diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a2a7f70
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -0,0 +1,97 @@
+# common patterns for all directories
+.*.swp
+.deps
+.libs
+*.o
+*.la
+*.lo
+*~
+Makefile
+Makefile.in
+# rooted patterns
+/aclocal.m4
+/ar-lib
+/autom4te.cache/
+/comedi_board_info/comedi_board_info
+/comedi_config/comedi_config
+/comedilib.pc
+/comedilib.spec
+/compile
+/config.guess
+/config.h
+/config.h.in
+/config.log
+/config.status
+/config.sub
+/configure
+/demo/antialias
+/demo/ao_mmap
+/demo/ao_waveform
+/demo/apply_cal
+/demo/board_info
+/demo/choose_clock
+/demo/choose_filter
+/demo/choose_routing
+/demo/cmd
+/demo/dio
+/demo/do_waveform
+/demo/eeprom_dump
+/demo/gpct_buffered_counting
+/demo/gpct_encoder
+/demo/gpct_pulse_generator
+/demo/gpct_simple_counting
+/demo/inp
+/demo/inpn
+/demo/insn
+/demo/ledclock
+/demo/mmap
+/demo/outp
+/demo/poll
+/demo/pwm
+/demo/receiver
+/demo/select
+/demo/sender
+/demo/sigio
+/demo/sv
+/demo/tut1
+/demo/tut2
+/demo/tut3
+/depcomp
+# note that /doc/*_funcref.xml are generated from /doc/*_funcref.txt
+/doc/calibration_funcref.xml
+/doc/command_funcref.xml
+/doc/deprecated_funcref.xml
+/doc/dio_funcref.xml
+/doc/error_funcref.xml
+/doc/extensions_funcref.xml
+/doc/funcref.xml
+# note that /doc/drivers.xml is generated from /doc/drivers.txt
+/doc/drivers.xml
+# documentation output
+/doc/doc_html/
+/doc/man/
+/doc/pdf/
+# more rooted patterns
+/include/comedilib_version.h
+/install-sh
+# C files generated by YACC/LEX
+/lib/calib_lex.c
+/lib/calib_lex.h
+/lib/calib_yacc.c
+/lib/calib_yacc.h
+/libtool
+/ltmain.sh
+# some automatically added m4 files
+/m4/libtool.m4
+/m4/ltoptions.m4
+/m4/ltsugar.m4
+/m4/ltversion.m4
+/m4/lt~obsolete.m4
+# more rooted patterns
+/missing
+/stamp-h1
+# files generated by SWIG
+/swig/python/comedi.py
+/swig/python/comedi_python_wrap.c
+# more rooted patterns
+/testing/comedi_test