diff --git a/src/Makefile.global b/src/Makefile.global
index 6ff5e585902ba630e029856d818fc2e2a93055ac..be16098e6e270992da19896de49fd3646982d70b 100644
--- a/src/Makefile.global
+++ b/src/Makefile.global
@@ -7,14 +7,21 @@
 #
 #
 # IDENTIFICATION
-#    $Header: /cvsroot/pgsql/src/Attic/Makefile.global,v 1.79 1996/12/28 02:11:37 momjian Exp $
+#    $Header: /cvsroot/pgsql/src/Attic/Makefile.global,v 1.80 1996/12/30 23:19:23 bryanh Exp $
 #
 # NOTES
 #    Essentially all Postgres make files include this file and use the 
-#    variables it sets.  To 
-#    override the default setting, create a Makefile.custom in this
+#    variables it sets.  
+#
+#    To override the default setting, create a Makefile.custom in this
 #    directory and put your defines there. (Makefile.custom is included
-#    near the end of this file.)
+#    near the end of this file).  Sometimes, a variable gets set in
+#    Makefile.global after Makefile.custom has been included, so you can't
+#    simply set that variable in Makefile.custom.  In those cases, there is
+#    often another variable (like CUSTOM_COPT) that you can set in 
+#    Makefile.custom that influences the later setting of the true variable
+#    of interest (like CFLAGS) by Makefile.global.
+#
 #
 #    If you change any of these defines you probably have to 
 #       make clean; make
@@ -133,10 +140,6 @@ OIDNAMELEN= 36
 # Compile libpq++
 #HAVE_Cplusplus= true
 
-# Uncomment out CUSTOM_COPT to generate a debug version
-# This overrides the compiler flags defined later in this file
-#CUSTOM_COPT=-g
-
 # Commenting out CASSERT will make things go a LOT faster, but you will
 # also loose a lot of useful error-checking.
 CASSERT= true
@@ -166,6 +169,11 @@ READLINE_LIB= -L/home/tools/lib -lreadline
 #HISTORY_INC= -I/home/tools/include -I/home/tools/include/readline
 #HISTORY_LIB= -L/home/tools/lib -lhistory
 
+# curses is required by readline.  Ncurses has obsoleted curses, and may
+# in fact be what goes by the name "curses" on this system.
+
+CURSES_LIB= -L/home/tools/lib -lcurses
+
 # If you plan to use Kerberos for authentication...
 #
 # Comment out KRBVERS if you do not use Kerberos.
diff --git a/src/bin/psql/Makefile b/src/bin/psql/Makefile
index 24a202173002cdfb47b265c10c42ec7183ac314b..8b13ae457dccf7218bce636770c489841b8e3a30 100644
--- a/src/bin/psql/Makefile
+++ b/src/bin/psql/Makefile
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
 #
 #
 # IDENTIFICATION
-#    $Header: /cvsroot/pgsql/src/bin/psql/Makefile,v 1.16 1996/12/04 03:06:16 bryanh Exp $
+#    $Header: /cvsroot/pgsql/src/bin/psql/Makefile,v 1.17 1996/12/30 23:19:48 bryanh Exp $
 #
 #-------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
@@ -26,13 +26,12 @@ CFLAGS+= $(INCLUDE_OPT)
 ifeq ($(USE_READLINE), true)
    CFLAGS+= $(READLINE_INC) $(HISTORY_INC)
 
-   LIBCURSES=	-lcurses 
-   LD_ADD+= $(READLINE_LIB) $(HISTORY_LIB) $(LIBCURSES)
+   LD_ADD+= $(READLINE_LIB) $(HISTORY_LIB) $(CURSES_LIB)
 
    ifeq ($(PORTNAME), ultrix4)
    LD_ADD+= -ltermcap
    else
-   ifeq ($(PORTNAME), sunos4)
+   ifeq ($(PORTNAME), sparc)
    LD_ADD+= -ltermcap
    else
    ifeq ($(PORTNAME), linux)