diff --git a/DDCore/CMakeLists.txt b/DDCore/CMakeLists.txt
index 2a3ac33661bba1bbf743852e6018a4198c323123..dc2026d943070c7d35c1a7552aeae7c8c338b499 100644
--- a/DDCore/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/DDCore/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -76,7 +76,7 @@ target_link_libraries(DDCore
   PUBLIC
   DD4hep::DDParsers
   ROOT::Core ROOT::Rint ROOT::Tree ROOT::Physics ROOT::Geom ROOT::GenVector
-  ${XML_LIBRARIES}
+  ${XML_LIBRARIES} ${CMAKE_DL_LIBS}
   )
 
 if(${CMAKE_VERSION} VERSION_GREATER 3.7.99)
diff --git a/DDCore/src/DetectorImp.cpp b/DDCore/src/DetectorImp.cpp
index 663782df7f264cd6450d588768bdbd4563b5f7ae..f4156e445ba2b506a94006947cd68c0b1c1663a8 100644
--- a/DDCore/src/DetectorImp.cpp
+++ b/DDCore/src/DetectorImp.cpp
@@ -174,13 +174,13 @@ DetectorImp::DetectorImp(const string& name)
   m_manager = new TGeoManager(name.c_str(), "Detector Geometry");
   {
     gGeoManager = m_manager;
-#if 0 //FIXME: eventually this should be set to 1 - needs fixes in examples ...
+#if 1 //FIXME: eventually this should be set to 1 - needs fixes in examples ...
     TGeoElementTable*	table = m_manager->GetElementTable();
     table->TGeoElementTable::~TGeoElementTable();
     new(table) TGeoElementTable();
     // This will initialize the table without filling:
-    table->AddElement("VACUUM","VACUUM", 0, 0, 0.0);
-    table->Print();
+    table->AddElement("VACUUM","VACUUM", 1, 1, 1e-15);
+    // table->Print();
 #endif
   }
   if ( 0 == gGeoIdentity )
diff --git a/DDCore/src/Plugins.cpp b/DDCore/src/Plugins.cpp
index 6326df2ef3326e091d9e18d51eff3d66bdd0a00c..d1c04044e08674b3435bb7daba23416f2ff00878 100644
--- a/DDCore/src/Plugins.cpp
+++ b/DDCore/src/Plugins.cpp
@@ -36,6 +36,10 @@ bool PluginService::setDebug(bool new_value)   {
   return old_value;
 }
 
+#if defined(__linux) && !defined(__APPLE__)
+#define DD4HEP_PARSERS_NO_ROOT
+#endif
+
 #include "DD4hep/Printout.h"
 #if !defined(DD4HEP_PARSERS_NO_ROOT)
 #include "TSystem.h"
@@ -94,9 +98,11 @@ namespace   {
   {
     void* handle = 0;
     const char* plugin_name = ::getenv("DD4HEP_PLUGINMGR");
-    if ( 0 == plugin_name )   {
-      plugin_name = "libDD4hepGaudiPluginMgr";
-    }
+#if defined(__linux) && !defined(__APPLE__)
+    if ( 0 == plugin_name ) plugin_name = "libDD4hepGaudiPluginMgr.so";
+#else
+    if ( 0 == plugin_name ) plugin_name = "libDD4hepGaudiPluginMgr";
+#endif
 #if defined(DD4HEP_PARSERS_NO_ROOT)
     handle = ::dlopen(plugin_name, RTLD_LAZY | RTLD_GLOBAL);
 #else
diff --git a/examples/ClientTests/CMakeLists.txt b/examples/ClientTests/CMakeLists.txt
index 226a71130eeec1050638896dbaddaddcaac056dc..0c8393fc81400d2d278ec8a7061fc96d0c19560f 100644
--- a/examples/ClientTests/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/examples/ClientTests/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -124,7 +124,7 @@ dd4hep_add_test_reg( ClientTests_DumpElements
   EXEC_ARGS  geoPluginRun
   -input file:${ClientTestsEx_INSTALL}/compact/MiniTel.xml
   -volmgr -destroy -plugin DD4hep_ElementTable -type xml
-  REGEX_PASS "formula=\"UUB\" name=\"UUB\""
+  REGEX_PASS "formula=\"Zr\" name=\"Zr\""
   REGEX_FAIL "Exception"
   REGEX_FAIL "FAILED"
   )
diff --git a/examples/ClientTests/compact/CheckShape.xml b/examples/ClientTests/compact/CheckShape.xml
index eb9130685a2056516c8077eb68b224549260857c..89176c114912b909a1a69f4586bfef8ff2a10551 100644
--- a/examples/ClientTests/compact/CheckShape.xml
+++ b/examples/ClientTests/compact/CheckShape.xml
@@ -12,32 +12,11 @@
   </info>
   <steer open="false" close="false"/>
 
-  <materials>
-    <element Z="7" formula="N" name="N" >
-      <atom type="A" unit="g/mol" value="14.0068" />
-    </element>
-    <element Z="8" formula="O" name="O" >
-      <atom type="A" unit="g/mol" value="15.9994" />
-    </element>
-    <element Z="18" formula="Ar" name="Ar" >
-      <atom type="A" unit="g/mol" value="39.9477" />
-    </element>
+  <includes>
+    <gdmlFile  ref="${DD4hepINSTALL}/DDDetectors/compact/elements.xml"/>
+    <gdmlFile  ref="${DD4hepINSTALL}/DDDetectors/compact/materials.xml"/>
+  </includes>
 
-    <material name="Air">
-      <D type="density" unit="g/cm3" value="0.0012"/>
-      <fraction n="0.754" ref="N"/>
-      <fraction n="0.234" ref="O"/>
-      <fraction n="0.012" ref="Ar"/>
-    </material>  
-    <!-- We model vakuum just as very thin air -->
-    <material name="Vacuum">  
-      <D type="density" unit="g/cm3" value="0.0000000001" />
-      <fraction n="0.754" ref="N"/>
-      <fraction n="0.234" ref="O"/>
-      <fraction n="0.012" ref="Ar"/>
-    </material>
-  </materials>
- 
   <define>
     <constant name="world_side" value="300*cm"/>
     <constant name="world_x" value="world_side"/>
diff --git a/examples/OpticalSurfaces/compact/OpNovice.xml b/examples/OpticalSurfaces/compact/OpNovice.xml
index e12e5dbe2ffc1ba806e84f2431dc9a51ace5c42a..9e84df55ae731d525535d01cce69c82d5c558449 100644
--- a/examples/OpticalSurfaces/compact/OpNovice.xml
+++ b/examples/OpticalSurfaces/compact/OpNovice.xml
@@ -292,20 +292,11 @@
     </ignore>
   </properties>
 
-  <materials>
-    <element Z="1" formula="H" name="H" >
-      <atom type="A" unit="g/mol" value="1.00794" />
-    </element>
-    <element Z="8" formula="O" name="O" >
-      <atom type="A" unit="g/mol" value="15.9994" />
-    </element>
-    <element Z="7" formula="N" name="N" >
-      <atom type="A" unit="g/mol" value="14.0068" />
-    </element>
-    <element Z="18" formula="Ar" name="Ar" >
-      <atom type="A" unit="g/mol" value="39.9477" />
-    </element>
+  <includes>
+    <gdmlFile  ref="${DD4hepINSTALL}/DDDetectors/compact/elements.xml"/>
+  </includes>
 
+  <materials>
     <material name="Air">
       <D type="density" unit="g/cm3" value="0.0012"/>
       <fraction n="0.754" ref="N"/>
diff --git a/examples/OpticalSurfaces/compact/ReadMaterialProperties.xml b/examples/OpticalSurfaces/compact/ReadMaterialProperties.xml
index 19d91f024522e41668a2bf611e5cbc6c88241431..27a958969fa6119d9977ff8b7c3a13c61a314aee 100644
--- a/examples/OpticalSurfaces/compact/ReadMaterialProperties.xml
+++ b/examples/OpticalSurfaces/compact/ReadMaterialProperties.xml
@@ -193,20 +193,10 @@
     </ignore>
   </properties>
 
+  <includes>
+    <gdmlFile  ref="${DD4hepINSTALL}/DDDetectors/compact/elements.xml"/>
+  </includes>
   <materials>
-    <element Z="1" formula="H" name="H" >
-      <atom type="A" unit="g/mol" value="1.00794" />
-    </element>
-    <element Z="8" formula="O" name="O" >
-      <atom type="A" unit="g/mol" value="15.9994" />
-    </element>
-    <element Z="7" formula="N" name="N" >
-      <atom type="A" unit="g/mol" value="14.0068" />
-    </element>
-    <element Z="18" formula="Ar" name="Ar" >
-      <atom type="A" unit="g/mol" value="39.9477" />
-    </element>
-
     <material name="Air">
       <D type="density" unit="g/cm3" value="0.0012"/>
       <fraction n="0.754" ref="N"/>