diff --git a/build_tools/build_detect_platform b/build_tools/build_detect_platform
index 3711a72b6..dfff5b65c 100755
--- a/build_tools/build_detect_platform
+++ b/build_tools/build_detect_platform
@@ -203,13 +203,22 @@ EOF
     # Test whether gflags library is installed
     # http://code.google.com/p/gflags/
     # check if the namespace is gflags
-    if echo "#include <gflags/gflags.h>\nusing namespace gflags;\nint main() {}" | \
-      $CXX $CFLAGS -x c++ - -o /dev/null 2>/dev/null; then
+    $CXX $CFLAGS -x c++ - -o /dev/null 2>/dev/null << EOF
+      #include <gflags/gflags.h>
+      using namespace gflags;
+      int main() {}
+EOF
+    if [ "$?" = 0 ]; then
         COMMON_FLAGS="$COMMON_FLAGS -DGFLAGS=gflags"
         PLATFORM_LDFLAGS="$PLATFORM_LDFLAGS -lgflags"
     else
-      if echo "#include <gflags/gflags.h>\nusing namespace google;\nint main() {}" | \
-        $CXX $CFLAGS -x c++ - -o /dev/null 2> /dev/null; then
+      # check if namespace is google
+      $CXX $CFLAGS -x c++ - -o /dev/null 2>/dev/null << EOF
+        #include <gflags/gflags.h>
+        using namespace google;
+        int main() {}
+EOF
+      if [ "$?" = 0 ]; then
           COMMON_FLAGS="$COMMON_FLAGS -DGFLAGS=google"
           PLATFORM_LDFLAGS="$PLATFORM_LDFLAGS -lgflags"
       fi