@@ -1,12 +1,7 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env bash
-export out=${out:-out}
+export to=${to:-out}
 . global/common.sh
-noimpl() {
-	say "$1 is not currently implemented on your system. an exciting chance for you to contribute, no?"
-	exit 1
-}
-timestamp() { date "+%H:%M:%S %A"; }
 
 if test "$os$arch$bits" = ""; then
 	say "set the following environment variables to the appropriate atoms describing your system. for help determining the appropriate atoms, see libk.md"
 	say ' - $os={lin|fbsd|hai|osx…}'
@@ -68,8 +63,10 @@
 has m4 && _m4=m4
 m4=${m4:-$_m4}
 has nasm && asm=nasm
 has yasm && asm=yasm # prefer yasm
+export cc
+export m4
 export gen=${gen:-gen}
 library=${library:-static} # {static|shared|both}
 export verbose=${verbose:-quiet} # {no|quiet|loud}
 
@@ -111,31 +108,8 @@
 if test "$bits" != ""; then
 	macro_compile_env="$macro_compile_env -Datom_target_bits=$bits"
 fi
 
-if test "$COLORTERM" != ""; then
-	announce() {
-		test "$verbose" = "silent" && return
-		color="$1" cmd="$2"; shift 2;
-		printf " → [38;5;$color;1m$cmd"
-		for a in "$@"; do
-			if test ${a:0:1} = "-"; then
-				printf " $a";
-			else
-				printf " $a";
-			fi
-		done
-		echo
-	}
-else
-	announce() { shift; echo " --> " $@; }
-fi
-
-# the following function is called to report a command invocation
-# the person compiling the library. the first argument should be
-# an ansi format string; this is used to color-code the tool being
-# launched and thus should be different for each one.
-report() { announce $@; shift; $@; }
 comp_mac() {
 	local src=$1
 	local output=$2
 	local flags=$3
@@ -143,10 +117,10 @@
 		if test ! "$output" -ot "$src"; then
 			return
 		fi 
 	fi
-	             $m4 $macro_compile_env -I "$gen" $flags "$src"  > "$output"
-	announce 207 $m4 $macro_compile_env -I "$gen" $flags "$src" \> "$output"
+	          $m4 $macro_compile_env -I "$gen" $flags "$src"  > "$output"
+	announce  $m4 $macro_compile_env -I "$gen" $flags "$src" \> "$output"
 	# yes, this is incredibly stupid. if you know a better way, feel
 	# free to submit a fix. the problem is there's no way to pass >
 	# to report in such a way that it'll do the right thing, and if
 	# you just write > it redirects *report's* output, instead of
@@ -161,9 +135,9 @@
 		if test ! "$output" -ot "$src"; then
 			return
 		fi
 	fi
-	report 198 $asm $flags "-f$bin_fmt" -i "$gen" "$src" -o "$output";
+	report $asm $flags "-f$bin_fmt" -i "$gen" "$src" -o "$output";
 }
 comp_co()  { comp_c $1 $2 "-c -fPIC"; }
 comp_c(){
 	local src=$1
@@ -174,13 +148,11 @@
 			return
 		fi
 	fi
 	# only rebuild the file if the source file is newer
-	report 213 $cc $src $3 -std=c11 -isystem "$out" -isystem "$gen" -isystem "arch/" -nostdlib "-L$out" "-o$output"
+	report $cc $src $3 -std=c11 -isystem "$to" -isystem "$gen" -isystem "arch/" -nostdlib "-L$to" "-o$output"
 }
 
-scan() { find "$1" -name "$2"; }
-
 say "commencing libk build $build at $(timestamp)"
 # set -x
 
 # get type data
@@ -218,26 +190,26 @@
 cat $p_headers_errno $gen/error_names.tbl | cpp -P >$gen/error_numbers.tbl
 awk -f arch/errtbl.awk <$gen/error_numbers.tbl >$gen/error_table.h
 
 # generate symbol tables for error handling functions
-mkdir -p "$out/k"
-awk -f global/gen-conds.awk <global/modules >$out/k/internal.egroup.h
+mkdir -p "$to/k"
+awk -f global/gen-conds.awk <global/modules >$to/k/internal.egroup.h
 awk -f global/gen-ident.awk <global/modules >$gen/internal.ident.c
-comp_co $gen/internal.ident.c $out/internal.ident.o
+comp_co $gen/internal.ident.c $to/internal.ident.o
 
 # first pass: copy all headers into place,
 # including ones we need to generate
 
 for mod in ${modules[@]}; do
 	for h in $(scan $mod '*.h'); do
 		base=$(basename $h)
-		cp "$h" "$out/k/$base"
+		cp "$h" "$to/k/$base"
 	done
 
 	for h in $(scan $mod '*.h.m'); do
 		base=$(basename $h)
 		dest=${base%%.m}
-		comp_mac "$h" "$out/k/$dest"
+		comp_mac "$h" "$to/k/$dest"
 	done
 done
 
 # second pass: generate manpage, html, and pdf
@@ -248,46 +220,46 @@
 	for mod in ${modules[@]}; do
 		for doc in $(scan $mod '*.md'); do
 			base="$(basename $doc)"
 			stem="${base%%.md}"
-			report 177 global/build-manpage.sh "$doc"
+			report global/build-manpage.sh "$doc"
 		done
 	done
 fi
 
 # third pass: compile sources and save the
-# resulting object files to $out, tracking
+# resulting object files to $to, tracking
 # which is a runtime or function unit. exe's
 # will not be compiled until a later pass
 
 fn_objects=()
 rt_objects=()
-data_objects=( $out/internal.ident.o )
+data_objects=( $to/internal.ident.o )
 for mod in ${modules[@]}; do
 	for fn in $(scan $mod '*.fn.c'); do
 		base="$(basename $fn)"
-		dest="$out/$mod.${base%%.c}.o"
+		dest="$to/$mod.${base%%.c}.o"
 		comp_co "$fn" "$dest"
 		fn_objects+=("$dest")
 	done
 
 	for rt in $(scan $mod '*.rt.c'); do
 		base="$(basename $rt)"
-		dest="$out/$mod.${base%%.c}.o"
+		dest="$to/$mod.${base%%.c}.o"
 		comp_co "$rt" "$dest"
 		rt_objects+=("$dest")
 	done
 
 	for fn in $(scan $mod "*.fn.$target.s"); do
 		base="$(basename $fn)"
-		dest="$out/$mod.${base%%.s}.o"
+		dest="$to/$mod.${base%%.s}.o"
 		comp_asm "$fn" "$dest"
 		fn_objects+=("$dest")
 	done
 
 	for rt in $(scan $mod "*.rt.$target.s"); do
 		base="$(basename $rt)"
-		dest="$out/$mod.${base%%.s}.o"
+		dest="$to/$mod.${base%%.s}.o"
 		comp_asm "$rt" "$dest"
 		rt_objects+=("$dest")
 	done
 done
@@ -296,16 +268,16 @@
 # configured to be built
 
 if test $build_static_library == yes; then
 	for obj in ${fn_objects[@]} ${rt_objects[@]} ${data_objects[@]}; do
-		report 120 ar rc $out/libk.a $obj
+		report ar rc $to/libk.a $obj
 	done
-	report 105 ranlib $out/libk.a
+	report ranlib $to/libk.a
 fi
 
 if test $build_shared_library == yes; then
-	report 216 ld -r ${rt_objects[@]} -o $out/boot.o
-	report 216 ld -shared ${fn_objects[@]} -o $out/libk.so
+	report ld -r ${rt_objects[@]} -o $to/boot.o
+	report ld -shared ${fn_objects[@]} -o $to/libk.so
 fi
 
 # fifth pass: compile the executable tools
 # against the libraries created in pass 5
@@ -312,11 +284,11 @@
 
 for mod in ${modules[@]}; do
 	for exe in $(scan $mod '*.exe.c'); do
 		base="$(basename $exe)"
-		dest="$out/$mod.${base%%.exe.c}"
+		dest="$to/$mod.${base%%.exe.c}"
 		if test $build_shared_library == yes; then
-			comp_c "$out/boot.o $exe" "$dest" -lk
+			comp_c "$to/boot.o $exe" "$dest" -lk
 		else
 			comp_c "$exe" "$dest" -lk
 		fi
 	done