Index: generic/nsf.c
===================================================================
diff -u -r165e176da4993b45346e7a38d9405a5b0d80d4ec -r0ca1bf1c5b3e4a029e935e5f8a42221b61c0d747
--- generic/nsf.c	(.../nsf.c)	(revision 165e176da4993b45346e7a38d9405a5b0d80d4ec)
+++ generic/nsf.c	(.../nsf.c)	(revision 0ca1bf1c5b3e4a029e935e5f8a42221b61c0d747)
@@ -32936,7 +32936,7 @@
 #ifdef NSF_BYTECODE
   NsfBytecodeInit();
 #endif
-  NsfReportVars(interp);
+  NsfInitPkgConfig(interp);
 
   Tcl_AddInterpResolvers(interp,"nsf",
                          (Tcl_ResolveCmdProc *)InterpColonCmdResolver,
Index: generic/nsf.tcl
===================================================================
diff -u -r09b4bca7c8d5c44f6be0b2c04ebfcdb7a58fd5ae -r0ca1bf1c5b3e4a029e935e5f8a42221b61c0d747
--- generic/nsf.tcl	(.../nsf.tcl)	(revision 09b4bca7c8d5c44f6be0b2c04ebfcdb7a58fd5ae)
+++ generic/nsf.tcl	(.../nsf.tcl)	(revision 0ca1bf1c5b3e4a029e935e5f8a42221b61c0d747)
@@ -220,6 +220,24 @@
   set ::nsf::parameter::syntax(::nsf::__unset_unknown_args) ""
   set ::nsf::parameter::syntax(::nsf::exithandler) "?get?|?set /cmds/?|?unset?"
 
+  #
+  # Provide the build-time configuration settings via namespaced
+  # variables, for backward compatibility.
+  #
+
+  if {[info commands ::nsf::pkgconfig] ne ""} {
+    
+    foreach c {version commit patchLevel} {
+      set ::nsf::$c [::nsf::pkgconfig get $c]
+    }
+
+    foreach c {development memcount memtrace profile dtrace assertions} {
+      set ::nsf::config($c) [::nsf::pkgconfig get $c]
+    }
+    
+    unset -nocomplain c
+    
+  }
 }
 
 #
Index: generic/nsfDebug.c
===================================================================
diff -u -r5fb947bcc2841847055d78332effcece3d622010 -r0ca1bf1c5b3e4a029e935e5f8a42221b61c0d747
--- generic/nsfDebug.c	(.../nsfDebug.c)	(revision 5fb947bcc2841847055d78332effcece3d622010)
+++ generic/nsfDebug.c	(.../nsfDebug.c)	(revision 0ca1bf1c5b3e4a029e935e5f8a42221b61c0d747)
@@ -5,7 +5,9 @@
  *
  *  Copyright (C) 1999-2016 Gustaf Neumann (a, b)
  *  Copyright (C) 1999-2007 Uwe Zdun (a, b)
+ *  Copyright (C) 2016-2017 Stefan Sobernig (b)
  *
+ *
  * (a) University of Essen
  *     Specification of Software Systems
  *     Altendorferstrasse 97-101
@@ -42,57 +44,47 @@
 #include "nsfInt.h"
 #include "nsfAccessInt.h"
 
+#define NsfConfigStr(x) (NsfConfigEnabled(x) ? "1" : "0")
 
+static Tcl_Config const cfg[] = {
+    {"version",                 NSF_VERSION},
+    {"commit",                  NSF_COMMIT},
+    {"commit",                  NSF_COMMIT},
+    {"patchLevel",              NSF_PATCHLEVEL},
+    {"development",             NsfConfigStr(DEVELOPMENT)},
+    {"memcount",                NsfConfigStr(MEM_COUNT)},
+    {"memtrace",                NsfConfigStr(MEM_TRACE)},
+    {"profile", 		NsfConfigStr(PROFILE)},
+    {"dtrace",			NsfConfigStr(DTRACE)},
+    {"assertions",		NsfConfigStr(WITH_ASSERTIONS)},
+    {NULL, NULL}
+};
+
 /*
  *----------------------------------------------------------------------
- * NsfReportVars --
+ * NsfInitPkgConfig --
  *
- *    Report version numbers and configure options as Tcl variables.
+ *    Registers NSF's build configuration according to TIP 59:
+ *    https://core.tcl.tk/tips/doc/trunk/tip/59.md. This way, the build
+ *    configuration is preserved in a non-destructible manner (from the script
+ *    level, at least) and can be queried via a common interface:
+ *    
+ *    ::nsf::pkgconfig list
+ *    ::nsf::pkgconfig get /key/
  *
  * Results:
  *    None.
  *
- * Side effects:
- *    Setting Tcl variables
+ * Side effects: 
+ *   Creates the command ::nsf::pkgconfig, configuration data is
+ *   stored within a dict associated with a given interp.
  *
  *----------------------------------------------------------------------
  */
 
-#define NsfConfigStr(x) (NsfConfigEnabled(x) ? "1" : "0")
-
 void
-NsfReportVars(Tcl_Interp *interp) {
-
-  nonnull_assert(interp != NULL);
-
-  Tcl_SetVar(interp, "::nsf::version", NSF_VERSION, TCL_GLOBAL_ONLY);
-  Tcl_SetVar(interp, "::nsf::commit", NSF_COMMIT, TCL_GLOBAL_ONLY);
-  Tcl_SetVar(interp, "::nsf::patchLevel", NSF_PATCHLEVEL, TCL_GLOBAL_ONLY);
-
-  Tcl_SetVar(interp, "::nsf::config(development)",
-             NsfConfigStr(DEVELOPMENT),
-             TCL_GLOBAL_ONLY);
-
-
-  Tcl_SetVar(interp, "::nsf::config(memcount)",
-             NsfConfigStr(MEM_COUNT),
-             TCL_GLOBAL_ONLY);
-
-  Tcl_SetVar(interp, "::nsf::config(memtrace)",
-             NsfConfigStr(MEM_TRACE),
-             TCL_GLOBAL_ONLY);
-
-  Tcl_SetVar(interp, "::nsf::config(profile)",
-             NsfConfigStr(PROFILE),
-             TCL_GLOBAL_ONLY);
-
-  Tcl_SetVar(interp, "::nsf::config(dtrace)",
-             NsfConfigStr(DTRACE),
-             TCL_GLOBAL_ONLY);
-
-  Tcl_SetVar(interp, "::nsf::config(assertions)",
-             NsfConfigStr(WITH_ASSERTIONS),
-             TCL_GLOBAL_ONLY);
+NsfInitPkgConfig(Tcl_Interp *interp) {
+  Tcl_RegisterConfig(interp, "nsf", cfg, "iso8859-1");
 }
 
 /*
Index: generic/nsfInt.h
===================================================================
diff -u -rf8b5f0a12aad6b9b6716b817455b64d53595c258 -r0ca1bf1c5b3e4a029e935e5f8a42221b61c0d747
--- generic/nsfInt.h	(.../nsfInt.h)	(revision f8b5f0a12aad6b9b6716b817455b64d53595c258)
+++ generic/nsfInt.h	(.../nsfInt.h)	(revision 0ca1bf1c5b3e4a029e935e5f8a42221b61c0d747)
@@ -1124,8 +1124,9 @@
 EXTERN CONST char *NsfMethodName(Tcl_Obj *methodObj)
   nonnull(1) returns_nonnull;
 
-EXTERN void NsfReportVars(Tcl_Interp *interp)
+EXTERN void NsfInitPkgConfig(Tcl_Interp *interp)
   nonnull(1);
+
 EXTERN void NsfDStringArgv(Tcl_DString *dsPtr, int objc, Tcl_Obj *CONST objv[])
   nonnull(1) nonnull(3);
 
Index: generic/predefined.h
===================================================================
diff -u -ra6ad6a2890ddf47d82f3624eae90075400d8804b -r0ca1bf1c5b3e4a029e935e5f8a42221b61c0d747
--- generic/predefined.h	(.../predefined.h)	(revision a6ad6a2890ddf47d82f3624eae90075400d8804b)
+++ generic/predefined.h	(.../predefined.h)	(revision 0ca1bf1c5b3e4a029e935e5f8a42221b61c0d747)
@@ -92,6 +92,12 @@
 "return $result}\n"
 "set ::nsf::parameter::syntax(::nsf::xotclnext) \"?--noArgs? ?/arg .../?\"\n"
 "set ::nsf::parameter::syntax(::nsf::__unset_unknown_args) \"\"\n"
-"set ::nsf::parameter::syntax(::nsf::exithandler) \"?get?|?set /cmds/?|?unset?\"}\n"
+"set ::nsf::parameter::syntax(::nsf::exithandler) \"?get?|?set /cmds/?|?unset?\"\n"
+"if {[info commands ::nsf::pkgconfig] ne \"\"} {\n"
+"foreach c {version commit patchLevel} {\n"
+"set ::nsf::$c [::nsf::pkgconfig get $c]}\n"
+"foreach c {development memcount memtrace profile dtrace assertions} {\n"
+"set ::nsf::config($c) [::nsf::pkgconfig get $c]}\n"
+"unset -nocomplain c}}\n"
 "";
 
Index: tests/summary.tcl
===================================================================
diff -u -r3232e56d77cb2069265c52d89cd46583a49ecbe0 -r0ca1bf1c5b3e4a029e935e5f8a42221b61c0d747
--- tests/summary.tcl	(.../summary.tcl)	(revision 3232e56d77cb2069265c52d89cd46583a49ecbe0)
+++ tests/summary.tcl	(.../summary.tcl)	(revision 0ca1bf1c5b3e4a029e935e5f8a42221b61c0d747)
@@ -24,9 +24,9 @@
   puts "\nRegression Test Summary of $opt(-title):"
   puts "\tEnvironment: Tcl $tcl_patchLevel, OS $tcl_platform(os) $tcl_platform(osVersion)\
 	machine $tcl_platform(machine) threaded [info exists tcl_platform(threaded)]."
-  puts "\tNSF [package req nsf] (commit $::nsf::commit) performed $tests tests in $files files, success $success, failures $failures in [expr {$ms / 1000.0}] seconds"
+  puts "\tNSF [package req nsf] (commit [::nsf::pkgconfig get commit]) performed $tests tests in $files files, success $success, failures $failures in [expr {$ms / 1000.0}] seconds"
   if {$failures == 0} {
-    puts "\tCongratulations, all tests of $opt(-title) passed in your installation of NSF [package req nsf] (commit $::nsf::commit)"
+    puts "\tCongratulations, all tests of $opt(-title) passed in your installation of NSF [package req nsf] (commit [::nsf::pkgconfig get commit])"
   }
   puts ""
 }