--- ./src/system.c.orig	2013-05-04 10:45:21.000000000 -0600

+++ ./src/system.c	2013-05-16 09:04:06.568959420 -0600

@@ -1754,6 +1754,7 @@ void InitSystem (

     Char *              argv [] )

 {

     Char *              *ptrlist;

+    Char *              envvar;

     UInt                i;             /* loop variable                   */

     Int res;                       /* return from option processing function */

@@ -1877,6 +1878,16 @@ void InitSystem (

 #endif

+    /* process environment variables */

+    envvar = getenv("GAP_DIR");

+    if (envvar == NULL)

+      envvar = "/usr/lib/gap";

+    setGapRootPath(&envvar, NULL);

+    envvar = getenv("GAP_MEM");

+    if (envvar == NULL)

+      envvar = "32m";

+    storeMemory2(&envvar, &SyStorMin);

+

     /* save the original command line for export to GAP */

     SyOriginalArgc = argc;

     SyOriginalArgv = argv;