diff --git a/ChangeLog b/ChangeLog
index e563f7c1..af33e84c 100644
--- a/ChangeLog
+++ b/ChangeLog
@@ -1,3 +1,17 @@
+2000-02-10  Akim Demaille  <akim@epita.fr>
+
+	Avoid calling `rm' without arguments.
+
+	* acgeneral.m4 (_AC_OUTPUT_CONFIG_STATUS): It is smarter to use a
+	quoted here doc to output the section providing defaults for
+	CONFIG_*.
+	Don't rm the CONFIG_FILES here but in..
+	(AC_OUTPUT_FILES) [test -n "$CONFIG_FILES"]: here.
+	Hm, actually, no, just don't remove them at all, let the newly
+	created files replace the old ones, exactly as in
+	AC_OUTPUT_HEADERS.
+	From Graham Jenkins.
+
 2000-02-10  Akim Demaille  <akim@epita.fr>
 
 	* acgeneral.m4 (AC_LIST_MEMBER_OF): s/ac_$exists/$ac_exists/!
diff --git a/acgeneral.m4 b/acgeneral.m4
index d8abfcfa..d5744122 100644
--- a/acgeneral.m4
+++ b/acgeneral.m4
@@ -3541,25 +3541,23 @@ dnl Issue this section only if there were actually config files.
 dnl This checks if one of AC_LIST_HEADERS, AC_LIST_FILES, AC_LIST_COMMANDS,
 dnl or AC_LIST_LINKS is set.
 ifval(AC_LIST_HEADERS()AC_LIST_LINKS()AC_LIST_FILES()AC_LIST_COMMANDS(),
-[cat >>$CONFIG_STATUS <<EOF
+[cat >>$CONFIG_STATUS <<\EOF
 # If the user did not use the arguments to specify the items to instantiate,
 # then the envvar interface is used.  Set only those that are not.
-if [\$]ac_need_defaults; then
-ifset([AC_LIST_FILES], [  : \${CONFIG_FILES=\$config_files}
+if $ac_need_defaults; then
+ifset([AC_LIST_FILES], [  : ${CONFIG_FILES=$config_files}
 ])dnl
-ifset([AC_LIST_HEADERS], [  : \${CONFIG_HEADERS=\$config_headers}
+ifset([AC_LIST_HEADERS], [  : ${CONFIG_HEADERS=$config_headers}
 ])dnl
-ifset([AC_LIST_LINKS], [  : \${CONFIG_LINKS=\$config_links}
+ifset([AC_LIST_LINKS], [  : ${CONFIG_LINKS=$config_links}
 ])dnl
-ifset([AC_LIST_COMMANDS], [  : \${CONFIG_COMMANDS=\$config_commands}
+ifset([AC_LIST_COMMANDS], [  : ${CONFIG_COMMANDS=$config_commands}
 ])dnl
 fi
 
-# Remove all the CONFIG_FILES, and trap to remove the temp files.
-dnl There is no need to trap for the config files since they are built
-dnl from `mv tmp-file config-file', hence their update is atomic.
-rm -fr \`echo "\$CONFIG_FILES" | sed "s/:@BKL@^ @BKR@*//g"\`
-trap 'rm -fr \$ac_cs_root*; exit 1' 1 2 15
+# Trap to remove the temp files.
+dnl FIXME: Should we check that there are files to remove?
+trap 'rm -fr $ac_cs_root*; exit 1' 1 2 15
 
 EOF
 ])[]dnl ifval
diff --git a/lib/autoconf/general.m4 b/lib/autoconf/general.m4
index d8abfcfa..d5744122 100644
--- a/lib/autoconf/general.m4
+++ b/lib/autoconf/general.m4
@@ -3541,25 +3541,23 @@ dnl Issue this section only if there were actually config files.
 dnl This checks if one of AC_LIST_HEADERS, AC_LIST_FILES, AC_LIST_COMMANDS,
 dnl or AC_LIST_LINKS is set.
 ifval(AC_LIST_HEADERS()AC_LIST_LINKS()AC_LIST_FILES()AC_LIST_COMMANDS(),
-[cat >>$CONFIG_STATUS <<EOF
+[cat >>$CONFIG_STATUS <<\EOF
 # If the user did not use the arguments to specify the items to instantiate,
 # then the envvar interface is used.  Set only those that are not.
-if [\$]ac_need_defaults; then
-ifset([AC_LIST_FILES], [  : \${CONFIG_FILES=\$config_files}
+if $ac_need_defaults; then
+ifset([AC_LIST_FILES], [  : ${CONFIG_FILES=$config_files}
 ])dnl
-ifset([AC_LIST_HEADERS], [  : \${CONFIG_HEADERS=\$config_headers}
+ifset([AC_LIST_HEADERS], [  : ${CONFIG_HEADERS=$config_headers}
 ])dnl
-ifset([AC_LIST_LINKS], [  : \${CONFIG_LINKS=\$config_links}
+ifset([AC_LIST_LINKS], [  : ${CONFIG_LINKS=$config_links}
 ])dnl
-ifset([AC_LIST_COMMANDS], [  : \${CONFIG_COMMANDS=\$config_commands}
+ifset([AC_LIST_COMMANDS], [  : ${CONFIG_COMMANDS=$config_commands}
 ])dnl
 fi
 
-# Remove all the CONFIG_FILES, and trap to remove the temp files.
-dnl There is no need to trap for the config files since they are built
-dnl from `mv tmp-file config-file', hence their update is atomic.
-rm -fr \`echo "\$CONFIG_FILES" | sed "s/:@BKL@^ @BKR@*//g"\`
-trap 'rm -fr \$ac_cs_root*; exit 1' 1 2 15
+# Trap to remove the temp files.
+dnl FIXME: Should we check that there are files to remove?
+trap 'rm -fr $ac_cs_root*; exit 1' 1 2 15
 
 EOF
 ])[]dnl ifval