diff --git a/src/template/aix b/src/template/aix
index 96b68d7c587df3e92c7a8d028458e3aca9776963..f9c42b6ff37868793318c71cfd8680156b682caa 100644
--- a/src/template/aix
+++ b/src/template/aix
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 AROPT:crs
-BACKEND:-qchars=signed -qmaxmem=4000
+CFLAGS:-qchars=signed -qmaxmem=4000
 SHARED_LIB:
 ALL:
 SRCH_INC:
diff --git a/src/template/alpha b/src/template/alpha
index a8e22c8cbed2a17c60b1f9182778d8b75008bfcb..3da0dfe93a6ad0b39671565901f1be9bf8ea35a3 100644
--- a/src/template/alpha
+++ b/src/template/alpha
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ AROPT:crs
 # This is defined here because a bunch of clients include tmp/c.h,
 # which is where the work is done on HP-UX.  It only affects the
 # backend on Ultrix and OSF/1.
-BACKEND:-DNOFIXADE
+CFLAGS:-DNOFIXADE
 SHARED_LIB:
 ALL:
 SRCH_INC:
diff --git a/src/template/bsdi b/src/template/bsdi
index 6c00b239ae39f8744efafe9c9d7dfa1c8ddb899d..513cdd86e5389efc3f448277ab51ec6beb87b566 100644
--- a/src/template/bsdi
+++ b/src/template/bsdi
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 AROPT:cq
-BACKEND:-DPRE_BSDI_2_1
+CFLAGS:-DPRE_BSDI_2_1
 SHARED_LIB:
 ALL:
 SRCH_INC:/usr/local/include
diff --git a/src/template/bsdi-2.1 b/src/template/bsdi-2.1
index 2a089e29fcc67d38eed559d1ef566d05f541b84c..fe09f796dfc3d449c0f73b37882acb482b9eec06 100644
--- a/src/template/bsdi-2.1
+++ b/src/template/bsdi-2.1
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 AROPT:cq
-BACKEND:
+CFLAGS:
 SHARED_LIB:
 ALL:
 SRCH_INC:/usr/local/include
diff --git a/src/template/dgux b/src/template/dgux
index ad9c1d0e2c8defa6b618768fd46d330fed4b5b93..0cd6f2d369d9eae62c78ad018dd38955014e5a3e 100644
--- a/src/template/dgux
+++ b/src/template/dgux
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 AROPT:crs
-BACKEND:
+CFLAGS:
 SHARED_LIB:-fpic
 ALL:
 SRCH_INC:
diff --git a/src/template/generic b/src/template/generic
index 6260bc0dcb358210cf2a3e52198d65a3112f4faf..84479caa0c55f0837d2b4c032f7e9d419bc6f223 100644
--- a/src/template/generic
+++ b/src/template/generic
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 AROPT:crs
-BACKEND:
+CFLAGS:
 SHARED_LIB:
 ALL:
 SRCH_INC:
diff --git a/src/template/hpux-cc b/src/template/hpux-cc
index 621687929fb1782f0e1dc3a57a61a47919aa7d3a..af3763c53fcf2150cfef5ca951896c31bed6ea34 100644
--- a/src/template/hpux-cc
+++ b/src/template/hpux-cc
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 AROPT:crs
-BACKEND:-W l,-E -Ae -DNOFIXADE
+CFLAGS:-W l,-E -Ae -DNOFIXADE
 SHARED_LIB:+z
 ALL:
 SRCH_INC:
diff --git a/src/template/hpux-gcc b/src/template/hpux-gcc
index 9915ba5b5b7b32d4e22ade965b5534040fd079ce..f888aaba8689e4b508cf0f513ce6584e926af2b1 100644
--- a/src/template/hpux-gcc
+++ b/src/template/hpux-gcc
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 AROPT:crs
-BACKEND:-DNOFIXADE
+CFLAGS:-DNOFIXADE
 SHARED_LIB:
 ALL:
 SRCH_INC:
diff --git a/src/template/i386_solaris-cc b/src/template/i386_solaris-cc
index 0b957d293d8817acc53783a7eba54cffd954c249..6c66e4eecd82765765431eb54a792bcff858a6c6 100644
--- a/src/template/i386_solaris-cc
+++ b/src/template/i386_solaris-cc
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 AROPT:crs
-BACKEND:-I$(SRCDIR)/backend/port/sparc_solaris
+CFLAGS:-I$(SRCDIR)/backend/port/sparc_solaris
 SHARED_LIB:-fPIC
 ALL:
 SRCH_INC:
diff --git a/src/template/i386_solaris-gcc b/src/template/i386_solaris-gcc
index 73a51db6780153d37df76b39fde932fe72823eb0..3bba626abd5170fe48fed0f3e1dd7586e0e2bf1f 100644
--- a/src/template/i386_solaris-gcc
+++ b/src/template/i386_solaris-gcc
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 AROPT:cq
-BACKEND:-I$(SRCDIR)/backend/port/sparc_solaris
+CFLAGS:-I$(SRCDIR)/backend/port/sparc_solaris
 SHARED_LIB:-K PIC
 ALL:
 SRCH_INC:
diff --git a/src/template/irix5 b/src/template/irix5
index 6260bc0dcb358210cf2a3e52198d65a3112f4faf..84479caa0c55f0837d2b4c032f7e9d419bc6f223 100644
--- a/src/template/irix5
+++ b/src/template/irix5
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 AROPT:crs
-BACKEND:
+CFLAGS:
 SHARED_LIB:
 ALL:
 SRCH_INC:
diff --git a/src/template/linux b/src/template/linux
index 26d2d7969b4d4da9e98fa8f9a62d26f677fdc71e..aa28a319d76a6c914844bc339a567ae57555616a 100644
--- a/src/template/linux
+++ b/src/template/linux
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 AROPT:crs
-BACKEND:
+CFLAGS:
 SHARED_LIB:-fpic
 ALL:
 SRCH_INC:
diff --git a/src/template/linux-elf b/src/template/linux-elf
index 86ae0f833c0eb8a0a8ac4e6d2178185404318682..8c73a9c7d0346956a1b31a68367197e82cbb826f 100644
--- a/src/template/linux-elf
+++ b/src/template/linux-elf
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 AROPT:crs
-BACKEND:
+CFLAGS:
 SHARED_LIB:-fpic
 ALL:
 SRCH_INC:
diff --git a/src/template/nextstep b/src/template/nextstep
index 6a6e169c2443ce258a9b32e7b77e64e2f08d36d8..c97966dc9ebb20f44f01bb8c25203c53ff0144b2 100644
--- a/src/template/nextstep
+++ b/src/template/nextstep
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 AROPT:rc
-BACKEND:
+CFLAGS:
 SHARED_LIB:
 ALL:
 SRCH_INC:
diff --git a/src/template/sparc_solaris-cc b/src/template/sparc_solaris-cc
index b0a80e42256858ff5757989786a4569a30855f70..cb5e58a5962da9f8c5ecff453d41bd3896d2b070 100644
--- a/src/template/sparc_solaris-cc
+++ b/src/template/sparc_solaris-cc
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 AROPT:crs
-BACKEND:-I$(SRCDIR)/backend/port/sparc_solaris
+CFLAGS:-I$(SRCDIR)/backend/port/sparc_solaris
 SHARED_LIB:-K PIC
 ALL:
 SRCH_INC:
diff --git a/src/template/sparc_solaris-gcc b/src/template/sparc_solaris-gcc
index 0b957d293d8817acc53783a7eba54cffd954c249..6c66e4eecd82765765431eb54a792bcff858a6c6 100644
--- a/src/template/sparc_solaris-gcc
+++ b/src/template/sparc_solaris-gcc
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 AROPT:crs
-BACKEND:-I$(SRCDIR)/backend/port/sparc_solaris
+CFLAGS:-I$(SRCDIR)/backend/port/sparc_solaris
 SHARED_LIB:-fPIC
 ALL:
 SRCH_INC:
diff --git a/src/template/sunos4-cc b/src/template/sunos4-cc
index f1c51a104c60d6de100d3c408dde2a22dfbf5586..bd138722b33a70bf7660da3a295c213d8f0ce714 100644
--- a/src/template/sunos4-cc
+++ b/src/template/sunos4-cc
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 AROPT:crs
-BACKEND:
+CFLAGS:
 SHARED_LIB:-PIC
 ALL:
 SRCH_INC:
diff --git a/src/template/sunos4-gcc b/src/template/sunos4-gcc
index 3c094643de3d62cb160628e27f6cb9e41d91164a..7bb56160ccad7728af2285520278a98033d81330 100644
--- a/src/template/sunos4-gcc
+++ b/src/template/sunos4-gcc
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 AROPT:crs
-BACKEND:
+CFLAGS:
 SHARED_LIB:-fPIC
 ALL:
 SRCH_INC:
diff --git a/src/template/svr4 b/src/template/svr4
index 136e10c93a47742d56e9596f356427e266e53ba6..b1d0fb1e7f5b4e3a26e72d7b42e5c05a83be8426 100644
--- a/src/template/svr4
+++ b/src/template/svr4
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 AROPT:crs
-BACKEND:-I$(SRCDIR)/backend/port/svr4
+CFLAGS:-I$(SRCDIR)/backend/port/svr4
 SHARED_LIB:
 ALL:+W0
 SRCH_INC:
diff --git a/src/template/ultrix4 b/src/template/ultrix4
index e5bcdad82d14252d23193a32f87a46789d7d34cb..038c7b1ef00b71348249379fa813959b84360144 100644
--- a/src/template/ultrix4
+++ b/src/template/ultrix4
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 AROPT:crs
-BACKEND:-DNOFIXADE
+CFLAGS:-DNOFIXADE
 SHARED_LIB:-G 0
 ALL:
 SRCH_INC:
diff --git a/src/template/univel b/src/template/univel
index 6c1cb2a476a21b4c64c53e3f59235d297cee974d..a8a5286099249a4c2a7ef4ec29fea3d2ccb8c61f 100644
--- a/src/template/univel
+++ b/src/template/univel
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 AROPT:crs
-BACKEND:-I$(SRCDIR)/backend/port/univel
+CFLAGS:-I$(SRCDIR)/backend/port/univel
 SHARED_LIB:-fPIC
 ALL:-DHAVE_RUSAGE -m486 -Dsvr4
 SRCH_INC: