diff --git a/chapter04/aboutlfs.xml b/chapter04/aboutlfs.xml
index e974e445c..3b8a979be 100644
--- a/chapter04/aboutlfs.xml
+++ b/chapter04/aboutlfs.xml
@@ -9,29 +9,4 @@
 
 <para>See testing</para>
 
-<!--
-<para>Throughout this book the environment variable LFS will be used several
-times. It is paramount that this variable is always defined. It should be set
-to the mount point you chose for your LFS partition. Check that your LFS
-variable is set up properly with:</para>
-
-<screen><userinput>echo $LFS</userinput></screen>
-
-<para>Make sure the output shows the path to your LFS partition's mount
-point, which is <filename class="directory">/mnt/lfs</filename> if you
-followed our example. If the output is wrong, you can always set the variable
-with:</para>
-
-<screen><userinput>export LFS=/mnt/lfs</userinput></screen>
-
-<para>Having this variable set means that if you are told to run a command like
-<command>mkdir $LFS/tools</command>, you can type it literally. Your shell
-will replace <quote>$LFS</quote> with <quote>/mnt/lfs</quote> (or whatever 
-you set the variable to) when it processes the command line.</para>
-
-<para>Don't forget to check that <quote>$LFS</quote> is set whenever you leave and
-reenter the environment (as when doing a <quote>su</quote> to root or another user).
-</para>
--->
-
 </sect1>
diff --git a/chapter04/aboutsbus.xml b/chapter04/aboutsbus.xml
index 1e73867f6..5dcde564d 100644
--- a/chapter04/aboutsbus.xml
+++ b/chapter04/aboutsbus.xml
@@ -9,40 +9,4 @@
 
 <para>See testing</para>
 
-<!--
-<para>Most people would like to know beforehand approximately how long it
-takes to compile and install each package. But <quote>Linux from Scratch</quote> is built
-on so many different systems, it is not possible to give actual times that are
-anywhere near accurate: the biggest package (Glibc) won't take more than
-twenty minutes on the fastest systems, but will take something like three days
-on the slowest - no kidding. So instead of giving actual times, we've come up
-with the idea of using the <emphasis>Static Binutils Unit</emphasis>
-(abbreviated to <emphasis>SBU</emphasis>).</para>
-
-<para>It works like this: the first package you compile in this book is the
-statically linked Binutils in <xref linkend="chapter-temporary-tools"/>, and the time it
-takes to compile this package is what we call the <quote>Static Binutils
-Unit</quote> or <quote>SBU</quote>. All other compile times will be expressed
-relative to this time.</para>
-
-<para>For example, consider a particular package whose compilation time is 4.5
-SBUs. This means that if on your system it took 10 minutes to compile and
-install the static Binutils, then you know it will take
-<emphasis>approximately</emphasis> 45 minutes to build this package.
-Fortunately, most build times are much shorter than the one of Binutils.</para>
-
-<para>Note that if the system compiler on your host is GCC-2 based, the SBUs
-listed may end up being somewhat understated. This is because the SBU is based
-on the very first package, compiled with the old GCC, while the rest of the
-system is compiled with the newer GCC-&gcc-version; which is known to be
-approximately 30% slower.</para>
-
-<para>Also note that SBUs don't work well for SMP-based machines. But if you're
-so lucky as to have multiple processors, chances are that your system is so fast
-that you won't mind.</para>
-
-<para>If you wish to see actual timings for specific machines, have a look at
-<ulink url="&lfs-root;~bdubbs/"/>.</para>
--->
-
 </sect1>
diff --git a/chapter04/abouttestsuites.xml b/chapter04/abouttestsuites.xml
index aca364c96..55dc3b9ac 100644
--- a/chapter04/abouttestsuites.xml
+++ b/chapter04/abouttestsuites.xml
@@ -9,40 +9,4 @@
 
 <para>See testing</para>
 
-<!--
-<para>Most packages provide a test suite. Running the test suite for a newly
-built package is generally a good idea, as it can provide a nice sanity check
-that everything compiled correctly. A test suite that passes its set of checks
-usually proves that the package is functioning as the developer intended. It
-does not, however, guarantee that the package is totally bug free.</para>
-
-<para>Some test suites are more important than others. For example, the test
-suites for the core toolchain packages - GCC, Binutils, and Glibc - are of
-the utmost importance due to their central role in a properly functioning
-system. But be warned, the test suites for GCC and Glibc can take a very long
-time to complete, especially on slower hardware.</para>
-
-<note><para>Experience has shown us that there is little to be gained from running
-the test suites in <xref linkend="chapter-temporary-tools"/>. There can be no
-escaping the fact that the host system always exerts some influence on the
-tests in that chapter, often causing weird and inexplicable failures. Not only
-that, the tools built in <xref linkend="chapter-temporary-tools"/> are
-temporary and eventually discarded. For the average reader of this book we
-recommend <emphasis>not</emphasis> to run the test suites in 
-<xref linkend="chapter-temporary-tools"/>. The instructions for running those test
-suites are still provided for the benefit of testers and developers, but they
-are strictly optional for everyone else.</para></note>
-
-<para>A common problem when running the test suites for Binutils and GCC is
-running out of pseudo terminals (PTYs for short). The symptom is a very high
-number of failing tests. This can happen for several reasons, but the most
-likely cause is that the host system doesn't have the
-<emphasis>devpts</emphasis> file system set up correctly. We'll discuss this in
-more detail later on in <xref linkend="chapter-temporary-tools"/>.</para>
-
-<para>Sometimes package test suites will give false failures. You can
-consult the LFS Wiki at <ulink url="&wiki-root;"/> to verify that these
-failures are normal. This applies to all tests throughout the book.</para>
--->
-
 </sect1>
diff --git a/chapter04/addinguser.xml b/chapter04/addinguser.xml
index ad0a3e836..838fc8b4f 100644
--- a/chapter04/addinguser.xml
+++ b/chapter04/addinguser.xml
@@ -7,84 +7,17 @@
 <title>Adding the user lfs</title>
 <?dbhtml filename="addinguser.html"?>
 
-<!--
-<para>When logged in as <emphasis>root</emphasis>, making a single mistake
-can damage or even wreck your system. Therefore we recommend that you
-build the packages in this chapter as an unprivileged user. You could
-of course use your own user name, but to make it easier to set up a clean
-work environment we'll create a new user <emphasis>lfs</emphasis> as a
-member of a new group (also named <emphasis>lfs</emphasis>) and
-use this one during the installation process. As <emphasis>root</emphasis>,
-issue the following commands to add the new user:</para>
--->
+<para>Issue the following commands to add the new user:</para>
 
 <screen><userinput>groupadd lfs
 useradd -s /bin/bash -g lfs -m -k /dev/null lfs</userinput></screen>
 
-<!--
-<para>The meaning of the switches:</para>
-
-<variablelist>
-<varlistentry>
-<term><parameter>-s /bin/bash</parameter></term>
-<listitem><para>This makes
-<command>bash</command> the default shell for user
-<emphasis>lfs</emphasis>.</para></listitem>
-</varlistentry>
-
-<varlistentry>
-<term><parameter>-g lfs</parameter></term>
-<listitem><para>This adds user <emphasis>lfs</emphasis> to group
-<emphasis>lfs</emphasis></para></listitem>
-</varlistentry>
-
-<varlistentry>
-<term><parameter>-m</parameter></term>
-<listitem><para>This creates a home
-directory for <emphasis>lfs</emphasis>.</para></listitem>
-</varlistentry>
-
-<varlistentry>
-<term><parameter>-k /dev/null</parameter></term>
-<listitem><para>This parameter
-prevents possible copying of files from a skeleton directory (default
-is <filename class="directory">/etc/skel</filename>) by changing the input location to
-the special null device.</para></listitem>
-</varlistentry>
-</variablelist>
-
-<para>If you want to be able to log in as <emphasis>lfs</emphasis>, then give
-<emphasis>lfs</emphasis> a password:</para>
--->
-
 <screen><userinput>passwd lfs</userinput></screen>
 
-<!--
-<para>and grant <emphasis>lfs</emphasis> full access to
-<filename class="directory">$LFS/tools</filename> by making
-<emphasis>lfs</emphasis> the directory owner:</para>
--->
-
 <screen><userinput>chown lfs $LFS/tools</userinput></screen>
 
-<!--
-<para>If you made a separate working directory as suggested, give user
-<emphasis>lfs</emphasis> ownership of this directory too:</para>
--->
-
 <screen><userinput>chown lfs $LFS/sources</userinput></screen>
 
-<!--
-<para>Next, login as user <emphasis>lfs</emphasis>. This can be done via a
-virtual console, through a display manager, or with the following substitute
-user command:</para>
--->
-
 <screen><userinput>su - lfs</userinput></screen>
 
-<!--
-<para>The <quote><parameter>-</parameter></quote> instructs <command>su</command> to
-start a <emphasis>login</emphasis> shell.</para>
--->
-
 </sect1>
diff --git a/chapter04/creatingtoolsdir.xml b/chapter04/creatingtoolsdir.xml
index 47ee36a57..7575b3811 100644
--- a/chapter04/creatingtoolsdir.xml
+++ b/chapter04/creatingtoolsdir.xml
@@ -7,46 +7,8 @@
 <title>Creating the $LFS/tools directory</title>
 <?dbhtml filename="creatingtoolsdir.html"?>
 
-<!--
-<para>All programs compiled in <xref linkend="chapter-temporary-tools"/> will be installed under <filename
-class="directory">$LFS/tools</filename> to keep them separate from the
-programs compiled in <xref linkend="chapter-building-system"/>. The programs compiled here are only
-temporary tools and won't be a part of the final LFS system and by keeping them
-in a separate directory, we can later easily throw them away. This also
-helps prevent them from ending up in your host's production directories
-(easy to do in <xref linkend="chapter-temporary-tools"/>), which could be a very bad thing.</para>
-
-<para>Later on you might wish to search through the binaries of your system to
-see what files they make use of or link against. To make this searching easier
-you may want to choose a unique name for the directory in which the temporary
-tools are stored. Instead of the simple <quote>tools</quote> you could use
-something like <quote>tools-for-lfs</quote>. However, you'll need to be careful
-to adjust all references to <quote>tools</quote> throughout the book -
-including those in any patches, notably the GCC Specs Patch.</para>
-
-<para>Create the required directory by running the following:</para>
--->
-
 <screen><userinput>mkdir $LFS/tools</userinput></screen>
 
-<!--
-<para>The next step is to create a <filename>/tools</filename> symlink on
-your <emphasis>host</emphasis> system. It will point to the directory we just created on the LFS
-partition:</para>
--->
-
 <screen><userinput>ln -s $LFS/tools /</userinput></screen>
 
-<!--
-<note><para>The above command is correct. The <command>ln</command> command
-has a few syntactic variations, so be sure to check the info page before
-reporting what you may think is an error.</para></note>
-
-<para>The created symlink enables us to compile our toolchain so that it always
-refers to <filename class="directory">/tools</filename>, meaning that the compiler, assembler
-and linker will work both in this chapter (when we are still using some tools
-from the host) <emphasis>and</emphasis> in the next (when we are <quote>chrooted</quote> to
-the LFS partition).</para>
--->
-
 </sect1>
diff --git a/chapter04/settingenviron.xml b/chapter04/settingenviron.xml
index f287b93b9..cf3777dd8 100644
--- a/chapter04/settingenviron.xml
+++ b/chapter04/settingenviron.xml
@@ -7,35 +7,10 @@
 <title>Setting up the environment</title>
 <?dbhtml filename="settingenvironment.html"?>
 
-<!--
-<para>We're going to set up a good working environment by creating two new
-startup files for the <command>bash</command> shell. While logged in as
-user <emphasis>lfs</emphasis>, issue the following command to create a new
-<filename>.bash_profile</filename>:</para>
--->
-
 <screen><userinput>cat &gt; ~/.bash_profile &lt;&lt; "EOF"
 exec env -i HOME=$HOME TERM=$TERM PS1='\u:\w\$ ' /bin/bash
 EOF</userinput></screen>
 
-<!--
-<para>Normally, when you log on as user <emphasis>lfs</emphasis>,
-the initial shell is a <emphasis>login</emphasis> shell which reads the
-<filename>/etc/profile</filename> of your host (probably containing some
-settings of environment variables) and then <filename>.bash_profile</filename>.
-The <command>exec env -i ... /bin/bash</command> command in the latter file
-replaces the running shell with a new one with a completely empty environment,
-except for the HOME, TERM and PS1 variables. This ensures that no unwanted and
-potentially hazardous environment variables from the host system leak into our
-build environment. The technique used here is a little strange, but it achieves
-the goal of enforcing a clean environment.</para>
-
-<para>The new instance of the shell is a <emphasis>non-login</emphasis> shell,
-which doesn't read the <filename>/etc/profile</filename> or
-<filename>.bash_profile</filename> files, but reads the
-<filename>.bashrc</filename> file instead. Create this latter file now:</para>
--->
-
 <screen><userinput>cat &gt; ~/.bashrc &lt;&lt; "EOF"
 set +h
 umask 022
@@ -45,42 +20,6 @@ PATH=/tools/bin:/bin:/usr/bin
 export LFS LC_ALL PATH
 EOF</userinput></screen>
 
-<!--
-<para>The <command>set +h</command> command turns off
-<command>bash</command>'s hash function. Normally hashing is a useful
-feature: <command>bash</command> uses a hash table to remember the
-full pathnames of executable files to avoid searching the PATH time and time
-again to find the same executable. However, we'd like the new tools to be
-used as soon as they are installed. By switching off the hash function, our
-<quote>interactive</quote> commands (<command>make</command>,
-<command>patch</command>, <command>sed</command>,
-<command>cp</command> and so forth) will always use
-the newest available version during the build process.</para>
-
-<para>Setting the user file-creation mask to 022 ensures that newly created
-files and directories are only writable for their owner, but readable and
-executable for anyone.</para>
-
-<para>The LFS variable should of course be set to the mount point you
-chose.</para>
-
-<para>The LC_ALL variable controls the localization of certain programs,
-making their messages follow the conventions of a specified country. If your
-host system uses a version of Glibc older than 2.2.4,
-having LC_ALL set to something other than <quote>POSIX</quote> or
-<quote>C</quote> during this chapter may cause trouble if you exit the chroot
-environment and wish to return later.  By setting LC_ALL to <quote>POSIX</quote>
-(or <quote>C</quote>, the two are equivalent) we ensure that
-everything will work as expected in the chroot environment.</para>
-
-<para>We prepend <filename class="directory">/tools/bin</filename> to the standard PATH so
-that, as we move along through this chapter, the tools we build will get used
-during the rest of the building process.</para>
-
-<para>Finally, to have our environment fully prepared for building the
-temporary tools, source the just-created profile:</para>
--->
-
 <screen><userinput>source ~/.bash_profile</userinput></screen>
 
 </sect1>