diff --git a/pkgs/applications/version-management/subversion-1.2.x/builder.sh b/pkgs/applications/version-management/subversion-1.2.x/builder.sh
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..168ba61c7929
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkgs/applications/version-management/subversion-1.2.x/builder.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,60 @@
+buildInputs="$openssl $zlib $db4 $httpd $swig $python $j2sdk $expat $patch"
+. $stdenv/setup
+
+configureFlags="--without-gdbm --disable-static"
+
+if test "$localServer"; then
+    configureFlags="--with-berkeley-db=$db4 $configureFlags"
+fi
+
+if test "$sslSupport"; then
+    configureFlags="--with-ssl --with-libs=$openssl $configureFlags"
+fi
+
+if test "$httpServer"; then
+    configureFlags="--with-apxs=$httpd/bin/apxs --with-apr=$httpd --with-apr-util=$httpd $configureFlags"
+    makeFlags="APACHE_LIBEXECDIR=$out/modules $makeFlags"
+fi
+
+if test -n "$pythonBindings" -o -n "$javaSwigBindings"; then
+    configureFlags="--with-swig=$swig $configureFlags"
+fi
+
+if test "$javahlBindings"; then
+    configureFlags="--enable-javahl --with-jdk=$j2sdk $configureFlags"
+fi
+
+installFlags="$makeFlags"
+
+
+postInstall() {
+    if test "$pythonBindings"; then
+        make swig-py
+        make install-swig-py
+    fi
+    if test "$javaSwigBindings"; then
+        # Hack to get Java-Swig bindings to build if Python is not in
+        # scope (this fails because Subversion's configure script does
+        # something silly like `SWIG_JAVA_COMPILE="$SWIG_PY_COMPILE"').
+        FL1='SWIG_JAVA_COMPILE=gcc'
+        FL2='SWIG_JAVA_LINK=gcc -L$(SWIG_BUILD_DIR)/.libs'
+        make swig-java "$FL1" "$FL2"
+        make swig-java-api "$FL1" "$FL2"
+        make swig-java-java "$FL1" "$FL2"
+        make install-swig-java "$FL1" "$FL2"
+    fi
+    if test "$javahlBindings"; then
+        mkdir -p subversion/bindings/java/javahl/classes # bug fix
+        make javahl
+        make install-javahl
+        mkdir -p $out/share/doc/$name
+        $j2sdk/bin/javadoc -d $out/share/doc/$name \
+            -windowtitle "JavaHL Subversion Bindings" \
+            -link http://java.sun.com/j2se/1.4.2/docs/api/ \
+            subversion/bindings/java/javahl/src/org/tigris/subversion/javahl/*.java
+    fi
+}
+postInstall=postInstall
+
+
+genericBuild
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/version-management/subversion-1.2.x/default.nix b/pkgs/applications/version-management/subversion-1.2.x/default.nix
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..ca565cca3f42
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkgs/applications/version-management/subversion-1.2.x/default.nix
@@ -0,0 +1,46 @@
+{ localServer ? false
+, httpServer ? false
+, sslSupport ? false
+, compressionSupport ? false
+, pythonBindings ? false
+, javaSwigBindings ? false
+, javahlBindings ? false
+, stdenv, fetchurl
+, openssl ? null, httpd ? null, db4 ? null, expat, swig ? null, j2sdk ? null, zlib ? null
+}:
+
+assert expat != null;
+assert localServer -> db4 != null;
+assert httpServer -> httpd != null && httpd.expat == expat;
+assert sslSupport -> openssl != null && (httpServer -> httpd.openssl == openssl);
+assert pythonBindings -> swig != null && swig.pythonSupport;
+assert javaSwigBindings -> swig != null && swig.javaSupport;
+assert javahlBindings -> j2sdk != null;
+assert compressionSupport -> zlib != null;
+
+stdenv.mkDerivation {
+  name = "subversion-1.2.0-pre-rc2";
+
+  builder = ./builder.sh;
+  src = fetchurl {
+    url = http://subversion.tigris.org/downloads/subversion-1.2.0-rc2.tar.bz2;
+    md5 = "342acdc60e41232ba3b686913e1cad24";
+  };
+
+  # This is a hopefully temporary fix for the problem that
+  # libsvnjavahl.so isn't linked against libstdc++, which causes
+  # loading the library into the JVM to fail.
+  patches = if javahlBindings then [./javahl.patch] else [];
+
+  openssl = if sslSupport then openssl else null;
+  zlib = if compressionSupport then zlib else null;
+  httpd = if httpServer then httpd else null;
+  db4 = if localServer then db4 else null;
+  swig = if pythonBindings || javaSwigBindings then swig else null;
+  python = if pythonBindings then swig.python else null;
+  j2sdk = if javaSwigBindings then swig.j2sdk else
+          if javahlBindings then j2sdk else null;
+
+  inherit expat localServer httpServer sslSupport
+          pythonBindings javaSwigBindings javahlBindings;
+}
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/version-management/subversion-1.2.x/javahl.patch b/pkgs/applications/version-management/subversion-1.2.x/javahl.patch
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..ee306f93e242
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkgs/applications/version-management/subversion-1.2.x/javahl.patch
@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+diff -rc subversion-orig/build-outputs.mk subversion-1.1.0-rc2/build-outputs.mk
+*** subversion-orig/build-outputs.mk	2004-08-10 20:17:32.000000000 +0200
+--- subversion-1.1.0-rc2/build-outputs.mk	2004-08-23 21:04:35.000000000 +0200
+***************
+*** 200,206 ****
+  libsvnjavahl_DEPS =  subversion/bindings/java/javahl/native/BlameCallback.lo subversion/bindings/java/javahl/native/CommitMessage.lo subversion/bindings/java/javahl/native/Inputer.lo subversion/bindings/java/javahl/native/JNIByteArray.lo subversion/bindings/java/javahl/native/JNICriticalSection.lo subversion/bindings/java/javahl/native/JNIMutex.lo subversion/bindings/java/javahl/native/JNIStackElement.lo subversion/bindings/java/javahl/native/JNIStringHolder.lo subversion/bindings/java/javahl/native/JNIThreadData.lo subversion/bindings/java/javahl/native/JNIUtil.lo subversion/bindings/java/javahl/native/MessageReceiver.lo subversion/bindings/java/javahl/native/Notify.lo subversion/bindings/java/javahl/native/Outputer.lo subversion/bindings/java/javahl/native/Path.lo subversion/bindings/java/javahl/native/Pool.lo subversion/bindings/java/javahl/native/Prompter.lo subversion/bindings/java/javahl/native/Revision.lo subversion/bindings/java/javahl/native/SVNAdmin.lo subversion/bindings/java/javahl/native/SVNBase.lo subversion/bindings/java/javahl/native/SVNClient.lo subversion/bindings/java/javahl/native/Targets.lo subversion/bindings/java/javahl/native/libsvnjavahl.la.lo subversion/bindings/java/javahl/native/org_tigris_subversion_javahl_SVNAdmin.lo subversion/bindings/java/javahl/native/org_tigris_subversion_javahl_SVNClient.lo subversion/libsvn_client/libsvn_client-1.la subversion/libsvn_wc/libsvn_wc-1.la subversion/libsvn_ra/libsvn_ra-1.la subversion/libsvn_delta/libsvn_delta-1.la subversion/libsvn_subr/libsvn_subr-1.la
+  libsvnjavahl_OBJECTS = BlameCallback.lo CommitMessage.lo Inputer.lo JNIByteArray.lo JNICriticalSection.lo JNIMutex.lo JNIStackElement.lo JNIStringHolder.lo JNIThreadData.lo JNIUtil.lo MessageReceiver.lo Notify.lo Outputer.lo Path.lo Pool.lo Prompter.lo Revision.lo SVNAdmin.lo SVNBase.lo SVNClient.lo Targets.lo libsvnjavahl.la.lo org_tigris_subversion_javahl_SVNAdmin.lo org_tigris_subversion_javahl_SVNClient.lo
+  subversion/bindings/java/javahl/native/libsvnjavahl-1.la: $(libsvnjavahl_DEPS)
+! 	cd subversion/bindings/java/javahl/native && $(LINK_JAVAHL_CXX) -o libsvnjavahl-1.la $(LT_NO_UNDEFINED) $(libsvnjavahl_OBJECTS) ../../../../../subversion/libsvn_client/libsvn_client-1.la ../../../../../subversion/libsvn_wc/libsvn_wc-1.la ../../../../../subversion/libsvn_ra/libsvn_ra-1.la ../../../../../subversion/libsvn_delta/libsvn_delta-1.la ../../../../../subversion/libsvn_subr/libsvn_subr-1.la $(SVN_APRUTIL_LIBS) $(SVN_APR_LIBS) $(NEON_LIBS) $(LIBS)
+  
+  locale_DEPS =  subversion/po/de.mo subversion/po/es.mo subversion/po/ja.mo subversion/po/nb.mo subversion/po/pl.mo subversion/po/sv.mo
+  locale: $(locale_DEPS)
+--- 200,206 ----
+  libsvnjavahl_DEPS =  subversion/bindings/java/javahl/native/BlameCallback.lo subversion/bindings/java/javahl/native/CommitMessage.lo subversion/bindings/java/javahl/native/Inputer.lo subversion/bindings/java/javahl/native/JNIByteArray.lo subversion/bindings/java/javahl/native/JNICriticalSection.lo subversion/bindings/java/javahl/native/JNIMutex.lo subversion/bindings/java/javahl/native/JNIStackElement.lo subversion/bindings/java/javahl/native/JNIStringHolder.lo subversion/bindings/java/javahl/native/JNIThreadData.lo subversion/bindings/java/javahl/native/JNIUtil.lo subversion/bindings/java/javahl/native/MessageReceiver.lo subversion/bindings/java/javahl/native/Notify.lo subversion/bindings/java/javahl/native/Outputer.lo subversion/bindings/java/javahl/native/Path.lo subversion/bindings/java/javahl/native/Pool.lo subversion/bindings/java/javahl/native/Prompter.lo subversion/bindings/java/javahl/native/Revision.lo subversion/bindings/java/javahl/native/SVNAdmin.lo subversion/bindings/java/javahl/native/SVNBase.lo subversion/bindings/java/javahl/native/SVNClient.lo subversion/bindings/java/javahl/native/Targets.lo subversion/bindings/java/javahl/native/libsvnjavahl.la.lo subversion/bindings/java/javahl/native/org_tigris_subversion_javahl_SVNAdmin.lo subversion/bindings/java/javahl/native/org_tigris_subversion_javahl_SVNClient.lo subversion/libsvn_client/libsvn_client-1.la subversion/libsvn_wc/libsvn_wc-1.la subversion/libsvn_ra/libsvn_ra-1.la subversion/libsvn_delta/libsvn_delta-1.la subversion/libsvn_subr/libsvn_subr-1.la
+  libsvnjavahl_OBJECTS = BlameCallback.lo CommitMessage.lo Inputer.lo JNIByteArray.lo JNICriticalSection.lo JNIMutex.lo JNIStackElement.lo JNIStringHolder.lo JNIThreadData.lo JNIUtil.lo MessageReceiver.lo Notify.lo Outputer.lo Path.lo Pool.lo Prompter.lo Revision.lo SVNAdmin.lo SVNBase.lo SVNClient.lo Targets.lo libsvnjavahl.la.lo org_tigris_subversion_javahl_SVNAdmin.lo org_tigris_subversion_javahl_SVNClient.lo
+  subversion/bindings/java/javahl/native/libsvnjavahl-1.la: $(libsvnjavahl_DEPS)
+! 	cd subversion/bindings/java/javahl/native && $(LINK_JAVAHL_CXX) -o libsvnjavahl-1.la $(LT_NO_UNDEFINED) $(libsvnjavahl_OBJECTS) ../../../../../subversion/libsvn_client/libsvn_client-1.la ../../../../../subversion/libsvn_wc/libsvn_wc-1.la ../../../../../subversion/libsvn_ra/libsvn_ra-1.la ../../../../../subversion/libsvn_delta/libsvn_delta-1.la ../../../../../subversion/libsvn_subr/libsvn_subr-1.la $(SVN_APRUTIL_LIBS) $(SVN_APR_LIBS) $(NEON_LIBS) $(LIBS) -lstdc++
+  
+  locale_DEPS =  subversion/po/de.mo subversion/po/es.mo subversion/po/ja.mo subversion/po/nb.mo subversion/po/pl.mo subversion/po/sv.mo
+  locale: $(locale_DEPS)
diff --git a/pkgs/system/all-packages-generic.nix b/pkgs/system/all-packages-generic.nix
index dba69ab661bd..91be9d85cdb5 100644
--- a/pkgs/system/all-packages-generic.nix
+++ b/pkgs/system/all-packages-generic.nix
@@ -1044,6 +1044,15 @@ rec {
     httpd = apacheHttpd;
   };
 
+  subversion12x = (import ../applications/version-management/subversion-1.2.x) {
+    inherit fetchurl stdenv openssl db4 expat swig zlib;
+    localServer = true;
+    httpServer = false;
+    sslSupport = true;
+    compressionSupport = true;
+    httpd = apacheHttpd;
+  };
+
   subversionWithJava = (import ../applications/version-management/subversion-1.1.x) {
     inherit fetchurl stdenv openssl db4 expat;
     swig = swigWithJava;