diff --git a/configure/os/CONFIG_SITE.Common.linux-x86 b/configure/os/CONFIG_SITE.Common.linux-x86
index 19a5794c9..1be38cb78 100644
--- a/configure/os/CONFIG_SITE.Common.linux-x86
+++ b/configure/os/CONFIG_SITE.Common.linux-x86
@@ -33,4 +33,8 @@ COMMANDLINE_LIBRARY = READLINE
 #COMMANDLINE_LIBRARY = READLINE_CURSES
 
 
-OP_SYS_CFLAGS += -g
+# It makes sense to include debugging symbols even in optimized builds
+# in case you want to attach gdb to the process or examine a core-dump.
+# This does cost disk space, but not memory as debug symbols are not
+# loaded into RAM when the binary is loaded.
+OPT_CFLAGS_YES += -g
diff --git a/configure/os/CONFIG_SITE.Common.linux-x86_64 b/configure/os/CONFIG_SITE.Common.linux-x86_64
index 9d3bbd132..e48241ab0 100644
--- a/configure/os/CONFIG_SITE.Common.linux-x86_64
+++ b/configure/os/CONFIG_SITE.Common.linux-x86_64
@@ -33,4 +33,8 @@ COMMANDLINE_LIBRARY = READLINE
 #COMMANDLINE_LIBRARY = READLINE_CURSES
 
 
-OP_SYS_CFLAGS += -g
+# It makes sense to include debugging symbols even in optimized builds
+# in case you want to attach gdb to the process or examine a core-dump.
+# This does cost disk space, but not memory as debug symbols are not
+# loaded into RAM when the binary is loaded.
+OPT_CFLAGS_YES += -g