d79e..7fa007f1 100644
--- a/src/jpgimage.cpp
+++ b/src/jpgimage.cpp
@@ -674,7 +674,8 @@ namespace Exiv2 {
                             // and dumping the XMP in a post read operation similar to kpsIptcErase
                             // for the moment, dumping 'on the fly' is working fine
                             if ( ! bExtXMP ) {
-                                while (xmp[start]) start++; start++;
+                                while (xmp[start]) start++;
+                                start++;
                                 if ( ::strstr((char*)xmp+start,"HasExtendedXMP") ) {
                                     start  = size ; // ignore this packet, we'll get on the next time around
                                     bExtXMP = true;
diff --git a/xmpsdk/src/XMPMeta-Serialize.cpp b/xmpsdk/src/XMPMeta-Serialize.cpp
index 8cc96aec..70a7b020 100644
--- a/xmpsdk/src/XMPMeta-Serialize.cpp
+++ b/xmpsdk/src/XMPMeta-Serialize.cpp
@@ -1,5 +1,4 @@
-// =================================================================================================
-// Copyright 2002-2008 Adobe Systems Incorporated
+// ================================================================================================= // Copyright 2002-2008 Adobe Systems Incorporated
 // All Rights Reserved.
 //
 // NOTICE:  Adobe permits you to use, modify, and distribute this file in accordance with the terms
@@ -284,7 +283,7 @@ AppendNodeValue ( XMP_VarString & outputStr, const XMP_VarString & value, bool f
 	unsigned char * runStart = (unsigned char *) value.c_str();
 	unsigned char * runLimit  = runStart + value.size();
 	unsigned char * runEnd;
-	unsigned char   ch;
+	unsigned char   ch=0;
 	
 	while ( runStart < runLimit ) {