diff --git a/src/shared/cpp/generic_posix.cpp b/src/shared/cpp/generic_posix.cpp
index b8cc26f..a44a19a 100644
--- a/src/shared/cpp/generic_posix.cpp
+++ b/src/shared/cpp/generic_posix.cpp
@@ -21,10 +21,7 @@
 
 #include "native.h"
 #include "generic.h"
-#include <stdlib.h>
 #include <errno.h>
-#include <string.h>
-#include <wchar.h>
 
 void mark_failed_with_errno(JNIEnv *env, const char* message, jobject result) {
     const char * errno_message = NULL;
@@ -37,47 +34,4 @@ void mark_failed_with_errno(JNIEnv *env, const char* message, jobject result) {
     mark_failed_with_code(env, message, errno, errno_message, result);
 }
 
-char* java_to_char(JNIEnv *env, jstring string, jobject result) {
-    size_t stringLen = env->GetStringLength(string);
-    wchar_t* wideString = (wchar_t*)malloc(sizeof(wchar_t) * (stringLen+1));
-    const jchar* javaString = env->GetStringChars(string, NULL);
-    for (size_t i = 0; i < stringLen; i++) {
-        wideString[i] = javaString[i];
-    }
-    wideString[stringLen] = L'\0';
-    env->ReleaseStringChars(string, javaString);
-
-    size_t bytes = wcstombs(NULL, wideString, 0);
-    if (bytes == (size_t)-1) {
-        mark_failed_with_message(env, "could not convert string to current locale", result);
-        free(wideString);
-        return NULL;
-    }
-
-    char* chars = (char*)malloc(bytes + 1);
-    wcstombs(chars, wideString, bytes+1);
-    free(wideString);
-
-    return chars;
-}
-
-jstring char_to_java(JNIEnv* env, const char* chars, jobject result) {
-    size_t bytes = strlen(chars);
-    wchar_t* wideString = (wchar_t*)malloc(sizeof(wchar_t) * (bytes+1));
-    if (mbstowcs(wideString, chars, bytes+1) == (size_t)-1) {
-        mark_failed_with_message(env, "could not convert string from current locale", result);
-        free(wideString);
-        return NULL;
-    }
-    size_t stringLen = wcslen(wideString);
-    jchar* javaString = (jchar*)malloc(sizeof(jchar) * stringLen);
-    for (int i =0; i < stringLen; i++) {
-        javaString[i] = (jchar)wideString[i];
-    }
-    jstring string = env->NewString(javaString, stringLen);
-    free(wideString);
-    free(javaString);
-    return string;
-}
-
 #endif
diff --git a/src/shared/cpp/osx.cpp b/src/shared/cpp/osx.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1064043
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/shared/cpp/osx.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,41 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright 2012 Adam Murdoch
+ *
+ *    Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+ *    you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+ *    You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ *        http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ *    Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+ *    distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+ *    WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+ *    See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+ *    limitations under the License.
+ */
+
+/*
+ * POSIX platform functions.
+ */
+#ifdef __APPLE__
+
+#include "native.h"
+#include "generic.h"
+#include <stdlib.h>
+#include <string.h>
+#include <wchar.h>
+
+char* java_to_char(JNIEnv *env, jstring string, jobject result) {
+    size_t len = env->GetStringLength(string);
+    size_t bytes = env->GetStringUTFLength(string);
+    char* chars = (char*)malloc(bytes + 1);
+    env->GetStringUTFRegion(string, 0, len, chars);
+    chars[bytes] = 0;
+    return chars;
+}
+
+jstring char_to_java(JNIEnv* env, const char* chars, jobject result) {
+    return env->NewStringUTF(chars);
+}
+
+#endif
diff --git a/src/shared/cpp/unix_strings.cpp b/src/shared/cpp/unix_strings.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c6aa3fa
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/shared/cpp/unix_strings.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,71 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright 2012 Adam Murdoch
+ *
+ *    Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+ *    you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+ *    You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ *        http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ *    Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+ *    distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+ *    WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+ *    See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+ *    limitations under the License.
+ */
+
+/*
+ * UNIX string conversion functions.
+ */
+#if defined(__linux__) || defined(__FreeBSD__)
+
+#include "native.h"
+#include "generic.h"
+#include <stdlib.h>
+#include <string.h>
+#include <wchar.h>
+
+char* java_to_char(JNIEnv *env, jstring string, jobject result) {
+    size_t stringLen = env->GetStringLength(string);
+    wchar_t* wideString = (wchar_t*)malloc(sizeof(wchar_t) * (stringLen+1));
+    const jchar* javaString = env->GetStringChars(string, NULL);
+    for (size_t i = 0; i < stringLen; i++) {
+        wideString[i] = javaString[i];
+    }
+    wideString[stringLen] = L'\0';
+    env->ReleaseStringChars(string, javaString);
+
+    size_t bytes = wcstombs(NULL, wideString, 0);
+    if (bytes == (size_t)-1) {
+        mark_failed_with_message(env, "could not convert string to current locale", result);
+        free(wideString);
+        return NULL;
+    }
+
+    char* chars = (char*)malloc(bytes + 1);
+    wcstombs(chars, wideString, bytes+1);
+    free(wideString);
+
+    return chars;
+}
+
+jstring char_to_java(JNIEnv* env, const char* chars, jobject result) {
+    size_t bytes = strlen(chars);
+    wchar_t* wideString = (wchar_t*)malloc(sizeof(wchar_t) * (bytes+1));
+    if (mbstowcs(wideString, chars, bytes+1) == (size_t)-1) {
+        mark_failed_with_message(env, "could not convert string from current locale", result);
+        free(wideString);
+        return NULL;
+    }
+    size_t stringLen = wcslen(wideString);
+    jchar* javaString = (jchar*)malloc(sizeof(jchar) * stringLen);
+    for (int i =0; i < stringLen; i++) {
+        javaString[i] = (jchar)wideString[i];
+    }
+    jstring string = env->NewString(javaString, stringLen);
+    free(wideString);
+    free(javaString);
+    return string;
+}
+
+#endif