diff --git a/include/wx/private/browserhack28.h b/include/wx/private/browserhack28.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..7d0fc05875
--- /dev/null
+++ b/include/wx/private/browserhack28.h
@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
+// Name:        wx/private/browserhack28.h
+// Purpose:     Allows GUI library to override base wxLaunchDefaultBrowser.
+// Author:      David Elliott
+// Modified by:
+// Created:     2007-08-19
+// RCS-ID:      $Id$
+// Copyright:   (c) David Elliott
+// Licence:     wxWidgets licence
+/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
+
+#ifndef _WX_PRIVATE_BROWSERHACK28_H_
+#define _WX_PRIVATE_BROWSERHACK28_H_
+
+typedef bool (*wxLaunchDefaultBrowserImpl_t)(const wxString& url, int flags);
+
+// Function the GUI library can call to provide a better implementation
+WXDLLIMPEXP_BASE void wxSetLaunchDefaultBrowserImpl(wxLaunchDefaultBrowserImpl_t newImpl);
+
+#endif //ndef _WX_PRIVATE_BROWSERHACK28_H_
diff --git a/src/cocoa/utils.mm b/src/cocoa/utils.mm
index c2112fc552..f17bc6b675 100644
--- a/src/cocoa/utils.mm
+++ b/src/cocoa/utils.mm
@@ -27,6 +27,11 @@
 #include <string.h>
 #include <stdarg.h>
 
+#include "wx/cocoa/string.h"
+
+#import <Foundation/NSURL.h>
+#import <AppKit/NSWorkspace.h>
+
 void wxDisplaySize(int *width, int *height)
 {
     // TODO
@@ -92,6 +97,28 @@ void wxBell()
     // TODO
 }
 
+#include "wx/private/browserhack28.h"
+
+// Private helper method for wxLaunchDefaultBrowser
+static bool wxCocoaLaunchDefaultBrowser(const wxString& url, int flags)
+{
+    // NOTE: We ignore the flags
+    return [[NSWorkspace sharedWorkspace] openURL: [NSURL URLWithString:wxNSStringWithWxString(url)]] != NO;
+}
+
+// For this to work the linker (particularly the static one) must link in this object file and the C++
+// runtime must call the static initializer.  It is basically guaranteed that the linker won't throw us
+// away because some of the wxGUIAppTraits virtual methods are implemented in this file.
+static class DoFixLaunchDefaultBrowser
+{
+public:
+    DoFixLaunchDefaultBrowser()
+    {
+        // Tell the base library we can launch a default browser better.
+        wxSetLaunchDefaultBrowserImpl(&wxCocoaLaunchDefaultBrowser);
+    }
+} s_launchDefaultBrowserFixer;
+
 #if 0
 // DFE: These aren't even implemented by wxGTK, and no wxWidgets code calls
 // them.  If someone needs them, then they'll get a link error
diff --git a/src/common/utilscmn.cpp b/src/common/utilscmn.cpp
index b615472858..82542e4b09 100644
--- a/src/common/utilscmn.cpp
+++ b/src/common/utilscmn.cpp
@@ -725,23 +725,23 @@ long wxExecute(const wxString& command,
 // Launch default browser
 // ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
-bool wxLaunchDefaultBrowser(const wxString& urlOrig, int flags)
+#include "wx/private/browserhack28.h"
+
+static bool wxLaunchDefaultBrowserBaseImpl(const wxString& url, int flags);
+
+// Use wxLaunchDefaultBrowserBaseImpl by default
+static wxLaunchDefaultBrowserImpl_t s_launchBrowserImpl = &wxLaunchDefaultBrowserBaseImpl;
+
+// Function the GUI library can call to provide a better implementation
+WXDLLIMPEXP_BASE void wxSetLaunchDefaultBrowserImpl(wxLaunchDefaultBrowserImpl_t newImpl)
+{
+    s_launchBrowserImpl = newImpl!=NULL ? newImpl : &wxLaunchDefaultBrowserBaseImpl;
+}
+
+static bool wxLaunchDefaultBrowserBaseImpl(const wxString& url, int flags)
 {
     wxUnusedVar(flags);
 
-    // set the scheme of url to http if it does not have one
-    // RR: This doesn't work if the url is just a local path
-    wxString url(urlOrig);
-    wxURI uri(url);
-    if ( !uri.HasScheme() )
-    {
-        if (wxFileExists(urlOrig))
-            url.Prepend( wxT("file://") );
-        else
-            url.Prepend(wxT("http://"));
-    }
-
-
 #if defined(__WXMSW__)
 
 #if wxUSE_IPC
@@ -923,6 +923,25 @@ bool wxLaunchDefaultBrowser(const wxString& urlOrig, int flags)
     wxLogError(_T("No default application configured for HTML files."));
 
 #endif // !wxUSE_MIMETYPE && !__WXMSW__
+    return false;
+}
+
+bool wxLaunchDefaultBrowser(const wxString& urlOrig, int flags)
+{
+    // set the scheme of url to http if it does not have one
+    // RR: This doesn't work if the url is just a local path
+    wxString url(urlOrig);
+    wxURI uri(url);
+    if ( !uri.HasScheme() )
+    {
+        if (wxFileExists(urlOrig))
+            url.Prepend( wxT("file://") );
+        else
+            url.Prepend(wxT("http://"));
+    }
+
+    if(s_launchBrowserImpl(url, flags))
+        return true;
 
     wxLogSysError(_T("Failed to open URL \"%s\" in default browser."),
                   url.c_str());
diff --git a/version-script.in b/version-script.in
index 7bb057bd73..3f5272b304 100644
--- a/version-script.in
+++ b/version-script.in
@@ -65,6 +65,7 @@
         *wxMenuItemBase*GetLabelText*;
         *wxMenuItem*GetItemLabel*;
         *wxMetafileDC*DoGetTextExtent*;
+        *wxSetLaunchDefaultBrowserImpl*;
         *wxWindowMSW*GetThemedBorderStyle*;
         *wxWizard*GetBitmap*;
         *wxWizard*SetBitmap*;