diff --git a/Installation/include/CGAL/config.h b/Installation/include/CGAL/config.h
index ab512c9a624..3f0a03589af 100644
--- a/Installation/include/CGAL/config.h
+++ b/Installation/include/CGAL/config.h
@@ -108,14 +108,21 @@ namespace CGAL {
 // Big endian or little endian machine.
 // ====================================
 
-#include <boost/limits.hpp> // provides endianness macros
-
-#ifdef BOOST_BIG_ENDIAN
+// We used to have a config program for this, but it
+// is much more convenient to use the preprocessor.
+#if defined(__sparc) || defined(__sparc__) \
+   || defined(_POWER) || defined(__powerpc__) \
+   || defined(__ppc__) || defined(__hppa) \
+   || defined(_MIPSEB) || defined(_POWER) \
+   || defined(__s390__)
 #  define CGAL_BIG_ENDIAN
-#elif defined BOOST_LITTLE_ENDIAN
+#elif defined(__i386__) || defined(__alpha__) \
+   || defined(__ia64) || defined(__ia64__) \
+   || defined(_M_IX86) || defined(_M_IA64) \
+   || defined(_M_ALPHA)
 #  define CGAL_LITTLE_ENDIAN
 #else
-#  error "Unknown endianness"
+#  error Unknown endianness
 #endif
 
 
diff --git a/Installation/test/Installation/endian.cpp b/Installation/test/Installation/endian.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..23d557c8356
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Installation/test/Installation/endian.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+// Run-time check that our endianness macro is correctly defined.
+
+#include <CGAL/config.h>
+#include <CGAL/Testsuite/assert.h>
+
+#if !defined CGAL_LITTLE_ENDIAN && !defined CGAL_BIG_ENDIAN
+#  error no endian macro defined
+#endif
+
+union T {
+  int       testWord;
+  char      testByte[sizeof(int)];
+} endianTest;
+
+int main()
+{
+    endianTest.testWord = 1;
+    if (endianTest.testByte[0] == 1) {
+#ifdef CGAL_LITTLE_ENDIAN
+        return 0;
+#else
+        CGAL_test_assert(false);
+#endif
+    } else {
+#ifdef CGAL_BIG_ENDIAN
+        return 0;
+#else
+        CGAL_test_assert(false);
+#endif
+    }
+    return 0;
+}