diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 153b14123304273d2369565874704f36768f1e01..4241e3fcb1c40bd261f65eeb360d12f6fcfad262 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -255,11 +255,8 @@ default, installation is into /usr/local, but this can be changed with the
 
 You may specify the option `--sysconfdir` to set the directory where
 configuration files like `named.conf` go by default, and `--localstatedir`
-to set the default parent directory of `run/named.pid`.   For backwards
-compatibility with BIND 8, `--sysconfdir` defaults to `/etc` and
-`--localstatedir` defaults to `/var` if no `--prefix` option is given.  If
-there is a `--prefix` option, sysconfdir defaults to `$prefix/etc` and
-localstatedir defaults to `$prefix/var`.
+to set the default parent directory of `run/named.pid`.   `--sysconfdir`
+defaults to `$prefix/etc` and `--localstatedir` defaults to `$prefix/var`.
 
 ### <a name="testing"/> Automated testing
 
diff --git a/configure b/configure
index 40059aee49bd645a548eace71de2407c20e0dcc0..32626427b23e311b794286a9a888cfcb3e517ea1 100755
--- a/configure
+++ b/configure
@@ -12669,39 +12669,10 @@ fi
 
 
 #
-# Special processing of paths depending on whether --prefix,
-# --sysconfdir or --localstatedir arguments were given.  What's
-# desired is some compatibility with the way previous versions
-# of BIND built; they defaulted to /usr/local for most parts of
-# the installation, but named.boot/named.conf was in /etc
-# and named.pid was in /var/run.
+# expanded_sysconfdir is needed for replacement in the python utilities
 #
-# So ... if none of --prefix, --sysconfdir or --localstatedir are
-# specified, set things up that way.  If --prefix is given, use
-# it for sysconfdir and localstatedir the way configure normally
-# would.  To change the prefix for everything but leave named.conf
-# in /etc or named.pid in /var/run, then do this the usual configure way:
-# ./configure --prefix=/somewhere --sysconfdir=/etc
-# ./configure --prefix=/somewhere --localstatedir=/var
+# TODO: use sed in the Makefile instead of autoconf to do the replacement
 #
-# To put named.conf and named.pid in /usr/local with everything else,
-# set the prefix explicitly to /usr/local even though that's the default:
-# ./configure --prefix=/usr/local
-#
-case "$prefix" in
-	NONE)
-		case "$sysconfdir" in
-			'${prefix}/etc')
-				sysconfdir=/etc
-				;;
-		esac
-		case "$localstatedir" in
-			'${prefix}/var')
-				localstatedir=/var
-				;;
-		esac
-		;;
-esac
 expanded_sysconfdir=`eval echo $sysconfdir`
 
 
diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index eda04d456628d7cf0ab9b10fe2a602e76e4f6cf8..721dbf65602fbf31f04532617e49b43c7be89cf3 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -304,39 +304,8 @@ AC_SUBST(PYTHON_INSTALL_DIR)
 AC_SUBST(PYTHON_INSTALL_LIB)
 
 #
-# Special processing of paths depending on whether --prefix,
-# --sysconfdir or --localstatedir arguments were given.  What's
-# desired is some compatibility with the way previous versions
-# of BIND built; they defaulted to /usr/local for most parts of
-# the installation, but named.boot/named.conf was in /etc
-# and named.pid was in /var/run.
-#
-# So ... if none of --prefix, --sysconfdir or --localstatedir are
-# specified, set things up that way.  If --prefix is given, use
-# it for sysconfdir and localstatedir the way configure normally
-# would.  To change the prefix for everything but leave named.conf
-# in /etc or named.pid in /var/run, then do this the usual configure way:
-# ./configure --prefix=/somewhere --sysconfdir=/etc
-# ./configure --prefix=/somewhere --localstatedir=/var
-#
-# To put named.conf and named.pid in /usr/local with everything else,
-# set the prefix explicitly to /usr/local even though that's the default:
-# ./configure --prefix=/usr/local
-#
-case "$prefix" in
-	NONE)
-		case "$sysconfdir" in
-			'${prefix}/etc')
-				sysconfdir=/etc
-				;;
-		esac
-		case "$localstatedir" in
-			'${prefix}/var')
-				localstatedir=/var
-				;;
-		esac
-		;;
-esac
+# expanded_sysconfdir is needed for replacement in the python utilities
+#
 expanded_sysconfdir=`eval echo $sysconfdir`
 AC_SUBST(expanded_sysconfdir)
 
diff --git a/doc/arm/notes.xml b/doc/arm/notes.xml
index d076e5cbd31851d81403da5abb03f94dd129fd38..c51873b8fc54b859236b38f35e8071e4c55eae8b 100644
--- a/doc/arm/notes.xml
+++ b/doc/arm/notes.xml
@@ -240,6 +240,17 @@
           the problem. [GL #1055]
 	</para>
       </listitem>
+      <listitem>
+	<para>
+	  <command>./configure</command> no longer sets
+	  <command>--sysconfdir</command> to <command>/etc</command> or
+	  <command>--localstatedir</command> to <command>/var</command>
+	  when <command>--prefix</command> is not specified and the
+	  aforementioned options are not specified explicitly. Instead,
+	  Autoconf's defaults of <command>$prefix/etc</command> and
+	  <command>$prefix/var</command> are respected.
+	</para>
+      </listitem>
     </itemizedlist>
   </section>