diff --git a/config/CONFIG_BASE b/config/CONFIG_BASE
index b8f0d0b02..de966eb01 100644
--- a/config/CONFIG_BASE
+++ b/config/CONFIG_BASE
@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@ EPICS_BASE = $(INSTALL_LOCATION)
 # for EPICS Makefiles (which are not created from other files)
 .PHONY:: $(TOP)/config/CONFIG
 .PHONY:: $(TOP)/config/CONFIG.* $(TOP)/config/CONFIG_* 
-.PHONY:: $(TOP)/config/RULES.* $(TOP)/config/RULES_* .DEPENDS
+.PHONY:: $(TOP)/config/RULES.* $(TOP)/config/RULES_* DEPENDS
 .PHONY:: $(HOME)/EPICS_CONFIG $(HOME)/EPICS_CONFIG.$(HOST_ARCH)
 .PHONY:: ../Makefile.Vx ../Makefile.Unix ../Makefile.Host Makefile
 
diff --git a/config/CONFIG_COMMON b/config/CONFIG_COMMON
index 0ae93b7e0..bb403d2f4 100644
--- a/config/CONFIG_COMMON
+++ b/config/CONFIG_COMMON
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@ YACC  = $(EYACC)
 LEX   = $(ELEX)
 
 # Default for perl if it's on the PATH,
-# otherwise override this in CONFIG_SITE or CONFIG_SITE.<host_arch>
+# otherwise override this in CONFIG_SITE_HOST_ARCH.<host_arch>
 PERL=perl
 
 # install from EPICS
@@ -188,7 +188,7 @@ ARCMD = $(AR) $(ARFLAGS) $@
  
 #--------------------------------------------------
 # depends definition 
-DEPENDS_RULE = -$(COMPILE.cc) $(DEPENDS_FLAG) $^ > .DEPENDS
+DEPENDS_RULE = -$(COMPILE.cc) $(DEPENDS_FLAG) $^ > DEPENDS
 
 #--------------------------------------------------
 
diff --git a/config/RULES.Host b/config/RULES.Host
index 844bcb1e7..bbf7df1b7 100644
--- a/config/RULES.Host
+++ b/config/RULES.Host
@@ -348,8 +348,8 @@ buildInstall :: build $(TARGETS) \
 	$(INSTALL_TCLLIBS) $(INSTALL_TCLINDEX)
 
 depends:: $(LIBSRCS) $(SRCS) 
-	$(RM) .DEPENDS
-	touch .DEPENDS
+	$(RM) DEPENDS
+	touch DEPENDS
 	$(DEPENDS_RULE)
 
 clean::
@@ -729,7 +729,7 @@ $(INSTALL_TEMPLATES)/$(TEMPLATES_DIR)/%: %
 
 .PRECIOUS: %.o %.c
 
--include .DEPENDS
+-include DEPENDS
 
 .PHONY:: all inc depends build install clean rebuild buildInstall
 
diff --git a/config/RULES.Vx b/config/RULES.Vx
index a5c44fba7..2cae7097f 100644
--- a/config/RULES.Vx
+++ b/config/RULES.Vx
@@ -68,8 +68,8 @@ buildInstall :: binInstalls
 endif
 
 depends:: $(SRCS.c) $(SRCS.cc)
-	$(RM) .DEPENDS
-	touch .DEPENDS
+	$(RM) DEPENDS
+	touch DEPENDS
 	$(DEPENDS_RULE)
 
 clean::
@@ -280,7 +280,7 @@ $(INSTALL_HTML)/$(HTMLS_DIR)/%: ../%
 
 .PHONY:: all inc depends build install pre_build clean rebuild buildInstall binInstalls
 
--include .DEPENDS
+-include DEPENDS
 
 ifneq (,$(wildcard ../baseLIBOBJS))
 $(LIBNAME): ../baseLIBOBJS