diff --git a/debian/Makefile.am b/debian/Makefile.am
index 330f2f0..93e5600 100644
--- a/debian/Makefile.am
+++ b/debian/Makefile.am
@@ -1,3 +1,3 @@
 # process this file with automake to create a Makefile.in
 
-EXTRA_DIST = control rules changelog copyright
+EXTRA_DIST = control rules changelog copyright libraw1394.postinst.in
diff --git a/debian/libraw1394.postinst.in b/debian/libraw1394.postinst.in
index 38bea86..8e91020 100644
--- a/debian/libraw1394.postinst.in
+++ b/debian/libraw1394.postinst.in
@@ -2,6 +2,38 @@
 
 if [ "$1" = "configure" ]; then
 	ldconfig usr/lib/@libname@
+
+	if [ ! -c /dev/raw1394 ]; then
+		echo
+		echo "Required /dev/raw1394 device file not found."
+		echo "Without it, libraw1394 is quite useless as it can't talk"
+		echo "to the kernel driver."
+		echo
+		echo -n "Should I create it for you? [N/y] "
+		read REPLY
+
+		case "$REPLY" in
+		y|yes)
+			mknod -m600 /dev/raw1394 c 171 0
+			chown root.root /dev/raw1394
+			echo
+			echo "/dev/raw1394 created."
+			echo "It is owned by root with permissions 600.  You may want to fix"
+			echo "the group/permission to something appropriate for you."
+			echo "Note however that anyone who can open raw1394 can access all"
+			echo "devices on all connected 1394 buses unrestricted, including"
+			echo "harddisks and other probably sensitive devices."
+			;;
+		*)
+			echo
+			echo "/dev/raw1394 not created."
+			echo "You can create it at a later time using /dev/MAKEDEV if you"
+			echo "have a version that already knows raw1394 or you can create"
+			echo "it manually with the command:"
+			echo "mknod -m600 /dev/raw1394 c 171 0"
+			;;
+		esac
+	fi
 fi
 
 #DEBHELPER#
diff --git a/debian/rules b/debian/rules
index f610f0e..d309604 100644
--- a/debian/rules
+++ b/debian/rules
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ clean: autoclean-files
 	-$(MAKE) distclean
 
 	dh_clean
-	xargs <autoclean_files rm -f
+	xargs <autoclean-files rm -f
 
 install: build
 	dh_testdir
@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@ binary-arch: build install autoclean-files
 		usr/lib/$(majorname)		\
 		usr/lib/$(fullversionname)
 
-	echo debian/libraw1394-$(major).postinst >>autoclean_files
+	echo debian/libraw1394-$(major).postinst >>autoclean-files
 	sed <debian/libraw1394.postinst.in >debian/libraw1394-$(major).postinst \
 		-e s/@libname@/$(fullversionname)/