diff --git a/config/RELEASE b/config/RELEASE
index 31314e9b..9407fc3e 100644
--- a/config/RELEASE
+++ b/config/RELEASE
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@
 # Define the following if MPF is defined (i.e., if either serial
 # or GPIB motor controller support is required).
 #MPF_SERIAL=$(SUPPORT)/mpfSerial/mpfSerial1-2
+include $(TOP)/../config/MPFSERIAL_RELEASE
 
 # If the EPICS GPIB Module from Benjamin Franksen is used, then remove the '#'
 # from the following and modify the motorApp/CommSrc/Makefile.Vx file per
@@ -24,8 +25,10 @@
 # If any motor controller communication mechanism besides the VME backplane is
 # required, then MPF must be defined.
 #MPF=$(SUPPORT)/mpf/mpf1-6
+include $(TOP)/../config/MPF_RELEASE
 
 #EPICS_BASE=$(SUPPORT)/base/3-13-4
+include $(TOP)/../config/EPICS_BASE_RELEASE
 
 # The following must be defined if motorExApp is to be built.
 #TEMPLATE_TOP=$(EPICS_BASE)/templates/makeBaseApp/top
diff --git a/config/makeConfigAppInclude.pl b/config/makeConfigAppInclude.pl
index d8fdd551..f8d52a99 100644
--- a/config/makeConfigAppInclude.pl
+++ b/config/makeConfigAppInclude.pl
@@ -1,5 +1,4 @@
 # makeConfigAppInclude.pl,v 1.1.2.3 1999/07/30 21:14:18 lange Exp 
-# Modified to support "include" commands.
 
 eval 'exec perl -S $0 ${1+"$@"}'  # -*- Mode: perl -*-
     if $running_under_some_shell; # makeConfigAppInclude.pl
@@ -9,7 +8,11 @@ use Cwd;
 $arch = $ARGV[0];
 $outfile = $ARGV[1];
 $top = $ARGV[2];
-$applications{EPICS_SUPPORT_PATH} = $ENV{EPICS_SUPPORT_PATH}; 
+# Get the absolute path name of $(TOP)
+$savedir = Cwd::getcwd();
+Cwd::chdir($top);
+$top_abs = Cwd::getcwd();
+Cwd::chdir($savedir);
 
 unlink("${outfile}");
 open(OUT,">${outfile}") or die "$! opening ${outfile}";
@@ -19,82 +22,63 @@ print OUT "#This file is created during the build.\n";
 @files =();
 push(@files,"$top/config/RELEASE");
 push(@files,"$top/config/RELEASE.${arch}");
-foreach $file (@files)
-{
-  if (-r "$file")
-  {
+foreach $file (@files) {
+  if (-r "$file") {
     open(IN, "$file") or die "Cannot open $file\n";
-    while ($line = <IN>)
-    {
+    while ($line = <IN>) {
         next if ( $line =~ /\s*#/ );
 	chomp($line);
         $_ = $line;
 	($prefix,$macro,$post) = /(.*)\s* \s*\$\((.*)\)(.*)/;
 	#test for "include" command
-	if ($prefix eq "include")
-	{
-	    if ($macro eq "")
-	    {
+	if ($prefix eq "include") {
+	    if ($macro eq "") {
 		# true if no macro is present
 		#the following looks for
 		#prefix = post
 		($prefix,$post) = /(.*)\s* \s*(.*)/;
 	    }
-	    else
-	    {
-		$base = $applications{$macro};
-		if ($base eq "")
-		{
-		    #print "error: $macro was not previously defined\n";
-		}
-		else
-		{
+	    else {
+#		$base = $applications{$macro};
+                if ($macro eq "TOP") {
+                    $base = $top;
 		    $post = $base . $post;
+		    #print "info: \$macro= $macro \$base= $base \$post= $post\n";
+                } else {
+		    print "error: $macro is not TOP\n";
 		}
 	    }
 	    push(@files,"$post")
 	}
-	else
-	{
+	else {
 	    #the following looks for
 	    # prefix = $(macro)post
 	    ($prefix,$macro,$post) = /(.*)\s*=\s*\$\((.*)\)(.*)/;
-	    if ($macro eq "")	# true if no macro is present
-	    {
+	    if ($macro eq "") { # true if no macro is present
 		# the following looks for
 		# prefix = post
 		($prefix,$post) = /(.*)\s*=\s*(.*)/;
-	    }
-	    else
-	    {
-		$base = $applications{$macro};
-		if ($base eq "")
-		{
-		    #print "error: $macro was not previously defined\n";
-		}
-		else
-		{
+	    } else {
+                if ($macro eq "TOP") {
+                    $base = $top_abs;
 		    $post = $base . $post;
+		    #print "info: \$macro= $macro \$base= $base \$post= $post\n";
+                } else {
+		    print "error: $macro is not TOP\n";
 		}
 	    }
-	    $applications{$prefix} = $post;
-	    if ( -d "$post")			#check that directory exists
-	    {
+	    if ( -d "$post") { #check that directory exists
 		print OUT "\n";
-		if ( -d "$post/bin/$arch")	#check that directory exists
-		{
+		if ( -d "$post/bin/$arch") { #check that directory exists
 		    print OUT "${prefix}_BIN = $post/bin/${arch}\n";
 		}
-		if ( -d "$post/lib/$arch")	#check that directory exists
-		{
+		if ( -d "$post/lib/$arch") { #check that directory exists
 		    print OUT "${prefix}_LIB = $post/lib/${arch}\n";
 		}
-		if ( -d "$post/include")	#check that directory exists
-		{
+		if ( -d "$post/include") { #check that directory exists
 		    print OUT "EPICS_INCLUDES += -I$post/include\n";
 		}
-		if ( -d "$post/dbd")		#check that directory exists
-		{
+		if ( -d "$post/dbd") { #check that directory exists
 		    print OUT "EPICS_DBDFLAGS += -I $post/dbd\n";
 		}
 	    }