--- a/liboctave/kpse.cc
+++ b/liboctave/kpse.cc
@@ -199,9 +199,6 @@
 #undef fopen
 #define fopen kpse_fopen_trace
 static FILE *fopen (const char *filename, const char *mode);
-#undef fclose
-#define fclose kpse_fclose_trace
-static int fclose (FILE *);
 
 #endif /* not NO_DEBUG */
 
@@ -340,15 +337,6 @@
   return f;
 }
 
-static void
-xfclose (FILE *f, const std::string& filename)
-{
-  assert (f != 0);
-
-  if (! fclose (f))
-    FATAL_PERROR (filename.c_str ());
-}
-
 /* A single (key,value) pair.  */
 
 struct hash_element_type
@@ -380,49 +368,6 @@
   return n;
 }
 
-static hash_table_type
-hash_create (unsigned size)
-{
-  /* hash_table_type ret; changed into "static ..." to work around gcc
-     optimizer bug for Alpha.  */
-  static hash_table_type ret;
-  unsigned b;
-  ret.buckets = new hash_element_type * [size];
-  ret.size = size;
-
-  /* calloc's zeroes aren't necessarily NULL, so be safe.  */
-  for (b = 0; b <ret.size; b++)
-    ret.buckets[b] = 0;
-
-  return ret;
-}
-
-/* Whether or not KEY is already in MAP, insert it and VALUE.  */
-
-static void
-hash_insert (hash_table_type *table, const std::string& key,
-	     const std::string& value)
-{
-  unsigned n = hash (*table, key);
-  hash_element_type *new_elt = new hash_element_type;
-
-  new_elt->key = key;
-  new_elt->value = value;
-  new_elt->next = 0;
-
-  /* Insert the new element at the end of the list.  */
-  if (! table->buckets[n])
-    /* first element in bucket is a special case.  */
-    table->buckets[n] = new_elt;
-  else
-    {
-      hash_element_type *loc = table->buckets[n];
-      while (loc->next)		/* Find the last element.  */
-        loc = loc->next;
-      loc->next = new_elt;	/* Insert the new one after.  */
-    }
-}
-
 /* Look up STR in MAP.  Return a (dynamically-allocated) list of the
    corresponding strings or NULL if no match.  */
 
@@ -461,55 +406,6 @@
   return ret;
 }
 
-/* We only print nonempty buckets, to decrease output volume.  */
-
-static void
-hash_print (hash_table_type table, int summary_only)
-{
-  unsigned b;
-  unsigned total_elements = 0, total_buckets = 0;
-
-  for (b = 0; b < table.size; b++)
-    {
-      hash_element_type *bucket = table.buckets[b];
-
-      if (bucket)
-	{
-	  unsigned len = 1;
-	  hash_element_type *tb;
-
-	  total_buckets++;
-	  if (! summary_only)
-	    fprintf (stderr, "%4d ", b);
-
-	  for (tb = bucket->next; tb; tb = tb->next)
-	    len++;
-
-	  if (! summary_only)
-	    fprintf (stderr, ":%-5d", len);
-
-	  total_elements += len;
-
-	  if (! summary_only)
-	    {
-	      for (tb = bucket; tb; tb = tb->next)
-		fprintf (stderr, " %s=>%s", tb->key.c_str (),
-			 tb->value.c_str ());
-
-	      putc ('\n', stderr);
-	    }
-	}
-    }
-
-  fprintf (stderr,
-	   "%u buckets, %u nonempty (%u%%); %u entries, average chain %.1f.\n",
-	   table.size,
-	   total_buckets,
-	   100 * total_buckets / table.size,
-	   total_elements,
-	   total_buckets ? total_elements / (double) total_buckets : 0.0);
-}
-
 /* A way to step through a path, extracting one directory name at a
    time.  */
 
@@ -1802,163 +1698,8 @@
     } \
   while (0)
 
-/* Find the final search path to use for the format entry INFO, given
-   the compile-time default (DEFAULT_PATH), and the environment
-   variables to check (the remaining arguments, terminated with NULL).
-   We set the `path' and `path_source' members of INFO.  The
-   `client_path' member must already be set upon entry.  */
-
-static void
-init_path (kpse_format_info_type& info, const char *default_path, ...)
-{
-  va_list ap;
-
-  va_start (ap, default_path);
-
-  info.default_path = default_path;
-
-  /* First envvar that's set to a nonempty value will exit the loop.  If
-     none are set, we want the first cnf entry that matches.  Find the
-     cnf entries simultaneously, to avoid having to go through envvar
-     list twice -- because of the PVAR?C macro, that would mean having
-     to create a str_list and then use it twice.  Yuck.  */
-
-  char *env_name;
-
-  std::string var;
-
-  while ((env_name = va_arg (ap, char *)))
-    {
-      /* Since sh doesn't like envvar names with `.', check PATH_prog
-	 rather than PATH.prog.  */
-
-      if (var.empty ())
-	{
-	  /* Try simply PATH.  */
-	  std::string env_value = octave_env::getenv (env_name);
-
-	  if (! env_value.empty ())
-	    var = env_name;
-	}
-
-      if (! var.empty () && ! info.cnf_path.empty ())
-	break;
-    }
-
-  va_end (ap);
-
-  /* Expand any extra :'s.  For each level, we replace an extra : with
-     the path at the next lower level.  For example, an extra : in a
-     user-set envvar should be replaced with the path from the cnf file.
-     things are complicated because none of the levels above the very
-     bottom are guaranteed to exist.  */
-
-  /* Assume we can reliably start with the compile-time default.  */
-  info.path = info.raw_path = info.default_path;
-  info.path_source = "compile-time paths.h";
-
-  EXPAND_DEFAULT (info.cnf_path, "texmf.cnf");
-  EXPAND_DEFAULT (info.client_path, "program config file");
-
-  if (! var.empty ())
-    {
-      std::string val = octave_env::getenv (var);
-      EXPAND_DEFAULT (val, var + " environment variable");
-    }
-
-  EXPAND_DEFAULT (info.override_path, "application override variable");
-  std::string tmp = kpse_brace_expand (info.path);
-  info.path = tmp;
-}
-
-static std::string
-remove_dbonly (const std::string& path)
-{
-  std::string ret = path;
-  size_t path_len = path.length ();
-
-  size_t i = 0, j = 0;
-
-  bool new_elt = true;
-
-  while (i < path_len)
-    {
-      if (new_elt && i + 1 < path_len && path[i] == '!' && path[i+1] == '!')
-	i += 2;
-      else
-	{
-	  new_elt = (path[i] == ENV_SEP);
-	  ret[j++] = path[i++];
-	}
-    }
-
-  ret.resize (j);
-
-  return ret;
-}
-
-/* Initialize everything for FORMAT.  */
-
-static std::string
-kpse_init_format (void)
-{
-  /* If we get called twice, don't redo all the work.  */
-  if (! kpse_format_info.path.empty ())
-    return kpse_format_info.path;
-
-  kpse_format_info.type = "ls-R";
-  init_path (kpse_format_info, DEFAULT_TEXMFDBS, DB_ENVS, 0);
-  kpse_format_info.suffix.append (std::string ("ls-R"));
-  kpse_format_info.path = remove_dbonly (kpse_format_info.path);
-
-#ifdef KPSE_DEBUG
-#define MAYBE(member) \
-  (kpse_format_info.member.empty () \
-    ? "(none)" : kpse_format_info.member.c_str ())
-
-  /* Describe the monster we've created.  */
-  if (KPSE_DEBUG_P (KPSE_DEBUG_PATHS))
-    {
-      DEBUGF2 ("Search path for %s files (from %s)\n",
-	       kpse_format_info.type.c_str (),
-	       kpse_format_info.path_source.c_str ());
-
-      DEBUGF1 ("  = %s\n", kpse_format_info.path.c_str ());
-
-      DEBUGF1 ("  before expansion = %s\n",
-	       kpse_format_info.raw_path.c_str ());
-
-      DEBUGF1 ("  application override path = %s\n", MAYBE (override_path));
-
-      DEBUGF1 ("  application config file path = %s\n", MAYBE (client_path));
-
-      DEBUGF1 ("  texmf.cnf path = %s\n", MAYBE (cnf_path));
-
-      DEBUGF1 ("  compile-time path = %s\n", MAYBE (default_path));
-
-      DEBUGF  ("  default suffixes =");
-
-      if (! kpse_format_info.suffix.empty ())
-	{
-	  string_vector tmp = kpse_format_info.suffix;
-	  int len = tmp.length ();
-	  for (int i = 0; i < len; i++)
-	    {
-	      fprintf (stderr, " %s", tmp[i].c_str ());
-	    }
-	  putc ('\n', stderr);
-	}
-      else
-	{
-	  fputs (" (none)\n", stderr);
-	}
-    }
-#endif /* KPSE_DEBUG */
-
-  return kpse_format_info.path;
-}
-
 static hash_table_type db; /* The hash table for all the ls-R's.  */
+
 /* SMALL: The old size of the hash table was 7603, with the assumption
    that a minimal ls-R bas about 3500 entries.  But a typical ls-R will
    be more like double that size.  */
@@ -1979,196 +1720,6 @@
 
 static string_vector db_dir_list;
 
-/* If DIRNAME contains any element beginning with a `.' (that is more
-   than just `./'), return true.  This is to allow ``hidden''
-   directories -- ones that don't get searched.  */
-
-static bool
-ignore_dir_p (const std::string& dirname)
-{
-  size_t dot_pos = 0;
-  size_t len = dirname.length ();
-
-  while ((dot_pos = dirname.find ('.', dot_pos + 1)) != NPOS)
-    {
-      /* If / before and no / after, skip it.  But don't skip xxx/../yyy.  */
-      if (IS_DIR_SEP (dirname[dot_pos-1])
-	  && dot_pos + 1 < len
-	  && ! (IS_DIR_SEP (dirname[dot_pos+1]) || dirname[dot_pos+1] == '.'))
-	return true;
-    }
-
-  return false;
-}
-
-static bool
-read_line (FILE *f, std::string& line)
-{
-  bool read_something = false;
-
-  int c;
-
-  OSSTREAM buf;
-
-  while ((c = getc (f)) != EOF)
-    {
-      read_something = true;
-
-      if (c == '\n' || c == '\r')
-	break;
-
-      buf << static_cast<char> (c);
-    }
-
-  /* If we read anything, return it.  This can't represent a last
-     ``line'' which doesn't end in a newline, but so what.  */
-  if (read_something)
-    {
-      /* Absorb LF of a CRLF pair. */
-      if (c == '\r')
-	{
-          c = getc (f);
-          if (c != '\n')
-	    ungetc (c, f);
-	}
-
-      buf << OSSTREAM_ENDS;
-      line = OSSTREAM_STR (buf);
-      OSSTREAM_FREEZE (buf);
-    }
-
-  return read_something;
-}
-
-/* If no DB_FILENAME, return false (maybe they aren't using this feature).
-   Otherwise, add entries from DB_FILENAME to TABLE, and return true.  */
-
-static bool
-db_build (hash_table_type *table, const std::string& db_filename)
-{
-  std::string line;
-
-  unsigned dir_count = 0, file_count = 0, ignore_dir_count = 0;
-
-  unsigned len = db_filename.length () - sizeof (DB_NAME) + 1; /* Keep the /. */
-  std::string top_dir = db_filename.substr (0, len);
-
-  std::string cur_dir;
-
-  FILE *db_file = xfopen (db_filename, "r");
-
-  if (db_file)
-    {
-      while (read_line (db_file, line))
-	{
-	  len = line.length ();
-
-	  /* A line like `/foo:' = new dir foo.  Allow both absolute (/...)
-	     and explicitly relative (./...) names here.  It's a kludge to
-	     pass in the directory name with the trailing : still attached,
-	     but it doesn't actually hurt.  */
-	  if (len > 0 && line[len - 1] == ':' && kpse_absolute_p (line, true))
-	    {
-	      /* New directory line.  */
-	      if (! ignore_dir_p (line))
-		{
-		  /* If they gave a relative name, prepend full
-		     directory name now.  */
-		  line[len - 1] = DIR_SEP;
-
-		  /* Skip over leading `./', it confuses `match' and
-		     is just a waste of space, anyway.  This will lose
-		     on `../', but `match' won't work there, either,
-		     so it doesn't matter.  */
-
-		  cur_dir = line[0] == '.' ? top_dir + line.substr (2) : line;
-
-		  dir_count++;
-		}
-	      else
-		{
-		  cur_dir = std::string ();
-		  ignore_dir_count++;
-		}
-
-	      /* Ignore blank, `.' and `..' lines.  */
-
-	    }
-	  else if (len > 0 && ! cur_dir.empty ()   /* a file line? */
-		   && ! (line[0] == '.'
-			 && (len == 1 || (len == 2 && line[1] == '.'))))
-	    {
-	      /* Make a new hash table entry with a key of `line' and
-		 a data of `cur_dir'.  An already-existing identical
-		 key is ok, since a file named `foo' can be in more
-		 than one directory.  Share `cur_dir' among all its
-		 files (and hence never free it). */
-	      hash_insert (table, line, cur_dir);
-	      file_count++;
-	    }
-	}
-
-      xfclose (db_file, db_filename);
-
-      if (file_count == 0)
-	{
-	  (*current_liboctave_warning_handler)
-	    ("kpathsea: No usable entries in %s", db_filename.c_str ());
-
-	  (*current_liboctave_warning_handler)
-	    ("kpathsea: See the manual for how to generate ls-R");
-
-	  db_file = 0;
-	}
-      else
-	db_dir_list.append (top_dir);
-
-#ifdef KPSE_DEBUG
-      if (KPSE_DEBUG_P (KPSE_DEBUG_HASH))
-	{
-	  /* Don't make this a debugging bit, since the output is so
-	     voluminous, and being able to specify -1 is too useful.
-	     Instead, let people who want it run the program under
-	     a debugger and change the variable that way.  */
-	  bool hash_summary_only = true;
-
-	  DEBUGF4 ("%s: %u entries in %d directories (%d hidden).\n",
-		   db_filename.c_str (), file_count, dir_count,
-		   ignore_dir_count);
-
-	  DEBUGF ("ls-R hash table:");
-	  hash_print (*table, hash_summary_only);
-	  fflush (stderr);
-	}
-#endif /* KPSE_DEBUG */
-    }
-
-  return db_file != 0;
-}
-
-/* Insert FNAME into the hash table.  This is for files that get built
-   during a run.  We wouldn't want to reread all of ls-R, even if it got
-   rebuilt.  */
-
-static void
-kpse_db_insert (const std::string& passed_fname)
-{
-  /* We might not have found ls-R, or even had occasion to look for it
-     yet, so do nothing if we have no hash table.  */
-  if (db.buckets)
-    {
-      const char *fname = passed_fname.c_str ();
-      const char *baseptr = octave_basename (fname);
-
-      size_t len = baseptr - fname;
-
-      std::string file_part = passed_fname.substr (len);
-      std::string dir_part = passed_fname.substr (0, len);
-
-      hash_insert (&db, file_part, dir_part);
-    }
-}
-
 /* Return true if FILENAME could be in PATH_ELT, i.e., if the directory
    part of FILENAME matches PATH_ELT.  Have to consider // wildcards, but
    $ and ~ expansion have already been done.  */
@@ -2280,137 +1831,6 @@
   return found;
 }
 
-/* If ALIAS_FILENAME exists, read it into TABLE.  */
-
-static bool
-alias_build (hash_table_type *table, const std::string& alias_filename)
-{
-  unsigned count = 0;
-
-  FILE *alias_file = xfopen (alias_filename, "r");
-
-  if (alias_file)
-    {
-      std::string line;
-
-      while (read_line (alias_file, line))
-	{
-	  size_t len = line.length ();
-
-	  /* comments or empty */
-	  if (len == 0 || line[0] == '%' || line[0] == '#')
-	    /* do nothing */ ;
-	  else
-	    {
-	      size_t i = 0;
-
-	      while (i < len && isspace (line[i]))
-		i++;
-
-	      size_t real_beg = i;
-
-	      while (i < len && ! isspace (line[i]))
-		i++;
-
-	      size_t real_len = i - real_beg;
-
-	      while (i < len && isspace (line[i]))
-		i++;
-
-	      size_t alias_beg = i;
-
-	      while (i < len && ! isspace (line[i]))
-		i++;
-
-	      size_t alias_len = i - alias_beg;
-
-	      /* Is the check for errors strong enough?  Should we
-		 warn the user for potential errors?  */
-	      if (real_len > 0 && alias_len > 0)
-		{
-		  hash_insert (table, line.substr (alias_beg, alias_len),
-			       line.substr (real_beg, real_len));
-		  count++;
-		}
-	    }
-	}
-
-#ifdef KPSE_DEBUG
-      if (KPSE_DEBUG_P (KPSE_DEBUG_HASH))
-	{
-	  /* As with ls-R above ... */
-	  bool hash_summary_only = true;
-	  DEBUGF2 ("%s: %u aliases.\n", alias_filename.c_str (), count);
-	  DEBUGF ("alias hash table:");
-	  hash_print (*table, hash_summary_only);
-	  fflush (stderr);
-	}
-#endif /* KPSE_DEBUG */
-
-      xfclose (alias_file, alias_filename);
-    }
-
-  return alias_file != 0;
-}
-
-/* Initialize the path for ls-R files, and read them all into the hash
-   table `db'.  If no usable ls-R's are found, set db.buckets to NULL.
-   Until this is called, no ls-R matches will be found.  */
-
-static void
-kpse_init_db (void)
-{
-  bool ok = false;
-  const std::string db_path = kpse_init_format ();
-  string_vector db_files = kpse_all_path_search (db_path.c_str (), DB_NAME);
-
-  /* Must do this after the path searching (which ends up calling
-    kpse_db_search recursively), so db.buckets stays NULL.  */
-  db = hash_create (DB_HASH_SIZE);
-
-  int len = db_files.length ();
-  for (int i = 0; i < len; i++)
-    {
-      if (! db_files[i].empty ())
-	{
-	  if (db_build (&db, db_files[i]))
-	    ok = true;
-	}
-    }
-
-  if (! ok)
-    {
-      /* If db can't be built, leave `size' nonzero (so we don't
-	 rebuild it), but clear `buckets' (so we don't look in it).  */
-      free (db.buckets);
-      db.buckets = 0;
-    }
-
-  /* Add the content of any alias databases.  There may exist more than
-     one alias file along DB_NAME files.  This duplicates the above code
-     -- should be a function.  */
-  ok = false;
-  db_files = kpse_all_path_search (db_path.c_str (), ALIAS_NAME);
-
-  alias_db = hash_create (ALIAS_HASH_SIZE);
-
-  len = db_files.length ();
-  for (int i = 0; i < len; i++)
-    {
-      if (! db_files[i].empty ())
-	{
-	  if (alias_build (&alias_db, db_files[i]))
-	    ok = true;
-	}
-    }
-
-  if (! ok)
-    {
-      free (alias_db.buckets);
-      alias_db.buckets = 0;
-    }
-}
-
 /* Avoid doing anything if this PATH_ELT is irrelevant to the databases. */
 
 /* Return list of matches for NAME in the ls-R file matching PATH_ELT.  If
@@ -3022,18 +2442,6 @@
   return ret;
 }
 
-static int
-fclose (FILE *f)
-{
-#undef fclose
-  int ret = fclose (f);
-
-  if (KPSE_DEBUG_P (KPSE_DEBUG_FOPEN))
-    DEBUGF2 ("fclose (0x%lx) => %d\n", (unsigned long) f, ret);
-
-  return ret;
-}
-
 #endif
 
 /* Implementation of a linked list of strings.  */

--- a/src/dirfns.cc
+++ b/src/dirfns.cc
@@ -302,7 +302,7 @@
 
 DEFUN (mkdir, args, ,
   "-*- texinfo -*-\n\
-@deftypefn {Built-in Function} {[@var{err}, @var{msg}] =} mkdir (@var{dir})\\n\
+@deftypefn {Built-in Function} {[@var{err}, @var{msg}] =} mkdir (@var{dir})\n\
 Create a directory named @var{dir}.\n\
 \n\
 If successful, @var{err} is 0 and @var{msg} is an empty string.\n\

--- a/src/syscalls.cc
+++ b/src/syscalls.cc
@@ -587,7 +587,7 @@
 DEFUN (mkfifo, args, ,
   "-*- texinfo -*-\n\
 @deftypefn {Built-in Function} {[@var{err}, @var{msg}] =} mkfifo (@var{name}, @var{mode})\n\
-Create a @var{fifo} special file named @var{name} with file mode @var{mode}\n\\n\
+Create a @var{fifo} special file named @var{name} with file mode @var{mode}\n\
 \n\
 If successful, @var{err} is 0 and @var{msg} is an empty string.\n\
 Otherwise, @var{err} is nonzero and @var{msg} contains a\n\