--- bin/cm3.cfg
+++ bin/cm3.cfg
@@ -57,25 +57,7 @@
 % A World-Wide Web browser.  Reactor passes it an initial URL
 % its first command-line argument.
 
-INITIAL_REACTOR_EDITOR = BEGIN_CONFIG
-  "What should be the default text editor for new Reactor users?"
-    10 "EDITOR"
-     0 "emacsclient"
-     0 "emacs"
-     0 "vi"
-     0 "textedit"
-     0 "xedit"
-     6 "/usr/local/emacs/bin" "emacsclient"
-     6 "/usr/local/bin"       "emacsclient"
-     6 "/usr/local/emacs/bin" "emacs"
-     6 "/usr/local/bin"       "emacs"
-     6 "/usr/bin"             "vi"
-     6 "/usr/local/X11R5/bin" "xedit"
-     6 "/usr/openwin/bin"     "textedit"
-     6 "/usr/openwin/bin"     "xedit"
-     6 "/usr/X11/bin"         "xedit"
-     6 "/usr/bin/X11"         "xedit"
-END_CONFIG
+INITIAL_REACTOR_EDITOR = "@GENTOO_INITIAL_REACTOR_EDITOR@"
 % A text editor.  Reactor passes it "<file> +<line>" on the
 % command-line when it wants to edit <file> initially positioned
 % at <line>.
@@ -86,10 +68,7 @@
 % the installation will fail, but can be restarted after you have 
 % fixed the permissions.
 
-INSTALL_ROOT = BEGIN_CONFIG
-  "Where should Reactor be installed?"
-    7 %-- user specified install root
-END_CONFIG
+INSTALL_ROOT = "@GENTOO_INSTALL_ROOT@"
 
 BIN_INSTALL   = INSTALL_ROOT & "/bin"        % executables
 if M3_PROFILING 
@@ -139,70 +118,12 @@
 %                      12 "/usr/local/gnu/lib"
 %                      13 "/usr/lib"
 %                  END_CONFIG, "-ll" ],
-  "FLEX-BISON" : [  BEGIN_CONFIG
-                     "Where are the flex/bison libraries?"
-                       11 "libfl.a"
-                       12 "/usr/lib"
-                       12 "/usr/local/lib"
-                       12 "/usr/local/gnu/lib"
-                       13 "/usr/lib"
-                   END_CONFIG, "-lfl" ],
-  "POSTGRES95" : [ "-Xlinker", "-Bdynamic", BEGIN_CONFIG
-                     "Where are the Postgres95 libraries?"
-                       11 "libpq.so"
-                       12 "/usr/local/postgres95/lib"
-                       12 "/usr/local/lib"
-                       12 "/usr/lib"
-                       13 "/usr/lib"
-                   END_CONFIG, "-lpq" ],
-  "OPENGL"     : [ "-Xlinker", "-Bdynamic", BEGIN_CONFIG
-                     "Where are the OpenGL libraries?"
-                       11 "libGLU.so"
-                       11 "libGL.so"
-                       12 "/usr/lib"
-                       12 "/usr/local/lib"
-                       12 "/usr/local/gnu/lib"
-                       13 "/usr/lib"
-                   END_CONFIG, "-lGLU", "-lGL", "-lXext" ],
-  "ODBC"       : [ "-Xlinker", "-Bdynamic", BEGIN_CONFIG
-                     "Where are the ODBC libraries?"
-                       11 "libodbc.so"
-                       12 "/usr/local/lib"
-                       12 "/usr/lib"
-                       12 "/usr/local/pgsql/lib"
-                       12 "/usr/local/postgres95/lib"
-                       13 "/usr/local/lib"
-                   END_CONFIG, "-lodbc" ],
-  "MOTIF"      : [ "-Xlinker", "-Bdynamic", BEGIN_CONFIG
-                     "Where are the Motif libraries?"
-                       11 "libXm.so"
-                       12 "/usr/X11/lib"
-                       12 "/usr/X11R6/lib"
-                       12 "/usr/lib"
-                       12 "/usr/local/lib"
-                       12 "/usr/local/gnu/lib"
-                       13 "/usr/X11/lib"
-                       13 "/usr/X11R6/lib"
-                       13 "/usr/lib"
-                   END_CONFIG, "-lXm" ],
-  "X11"        : [ "-Xlinker", "-Bdynamic", BEGIN_CONFIG
-                     "Where are the X11 libraries?"
-                       11 "libXaw.so"
-                       11 "libXmu.so"
-                       11 "libXext.so"
-                       11 "libXt.so"
-                       11 "libSM.so"
-                       11 "libICE.so"
-                       11 "libX11.so"
-                       12 "/usr/X11/lib"
-                       12 "/usr/X11R6/lib"
-                       12 "/usr/lib"
-                       12 "/usr/local/lib"
-                       12 "/usr/local/gnu/lib"
-                       13 "/usr/X11/lib"
-                       13 "/usr/X11R6/lib"
-                       13 "/usr/lib"
-                   END_CONFIG, "-lXaw", "-lXmu", "-lXext",
+  "FLEX-BISON" : [ "-lfl" ],
+  "POSTGRES95" : [ "-Xlinker", "-Bdynamic", "-lpq" ],
+  "OPENGL"     : [ "-Xlinker", "-Bdynamic", "-lGLU", "-lGL", "-lXext" ],
+  "ODBC"       : [ "-Xlinker", "-Bdynamic", "-lodbc" ],
+  "MOTIF"      : [ "-Xlinker", "-Bdynamic", "-lXm" ],
+  "X11"        : [ "-Xlinker", "-Bdynamic", "-lXaw", "-lXmu", "-lXext",
                         "-lXt", "-lSM", "-lICE", "-lX11" ],
   "TCP"        : [ ]
 }
@@ -215,39 +136,9 @@
 
 %---------------------------------------------------------- system programs ---
 
-readonly SYSTEM_CC  = BEGIN_CONFIG
-  "Where is your C compiler?"
-    0 "gcc"
-    6 "/bin"           "gcc"
-    6 "/usr/bin"       "gcc"
-    6 "/usr/local"     "gcc"
-    6 "/usr/local/bin" "gcc"
-    6 "/usr/local/gnu" "gcc"
-    0 "cc"
-    6 "/bin"           "cc"
-    6 "/usr/bin"       "cc"
-    6 "/usr/local"     "cc"
-    6 "/usr/local/bin" "cc"
-    6 "/usr/local/gnu" "cc"
-END_CONFIG % C compiler
-readonly SYSTEM_AR  = BEGIN_CONFIG
-  "Where is your library archiver?"
-    0 "ar"
-    6 "/usr/bin"       "ar"
-    6 "/bin"           "ar"
-    6 "/usr/local"     "ar"
-    6 "/usr/local/bin" "ar"
-    6 "/usr/local/gnu" "ar"
-END_CONFIG % Archiver
-readonly SYSTEM_ASM = BEGIN_CONFIG
-  "Where is your assembler?"
-    0 "as"
-    6 "/usr/bin"       "as"
-    6 "/bin"           "as"
-    6 "/usr/local"     "as"
-    6 "/usr/local/bin" "as"
-    6 "/usr/local/gnu" "as"
-END_CONFIG % Assembler
+readonly SYSTEM_CC  = "@GENTOO_CC@"
+readonly SYSTEM_AR  = "@GENTOO_AR@"
+readonly SYSTEM_ASM = "@GENTOO_AS@"
 
 %--------------------------------------------------------- Modula-3 backend ---
 % For platforms without an integrated backend, "m3_backend" is called to
@@ -456,6 +347,6 @@
 % To use the GNU defaults for CC and CFLAGS, specify "*".
 %
 
-GNU_CC     = "gcc"
-GNU_CFLAGS = "-O"
+GNU_CC     = "*"
+GNU_CFLAGS = "*"
 GNU_MAKE   = "make"