diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index 9b918f1bc..0923bf08f 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -13,6 +13,25 @@
 # even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A
 # PARTICULAR PURPOSE.
 
+dnl This configure script is complicated, because GRUB needs to deal
+dnl with three potentially different types:
+dnl
+dnl   build  -- the environment for building GRUB
+dnl   host   -- the environment for running utilities
+dnl   target -- the environment for running GRUB
+dnl
+dnl In addition, GRUB needs to deal with a platform specification
+dnl which specifies the system running GRUB, such as firmware.
+dnl This is necessary because the target type in autoconf does not
+dnl describe such a system very well.
+dnl
+dnl The current strategy is to use variables with no prefix (such as
+dnl CC, CFLAGS, etc.) for the host type as well as the build type,
+dnl because GRUB does not need to use those variables for the build
+dnl type, so there is no conflict. Variables with the prefix "TARGET_"
+dnl (such as TARGET_CC, TARGET_CFLAGS, etc.) are used for the target
+dnl type.
+
 AC_INIT([GRUB],[1.98],[bug-grub@gnu.org])
 
 # We don't want -g -O2 by default in CFLAGS
@@ -879,10 +898,9 @@ else
   mkdir -p include/grub 2>/dev/null
   rm -rf include/grub/cpu
   cp -rp $srcdir/include/grub/$target_cpu include/grub/cpu 2>/dev/null
-  cp -rp $srcdir/grub-core/lib/$target_cpu grub-core/lib/target_cpu 2>/dev/null
   if test "$platform" != emu ; then
     rm -rf include/grub/machine
-    cp -rp $srcdir/grub-core/include/grub/$target_cpu/$platform include/grub/machine 2>/dev/null
+    cp -rp $srcdir/include/grub/$target_cpu/$platform include/grub/machine 2>/dev/null
   fi
 fi
 
diff --git a/tests/example_grub_script_test.in b/tests/example_grub_script_test.in
index 6fa3dc98a..93a90a18e 100644
--- a/tests/example_grub_script_test.in
+++ b/tests/example_grub_script_test.in
@@ -1,3 +1,3 @@
-#! @abs_top_builddir@/grub-shell-tester --modules=echo
+#! @builddir@/grub-shell-tester --modules=echo
 
 echo "hello world"
diff --git a/tests/util/grub-shell-tester.in b/tests/util/grub-shell-tester.in
index d2a9af3ab..ed34a5e17 100644
--- a/tests/util/grub-shell-tester.in
+++ b/tests/util/grub-shell-tester.in
@@ -91,7 +91,7 @@ if [ "x${source}" = x ] ; then
 fi
 
 outfile1=`mktemp`
-@abs_top_builddir@/grub-shell --qemu-opts="${qemuopts}" --modules=${modules} ${source} >${outfile1}
+@builddir@/grub-shell --qemu-opts="${qemuopts}" --modules=${modules} ${source} >${outfile1}
 
 outfile2=`mktemp`
 bash ${source} >${outfile2}
diff --git a/tests/util/grub-shell.in b/tests/util/grub-shell.in
index fc1e01ef5..3f25fe7bb 100644
--- a/tests/util/grub-shell.in
+++ b/tests/util/grub-shell.in
@@ -124,7 +124,7 @@ halt
 EOF
 
 isofile=`mktemp`
-sh @abs_top_builddir@/grub-mkrescue --grub-mkimage=${builddir}/grub-mkimage \
+sh @builddir@/grub-mkrescue --grub-mkimage=${builddir}/grub-mkimage \
   --override-directory=${builddir}/grub-core --output=${isofile} \
   boot/grub/grub.cfg=${cfgfile} \
   /boot/grub/testcase.cfg=${source} >/dev/null 2>&1