diff --git a/ChangeLog b/ChangeLog
index 0f36ccc4..0e3f29fb 100644
--- a/ChangeLog
+++ b/ChangeLog
@@ -1,5 +1,8 @@
 2014-06-11  Giuseppe Scrivano  <gscrivan@redhat.com>
 
+	* Makefile.am: Remove @VAR@ with $FOO.
+	* util/Makefile.am: Likewise.
+
 	* ABOUT-NLS: Remove terminating empty lines.
 	* MAILING-LIST: Likewise.
 	* util/rmold.pl: Likewise.
diff --git a/Makefile.am b/Makefile.am
index 7a500ba0..c9869b7f 100644
--- a/Makefile.am
+++ b/Makefile.am
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@
 # as that of the covered work.
 
 #
-# Version: @VERSION@
+# Version: $(VERSION)
 #
 
 
diff --git a/doc/ChangeLog b/doc/ChangeLog
index d0bc0bec..1b82248e 100644
--- a/doc/ChangeLog
+++ b/doc/ChangeLog
@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
 2014-06-11  Giuseppe Scrivano  <gscrivan@redhat.com>
 
+	* Makefile.am: Remove @VAR@ with $FOO.
+
 	* fdl.texi: Remove terminating empty lines.
 
 2014-06-10  Giuseppe Scrivano  <gscrivan@redhat.com>
diff --git a/doc/Makefile.am b/doc/Makefile.am
index b90f68b1..af221fbd 100644
--- a/doc/Makefile.am
+++ b/doc/Makefile.am
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@
 # along with this program.  If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
 
 #
-# Version: @VERSION@
+# Version: $(VERSION)
 #
 
 # Program to convert DVI files to PostScript
@@ -28,7 +28,6 @@ manext     = 1
 RM = rm -f
 
 TEXI2POD     = $(srcdir)/texi2pod.pl
-POD2MAN      = @POD2MAN@
 MAN          = wget.$(manext)
 WGETRC       = $(sysconfdir)/wgetrc
 SAMPLERCTEXI = sample.wgetrc.munged_for_texi_inclusion
@@ -39,7 +38,7 @@ SAMPLERCTEXI = sample.wgetrc.munged_for_texi_inclusion
 
 man_MANS = $(MAN)
 
-all: wget.info @COMMENT_IF_NO_POD2MAN@$(MAN)
+all: wget.info $(COMMENT_IF_NO_POD2MAN)$(MAN)
 
 everything: all wget_us.ps wget_a4.ps wget_toc.html
 
@@ -57,7 +56,7 @@ wget.pod: $(srcdir)/wget.texi version.texi
 	$(TEXI2POD) -D VERSION="$(VERSION)" $(srcdir)/wget.texi $@
 
 $(MAN): wget.pod
-	$(POD2MAN) --center="GNU Wget" --release="GNU Wget @VERSION@" $? > $@
+	$(POD2MAN) --center="GNU Wget" --release="GNU Wget $(VERSION)" $? > $@
 
 #wget.cat: $(MAN)
 #	nroff -man $? > $@
@@ -76,10 +75,10 @@ wget_toc.html: $(srcdir)/wget.texi
 #
 
 # install all the documentation
-install-data-local: install.wgetrc @COMMENT_IF_NO_POD2MAN@install.man
+install-data-local: install.wgetrc $(COMMENT_IF_NO_POD2MAN)install.man
 
 # uninstall all the documentation
-uninstall-local: @COMMENT_IF_NO_POD2MAN@uninstall.man
+uninstall-local: $(COMMENT_IF_NO_POD2MAN)uninstall.man
 
 
 # install man page, creating install directory if necessary
diff --git a/src/ChangeLog b/src/ChangeLog
index 1fd674b4..4a163ce1 100644
--- a/src/ChangeLog
+++ b/src/ChangeLog
@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
 2014-06-11  Giuseppe Scrivano  <gscrivan@redhat.com>
 
+	* Makefile.am: Remove @VAR@ with $FOO.
+
 	* DESCRIP_MODS.MMS: Remove terminating empty lines.
 	* DESCRIP_SRC.MMS: Likewise.
 	* convert.c: Likewise.
diff --git a/src/Makefile.am b/src/Makefile.am
index 8ef931a6..562f21ac 100644
--- a/src/Makefile.am
+++ b/src/Makefile.am
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@
 # as that of the covered work.
 
 #
-# Version: @VERSION@
+# Version: $(VERSION)
 #
 
 if IRI_IS_ENABLED
@@ -36,8 +36,8 @@ IRI_OBJ = iri.c
 endif
 
 # The following line is losing on some versions of make!
-DEFS     = @DEFS@ -DSYSTEM_WGETRC=\"$(sysconfdir)/wgetrc\" -DLOCALEDIR=\"$(localedir)\"
-LIBS     = @LIBICONV@ @LIBINTL@ @LIBS@ $(LIB_CLOCK_GETTIME)
+DEFS     += -DSYSTEM_WGETRC=\"$(sysconfdir)/wgetrc\" -DLOCALEDIR=\"$(localedir)\"
+LIBS     += $(LIBICONV) $(LIBINTL) $(LIB_CLOCK_GETTIME)
 
 EXTRA_DIST = css.l css.c css_.c build_info.c.in
 
@@ -74,7 +74,7 @@ version.c:  $(wget_SOURCES) ../lib/libgnu.a
 	echo '/* version.c */' > $@
 	echo '/* Autogenerated by Makefile - DO NOT EDIT */' >> $@
 	echo '' >> $@
-	echo 'const char *version_string = "@VERSION@";' >> $@
+	echo 'const char *version_string = "$(VERSION)";' >> $@
 	echo 'const char *compilation_string = "'$(COMPILE)'";' \
 	    | $(ESCAPEQUOTE) >> $@
 	echo 'const char *link_string = "'$(CCLD) $(AM_CFLAGS) $(CFLAGS) \
diff --git a/tests/ChangeLog b/tests/ChangeLog
index 57ba20c3..d957b57c 100644
--- a/tests/ChangeLog
+++ b/tests/ChangeLog
@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
 2014-06-11  Giuseppe Scrivano  <gscrivan@redhat.com>
 
+	* Makefile.am: Remove @VAR@ with $FOO.
+
 	* FTPTest.pm: Remove terminating empty lines.
 	* HTTPServer.pm: Likewise.
 	* HTTPTest.pm: Likewise.
diff --git a/tests/Makefile.am b/tests/Makefile.am
index fdde94d6..4bd3ebf6 100644
--- a/tests/Makefile.am
+++ b/tests/Makefile.am
@@ -28,13 +28,13 @@
 # as that of the covered work.
 
 #
-# Version: @VERSION@
+# Version: $(VERSION)
 #
 
 PERL     = perl
 PERLRUN = $(PERL) -I$(srcdir)
 
-LIBS     = @LIBICONV@ @LIBINTL@ @LIBS@ $(LIB_CLOCK_GETTIME)
+LIBS     += $(LIBICONV) $(LIBINTL) $(LIB_CLOCK_GETTIME)
 
 .PHONY: test run-unit-tests run-px-tests
 
diff --git a/util/Makefile.am b/util/Makefile.am
index 188d00f6..83b9700d 100644
--- a/util/Makefile.am
+++ b/util/Makefile.am
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@
 # as that of the covered work.
 
 #
-# Version: @VERSION@
+# Version: $(VERSION)
 #
 
 EXTRA_DIST = README rmold.pl trunc.c