diff --git a/src/support/docstring.h b/src/support/docstring.h
index 9f54f0eaaa..5b64a08d5c 100644
--- a/src/support/docstring.h
+++ b/src/support/docstring.h
@@ -25,4 +25,121 @@ typedef std::basic_string<boost::uint32_t> docstring;
 
 }
 
+
+#if defined(__GNUC__) && defined(__GNUC_MINOR__) && __GNUC__ == 3 && __GNUC_MINOR__ < 4
+// Missing char_traits methods in gcc 3.3 and older. Taken from gcc 4.2svn.
+namespace std {
+
+template<typename T> void
+char_traits<T>::assign(char_type & c1, char_type const & c2)
+{
+	c1 = c2;
+}
+
+
+template<typename T> bool
+char_traits<T>::eq(char_type const & c1, char_type const & c2)
+{
+	return c1 == c2;
+}
+
+
+template<typename T> bool
+char_traits<T>::lt(char_type const & c1, char_type const & c2)
+{
+	return c1 < c2;
+}
+
+
+template<typename T> int
+char_traits<T>::compare(char_type const * s1, char_type const * s2, std::size_t n)
+{
+	for (std::size_t i = 0; i < n; ++i)
+		if (lt(s1[i], s2[i]))
+			return -1;
+		else if (lt(s2[i], s1[i]))
+			return 1;
+	return 0;
+}
+
+
+template<typename T> std::size_t
+char_traits<T>::length(char_type const * p)
+{
+	std::size_t i = 0;
+	while (!eq(p[i], char_type()))
+		++i;
+	return i;
+}
+
+
+template<typename T> typename char_traits<T>::char_type const *
+char_traits<T>::find(char_type const * s, size_t n, char_type const & a)
+{
+	for (std::size_t i = 0; i < n; ++i)
+		if (eq(s[i], a))
+			return s + i;
+	return 0;
+}
+
+
+template<typename T> typename char_traits<T>::char_type *
+char_traits<T>::move(char_type * s1, char_type const * s2, std::size_t n)
+{
+	return static_cast<T *>(std::memmove(s1, s2, n * sizeof(char_type)));
+}
+
+
+template<typename T> typename char_traits<T>::char_type *
+char_traits<T>::copy(char_type * s1, char_type const * s2, std::size_t n)
+{
+	std::copy(s2, s2 + n, s1);
+	return s1;
+}
+
+
+template<typename T> typename char_traits<T>::char_type *
+char_traits<T>::assign(char_type * s, std::size_t n, char_type a)
+{
+	std::fill_n(s, n, a);
+	return s;
+}
+
+
+template<typename T> typename char_traits<T>::char_type
+char_traits<T>::to_char_type(int_type const & c)
+{
+	return static_cast<char_type>(c);
+}
+
+
+template<typename T> typename char_traits<T>::int_type
+char_traits<T>::to_int_type(char_type const & c)
+{
+	return static_cast<int_type>(c);
+}
+
+
+template<typename T> bool
+char_traits<T>::eq_int_type(int_type const & c1, int_type const & c2)
+{
+	return c1 == c2;
+}
+
+
+template<typename T> typename char_traits<T>::int_type
+char_traits<T>::eof()
+{
+	return static_cast<int_type>(EOF);
+}
+
+
+template<typename T> typename char_traits<T>::int_type
+char_traits<T>::not_eof(int_type const & c)
+{
+	return !eq_int_type(c, eof()) ? c : to_int_type(char_type());
+}
+
+}
+#endif
 #endif