diff --git a/etc/bashrc b/etc/bashrc
index 2fd7b92aa6fbfb8c1e6072aedebb86a2febc15cd..c7eb7684703e705f40bf111b93b417f30e1cd4c7 100644
--- a/etc/bashrc
+++ b/etc/bashrc
@@ -65,7 +65,7 @@ export WM_PROJECT_USER_DIR=$HOME/$WM_PROJECT/$USER-$WM_PROJECT_VERSION
 
 # Compiler: set to Gcc, Gcc43 or Icc (for Intel's icc)
 # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
-export WM_COMPILER=Gcc43
+: ${WM_COMPILER:=Gcc}; export WM_COMPILER
 
 export WM_COMPILER_ARCH=
 export WM_COMPILER_LIB_ARCH=
diff --git a/etc/cshrc b/etc/cshrc
index 5492cc8c9686e86bdc2a7d884e6ebd7d07c3b7cf..78f894bc55ba6e758559ee9d70ac64fa9bdc146c 100644
--- a/etc/cshrc
+++ b/etc/cshrc
@@ -57,7 +57,7 @@ setenv WM_PROJECT_USER_DIR $HOME/$WM_PROJECT/$LOGNAME-$WM_PROJECT_VERSION
 
 # Compiler: set to Gcc, Gcc43 or Icc (for Intel's icc)
 # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
-setenv WM_COMPILER Gcc43
+if ( ! $?WM_COMPILER ) setenv WM_COMPILER Gcc
 
 setenv WM_COMPILER_ARCH
 setenv WM_COMPILER_LIB_ARCH