diff --git a/configure b/configure
index d64bcd24d0..b2e4b9071d 100755
--- a/configure
+++ b/configure
@@ -20449,6 +20449,8 @@ if test "$wxUSE_GUI" = "yes"; then
     wx_cv_program_ext=$PROGRAM_EXT
     wx_cv_target_library=$WX_TARGET_LIBRARY
     wx_cv_target_libtype=$WX_TARGET_LIBRARY_TYPE
+            export wx_cv_path_samplesubdirs wx_cv_path_ifs wx_cv_program_ext \
+           wx_cv_target_library wx_cv_target_libtype
 
 subdirs="$subdirs demos samples utils contrib"
 
@@ -20535,7 +20537,7 @@ DEFS=-DHAVE_CONFIG_H
 : ${CONFIG_STATUS=./config.status}
 ac_clean_files_save=$ac_clean_files
 ac_clean_files="$ac_clean_files $CONFIG_STATUS"
-{ echo "$as_me:20538: creating $CONFIG_STATUS" >&5
+{ echo "$as_me:20540: creating $CONFIG_STATUS" >&5
 echo "$as_me: creating $CONFIG_STATUS" >&6;}
 cat >$CONFIG_STATUS <<_ACEOF
 #! $SHELL
@@ -20711,7 +20713,7 @@ cat >>$CONFIG_STATUS <<\EOF
     echo "$ac_cs_version"; exit 0 ;;
   --he | --h)
     # Conflict between --help and --header
-    { { echo "$as_me:20714: error: ambiguous option: $1
+    { { echo "$as_me:20716: error: ambiguous option: $1
 Try \`$0 --help' for more information." >&5
 echo "$as_me: error: ambiguous option: $1
 Try \`$0 --help' for more information." >&2;}
@@ -20739,12 +20741,12 @@ Try \`$0 --help' for more information." >&2;}
   'setup.h' ) CONFIG_HEADERS="$CONFIG_HEADERS setup.h:setup.h.in" ;;
 
   # This is an error.
-  -*) { { echo "$as_me:20742: error: unrecognized option: $1
+  -*) { { echo "$as_me:20744: error: unrecognized option: $1
 Try \`$0 --help' for more information." >&5
 echo "$as_me: error: unrecognized option: $1
 Try \`$0 --help' for more information." >&2;}
    { (exit 1); exit 1; }; } ;;
-  *) { { echo "$as_me:20747: error: invalid argument: $1" >&5
+  *) { { echo "$as_me:20749: error: invalid argument: $1" >&5
 echo "$as_me: error: invalid argument: $1" >&2;}
    { (exit 1); exit 1; }; };;
   esac
@@ -21085,7 +21087,7 @@ done; }
   esac
 
   if test x"$ac_file" != x-; then
-    { echo "$as_me:21088: creating $ac_file" >&5
+    { echo "$as_me:21090: creating $ac_file" >&5
 echo "$as_me: creating $ac_file" >&6;}
     rm -f "$ac_file"
   fi
@@ -21103,7 +21105,7 @@ echo "$as_me: creating $ac_file" >&6;}
       -) echo $tmp/stdin ;;
       [\\/$]*)
          # Absolute (can't be DOS-style, as IFS=:)
-         test -f "$f" || { { echo "$as_me:21106: error: cannot find input file: $f" >&5
+         test -f "$f" || { { echo "$as_me:21108: error: cannot find input file: $f" >&5
 echo "$as_me: error: cannot find input file: $f" >&2;}
    { (exit 1); exit 1; }; }
          echo $f;;
@@ -21116,7 +21118,7 @@ echo "$as_me: error: cannot find input file: $f" >&2;}
            echo $srcdir/$f
          else
            # /dev/null tree
-           { { echo "$as_me:21119: error: cannot find input file: $f" >&5
+           { { echo "$as_me:21121: error: cannot find input file: $f" >&5
 echo "$as_me: error: cannot find input file: $f" >&2;}
    { (exit 1); exit 1; }; }
          fi;;
@@ -21177,7 +21179,7 @@ for ac_file in : $CONFIG_HEADERS; do test "x$ac_file" = x: && continue
   * )   ac_file_in=$ac_file.in ;;
   esac
 
-  test x"$ac_file" != x- && { echo "$as_me:21180: creating $ac_file" >&5
+  test x"$ac_file" != x- && { echo "$as_me:21182: creating $ac_file" >&5
 echo "$as_me: creating $ac_file" >&6;}
 
   # First look for the input files in the build tree, otherwise in the
@@ -21188,7 +21190,7 @@ echo "$as_me: creating $ac_file" >&6;}
       -) echo $tmp/stdin ;;
       [\\/$]*)
          # Absolute (can't be DOS-style, as IFS=:)
-         test -f "$f" || { { echo "$as_me:21191: error: cannot find input file: $f" >&5
+         test -f "$f" || { { echo "$as_me:21193: error: cannot find input file: $f" >&5
 echo "$as_me: error: cannot find input file: $f" >&2;}
    { (exit 1); exit 1; }; }
          echo $f;;
@@ -21201,7 +21203,7 @@ echo "$as_me: error: cannot find input file: $f" >&2;}
            echo $srcdir/$f
          else
            # /dev/null tree
-           { { echo "$as_me:21204: error: cannot find input file: $f" >&5
+           { { echo "$as_me:21206: error: cannot find input file: $f" >&5
 echo "$as_me: error: cannot find input file: $f" >&2;}
    { (exit 1); exit 1; }; }
          fi;;
@@ -21318,7 +21320,7 @@ cat >>$CONFIG_STATUS <<\EOF
   rm -f $tmp/in
   if test x"$ac_file" != x-; then
     if cmp -s $ac_file $tmp/config.h 2>/dev/null; then
-      { echo "$as_me:21321: $ac_file is unchanged" >&5
+      { echo "$as_me:21323: $ac_file is unchanged" >&5
 echo "$as_me: $ac_file is unchanged" >&6;}
     else
       ac_dir=`$as_expr X"$ac_file" : 'X\(.*[^/]\)//*[^/][^/]*/*$' \| \
@@ -21473,7 +21475,7 @@ if test "$no_recursion" != yes; then
     # parts of a large source tree are present.
     test -d $srcdir/$ac_subdir || continue
 
-    { echo "$as_me:21476: configuring in $ac_subdir" >&5
+    { echo "$as_me:21478: configuring in $ac_subdir" >&5
 echo "$as_me: configuring in $ac_subdir" >&6;}
     case $srcdir in
     .) ;;
@@ -21495,7 +21497,7 @@ done; }
 
        if test -d ./$ac_subdir; then :;
        else
-         { { echo "$as_me:21498: error: cannot create \`pwd\`/$ac_subdir" >&5
+         { { echo "$as_me:21500: error: cannot create \`pwd\`/$ac_subdir" >&5
 echo "$as_me: error: cannot create \`pwd\`/$ac_subdir" >&2;}
    { (exit 1); exit 1; }; }
        fi
@@ -21526,7 +21528,7 @@ echo "$as_me: error: cannot create \`pwd\`/$ac_subdir" >&2;}
     elif test -f $ac_sub_srcdir/configure.in; then
       ac_sub_configure=$ac_configure
     else
-      { echo "$as_me:21529: WARNING: no configuration information is in $ac_subdir" >&5
+      { echo "$as_me:21531: WARNING: no configuration information is in $ac_subdir" >&5
 echo "$as_me: WARNING: no configuration information is in $ac_subdir" >&2;}
       ac_sub_configure=
     fi
@@ -21540,12 +21542,12 @@ echo "$as_me: WARNING: no configuration information is in $ac_subdir" >&2;}
         ac_sub_cache_file=$ac_dots$cache_file ;;
       esac
 
-      { echo "$as_me:21543: running $ac_sub_configure $ac_sub_configure_args --cache-file=$ac_sub_cache_file --srcdir=$ac_sub_srcdir" >&5
+      { echo "$as_me:21545: running $ac_sub_configure $ac_sub_configure_args --cache-file=$ac_sub_cache_file --srcdir=$ac_sub_srcdir" >&5
 echo "$as_me: running $ac_sub_configure $ac_sub_configure_args --cache-file=$ac_sub_cache_file --srcdir=$ac_sub_srcdir" >&6;}
       # The eval makes quoting arguments work.
       eval $ac_sub_configure $ac_sub_configure_args \
            --cache-file=$ac_sub_cache_file --srcdir=$ac_sub_srcdir ||
-        { { echo "$as_me:21548: error: $ac_sub_configure failed for $ac_subdir" >&5
+        { { echo "$as_me:21550: error: $ac_sub_configure failed for $ac_subdir" >&5
 echo "$as_me: error: $ac_sub_configure failed for $ac_subdir" >&2;}
    { (exit 1); exit 1; }; }
     fi
diff --git a/configure.in b/configure.in
index d477775f08..5f63878cb3 100644
--- a/configure.in
+++ b/configure.in
@@ -4218,6 +4218,10 @@ if test "$wxUSE_GUI" = "yes"; then
     wx_cv_program_ext=$PROGRAM_EXT
     wx_cv_target_library=$WX_TARGET_LIBRARY
     wx_cv_target_libtype=$WX_TARGET_LIBRARY_TYPE
+    dnl we need to export them because passing them through cache won't
+    dnl work when cache=/dev/null (which is default for autoconf 2.50)
+    export wx_cv_path_samplesubdirs wx_cv_path_ifs wx_cv_program_ext \
+           wx_cv_target_library wx_cv_target_libtype
     AC_CONFIG_SUBDIRS(demos samples utils contrib)
 fi
 dnl from wxUSE_GUI