diff --git a/WINGs/ChangeLog b/WINGs/ChangeLog
index 576ad06c..512d1ac4 100644
--- a/WINGs/ChangeLog
+++ b/WINGs/ChangeLog
@@ -39,6 +39,8 @@ changes since wmaker 0.53.0:
 - added WMGetColorPanelColor(WMColorPanel *panel)
 - made WMGetUDStringForKey() to only return a reference to the string, not a
   wstrdup()'ed copy. DO NOT FREE IT ANYMORE!
+- added MultiByteText option to userdefaults file to control use of multibyte
+  string drawing functions
 
 
 changes since wmaker 0.52.0:
diff --git a/WINGs/WINGsP.h b/WINGs/WINGsP.h
index 35a0f776..8bc4eb27 100644
--- a/WINGs/WINGsP.h
+++ b/WINGs/WINGsP.h
@@ -155,13 +155,14 @@ typedef struct W_Screen {
     GC ixorGC;			       /* IncludeInferiors XOR */
 
     GC textFieldGC;
-    
+
     W_Font *normalFont;
 
     W_Font *boldFont;
 
     WMHashTable *fontCache;
 
+    Bool useMultiByte;
 
     struct W_Balloon *balloon;
 
@@ -317,11 +318,11 @@ typedef struct W_View {
 
 typedef struct W_EventHandler {
     unsigned long eventMask;
-    
+
     WMEventProc *proc;
-    
+
     void *clientData;
-    
+
     struct W_EventHandler *nextHandler;
 } W_EventHandler;
 
@@ -331,6 +332,7 @@ typedef struct W_EventHandler {
 typedef struct _WINGsConfiguration {
     char *systemFont;
     char *boldSystemFont;
+    Bool useMultiByte;
     unsigned doubleClickDelay;
 } _WINGsConfiguration;
 
diff --git a/WINGs/configuration.c b/WINGs/configuration.c
index 776ec363..384fdf0f 100644
--- a/WINGs/configuration.c
+++ b/WINGs/configuration.c
@@ -31,9 +31,12 @@ W_ReadConfigurations(void)
 
 	WINGsConfiguration.boldSystemFont = 
 	    WMGetUDStringForKey(defaults, "BoldSystemFont");
-	
+
+	WINGsConfiguration.useMultiByte =
+	    WMGetUDStringForKey(defaults, "MultiByteText");
+
 	WINGsConfiguration.doubleClickDelay = 
-	    WMGetUDIntegerForKey(defaults, "DoubleClickTime");
+	    WMGetUDIntegerForKey(defaults, "DoubleClickTime");	
     }
 
     if (!WINGsConfiguration.systemFont) {
diff --git a/WINGs/wfont.c b/WINGs/wfont.c
index 86883a84..a2393b48 100644
--- a/WINGs/wfont.c
+++ b/WINGs/wfont.c
@@ -101,6 +101,8 @@ WMCreateFontInDefaultEncoding(WMScreen *scrPtr, char *fontName)
     
     font->refCount = 1;
 
+    font->name = wstrdup(fontName);
+
     assert(WMHashInsert(scrPtr->fontCache, font->name, font)==NULL);
 
     return font;    
@@ -159,13 +161,21 @@ WMSystemFontOfSize(WMScreen *scrPtr, int size)
 
     fontSpec = makeFontSetOfSize(WINGsConfiguration.systemFont, size);
 
-    font = WMCreateFont(scrPtr, fontSpec);
+    if (WINGsConfiguration.useMultiByte)
+	font = WMCreateFont(scrPtr, fontSpec);
+    else
+	font = WMCreateFontInDefaultEncoding(scrPtr, fontSpec);
 
     if (!font) {
-	wwarning("could not load font set %s. Trying fixed.", fontSpec);
-	font = WMCreateFont(scrPtr, "fixed");
-	if (!font) {
-	    font = WMCreateFont(scrPtr, "-*-fixed-medium-r-normal-*-14-*-*-*-*-*-*-*");
+	if (WINGsConfiguration.useMultiByte) {
+	    wwarning("could not load font set %s. Trying fixed.", fontSpec);
+	    font = WMCreateFont(scrPtr, "fixed");
+	    if (!font) {
+		font = WMCreateFont(scrPtr, "-*-fixed-medium-r-normal-*-14-*-*-*-*-*-*-*");
+	    }
+	} else {
+	    wwarning("could not load font %s. Trying fixed.", fontSpec);
+	    font = WMCreateFontInDefaultEncoding(scrPtr, "fixed");
 	}
 	if (!font) {
 	    wwarning("could not load fixed font!");
@@ -187,13 +197,21 @@ WMBoldSystemFontOfSize(WMScreen *scrPtr, int size)
 
     fontSpec = makeFontSetOfSize(WINGsConfiguration.boldSystemFont, size);
 
-    font = WMCreateFont(scrPtr, fontSpec);
-    
+    if (WINGsConfiguration.useMultiByte)
+	font = WMCreateFont(scrPtr, fontSpec);
+    else
+	font = WMCreateFontInDefaultEncoding(scrPtr, fontSpec);
+
     if (!font) {
-	wwarning("could not load font set %s. Trying fixed.", fontSpec);
-	font = WMCreateFont(scrPtr, "fixed");
-	if (!font) {
-	    font = WMCreateFont(scrPtr, "-*-fixed-medium-r-normal-*-14-*-*-*-*-*-*-*");
+	if (WINGsConfiguration.useMultiByte) {
+	    wwarning("could not load font set %s. Trying fixed.", fontSpec);
+	    font = WMCreateFont(scrPtr, "fixed");
+	    if (!font) {
+		font = WMCreateFont(scrPtr, "-*-fixed-medium-r-normal-*-14-*-*-*-*-*-*-*");
+	    }
+	} else {
+	    wwarning("could not load font %s. Trying fixed.", fontSpec);
+	    font = WMCreateFontInDefaultEncoding(scrPtr, "fixed");
 	}
 	if (!font) {
 	    wwarning("could not load fixed font!");
diff --git a/WINGs/widgets.c b/WINGs/widgets.c
index 42ab1d13..950f39fb 100644
--- a/WINGs/widgets.c
+++ b/WINGs/widgets.c
@@ -596,6 +596,8 @@ WMCreateScreenWithRContext(Display *display, int screen, RContext *context)
 
     scrPtr->stipple = stipple;
 
+    scrPtr->useMultiByte = WINGsConfiguration.useMultiByte;
+
     scrPtr->normalFont = WMSystemFontOfSize(scrPtr, 12);
 
     scrPtr->boldFont = WMBoldSystemFontOfSize(scrPtr, 12);
diff --git a/WINGs/wtest.c b/WINGs/wtest.c
index 83d2200c..6b3732fc 100644
--- a/WINGs/wtest.c
+++ b/WINGs/wtest.c
@@ -154,7 +154,7 @@ testGradientButtons(WMScreen *scr)
     WMSetButtonAltImage(btn, pix2);
     WMSetButtonText(btn, "Button");
 
-    WMSetBalloonTextForView("This is another button", WMWidgetView(btn));
+    WMSetBalloonTextForView("Este é outro balão.", WMWidgetView(btn));
 
     btn = WMCreateButton(win, WBTMomentaryChange);
     WMResizeWidget(btn, 60, 24);
@@ -486,14 +486,14 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv)
      * Put the testSomething() function you want to test here.
      */
 
+    testGradientButtons(scr);
 
 
-    testColorWell(scr);
 #if 0
+    testColorWell(scr);
 
     testTabView(scr);
     testTextField(scr);
-    testGradientButtons(scr);
 
     testOpenFilePanel(scr);
     testFontPanel(scr);