diff --git a/Rules.make b/Rules.make
index 577f2c9ee83af87ad2041f48a9dfe18773c7ea5a..9343c984a8200e8fdd4b0242f41159464e635ee8 100644
--- a/Rules.make
+++ b/Rules.make
@@ -166,7 +166,7 @@ ifneq ($(strip $(__clean-files) $(clean-rule)),)
 	rm -f $(__clean-files)
 	$(clean-rule)
 else
-	@/bin/true
+	@:
 endif
 
 else
@@ -182,7 +182,7 @@ ifeq ($(strip $(export-objs)),)
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 fastdep: $(subdir-ym)
-	@/bin/true
+	@:
 
 else
 
@@ -274,7 +274,7 @@ modules_install: $(subdir-ym)
 ifneq ($(obj-m),)
 	$(call cmd,modules_install)
 else
-	@/bin/true
+	@:
 endif
 
 else # ! modules_install
@@ -283,23 +283,18 @@ else # ! modules_install
 # Building
 # ==========================================================================
 
-# If a Makefile does define neither O_TARGET nor L_TARGET,
-# use a standard O_TARGET named "built-in.o"
-
-ifndef O_TARGET
-ifndef L_TARGET
-O_TARGET := $(obj)/built-in.o
-endif
-endif
+# If a Makefile does not define a L_TARGET, link an object called "built-in.o"
 
 ifdef L_TARGET
 L_TARGET := $(obj)/$(L_TARGET)
+else
+O_TARGET := $(obj)/built-in.o
 endif
 
 first_rule: $(if $(KBUILD_BUILTIN),$(O_TARGET) $(L_TARGET) $(EXTRA_TARGETS)) \
 	    $(if $(KBUILD_MODULES),$(obj-m)) \
 	    $(subdir-ym)
-	@/bin/true
+	@:
 
 # Compile C sources (.c)
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
diff --git a/scripts/Makefile.clean b/scripts/Makefile.clean
index fa809a7e88adf38b73be2656df67b740611fbbfb..d7bb2dfb88d8a737ed58e8f0281016326d5a4cdd 100644
--- a/scripts/Makefile.clean
+++ b/scripts/Makefile.clean
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ ifneq ($(strip $(__clean-files) $(clean-rule)),)
 	rm -f $(__clean-files)
 	$(clean-rule)
 else
-	@/bin/true
+	@:
 endif
 
 .PHONY: $(subdir-ymn)