diff --git a/contrib/alpine/build.sh b/contrib/alpine/build.sh
index 47a7a7c1..5a7ec886 100755
--- a/contrib/alpine/build.sh
+++ b/contrib/alpine/build.sh
@@ -14,12 +14,14 @@ fi
 # The plugins are optional, but you may need D-Bus and X11 if you want
 # to run X-Window, the other configure flags are however required.
 PKG_CONFIG_LIBDIR=/usr/lib/pkgconfig:/usr/local/lib/pkgconfig ./configure	\
-		 --prefix=/usr --exec-prefix=  --enable-progress		\
+		 --prefix=/usr                 --exec-prefix=			\
+		 --sysconfdir=/etc             --localstatedir=/var		\
+		                               --enable-progress		\
                  --enable-dbus-plugin          --enable-x11-common-plugin	\
 		 --enable-alsa-utils-plugin    --enable-inetd-echo-plugin	\
 		 --enable-inetd-chargen-plugin --enable-inetd-daytime-plugin	\
 		 --enable-inetd-discard-plugin --enable-inetd-time-plugin	\
-		 --with-heading="Alpine Linux 3.6" --with-hostname=alpine
+		 --with-heading="Alpine Linux 3.13" --with-hostname=alpine
 
 echo
 echo "*** Building ..."
diff --git a/contrib/debian/build.sh b/contrib/debian/build.sh
index 4ecf7205..6ac4a7a2 100755
--- a/contrib/debian/build.sh
+++ b/contrib/debian/build.sh
@@ -21,13 +21,15 @@ echo
 
 # The plugins are optional, but you may need D-Bus and X11 if you want
 # to run X-Window, the other configure flags are however required.
-./configure									\
-    --prefix=/usr --exec-prefix=      --enable-progress				\
-    --enable-dbus-plugin              --enable-x11-common-plugin		\
-    --enable-alsa-utils-plugin        --enable-inetd-echo-plugin		\
-    --enable-inetd-chargen-plugin     --enable-inetd-daytime-plugin		\
-    --enable-inetd-discard-plugin     --enable-inetd-time-plugin		\
-    --with-random-seed=/var/lib/urandom/random-seed				\
+./configure                                                                     \
+    --prefix=/usr                     --exec-prefix=                            \
+    --sysconfdir=/etc                 --localstatedir=/var                      \
+                                      --enable-progress                         \
+    --enable-dbus-plugin              --enable-x11-common-plugin                \
+    --enable-alsa-utils-plugin        --enable-inetd-echo-plugin                \
+    --enable-inetd-chargen-plugin     --enable-inetd-daytime-plugin             \
+    --enable-inetd-discard-plugin     --enable-inetd-time-plugin                \
+    --with-random-seed=/var/lib/urandom/random-seed                             \
     --with-heading="Debian GNU/Linux" --with-hostname="stretch"
 
 if [ $? -ne 0 ]; then
diff --git a/contrib/void/build.sh b/contrib/void/build.sh
index 47be88dd..9d427858 100755
--- a/contrib/void/build.sh
+++ b/contrib/void/build.sh
@@ -14,7 +14,9 @@ fi
 # The plugins are optional, but you may need D-Bus and X11 if you want
 # to run X-Window, the other configure flags are however required.
 PKG_CONFIG_LIBDIR=/usr/lib/pkgconfig:/usr/local/lib/pkgconfig ./configure	\
-		 --prefix=/usr --exec-prefix=  --enable-progress		\
+		 --prefix=/usr                 --exec-prefix=			\
+		 --sysconfdir=/etc             --localstatedir=/var		\
+		                               --enable-progress		\
                  --enable-dbus-plugin          --enable-x11-common-plugin	\
 		 --enable-alsa-utils-plugin    --enable-inetd-echo-plugin	\
 		 --enable-inetd-chargen-plugin --enable-inetd-daytime-plugin	\
diff --git a/doc/build.md b/doc/build.md
index 8edb831e..20a0113f 100644
--- a/doc/build.md
+++ b/doc/build.md
@@ -38,6 +38,17 @@ Configure
 
 Below are a few of the main switches to configure:
 
+* `--prefix=..`: Usually you want to set this to `/usr`, default is the GNU
+  default: `/usr/local`
+
+* `--exec-prefix=..`: This you want to set to the empty string, or `/`, to
+  ensure the programs `finit` and `initctl` are installed to the proper
+  locations.  Linux expects an "init" in `/sbin`, default: `--prefix`
+
+* `--sysconfdir=..`: follows `--prefix`, you likely want it to be `/etc`
+
+* `--localstatedir=..`: follows `--prefix`, you likely want `/var`
+
 * `--disable-inetd`: Disable the built-in inetd server.
 
 * `--enable-static`: Build Finit statically.  The plugins will be
@@ -61,22 +72,24 @@ Example
 First, unpack the archive:
 
 ```shell
-    $ tar xf finit-3.0.tar.xz
-    $ cd finit-3.0/
+$ tar xf finit-3.0.tar.xz
+$ cd finit-3.0/
 ```
 
 Then configure, build and install:
 
 ```shell
-    $ ./configure --prefix=/usr --exec-prefix=  --enable-inetd-echo-plugin        \
-                  --enable-inetd-chargen-plugin --enable-inetd-daytime-plugin     \
-                  --enable-inetd-discard-plugin --enable-inetd-time-plugin        \
-                  --with-heading="Alpine Linux 3.4" --with-hostname=alpine
-    $ make
-    .
-    .
-    .
-    $ DESTDIR=/tmp/finit make install
+$ ./configure --prefix=/usr                 --exec-prefix=                    \
+              --sysconfdir=/etc             --localstatedir=/var              \
+                                            --enable-inetd-echo-plugin        \
+              --enable-inetd-chargen-plugin --enable-inetd-daytime-plugin     \
+              --enable-inetd-discard-plugin --enable-inetd-time-plugin        \
+              --with-heading="Alpine Linux 3.13" --with-hostname=alpine
+$ make
+.
+.
+.
+$ DESTDIR=/tmp/finit make install
 ```
 
 In this example the [finit-3.0.tar.xz][1] archive is unpacked to the
diff --git a/doc/distro.md b/doc/distro.md
index 6fdf5042..cdc0c646 100644
--- a/doc/distro.md
+++ b/doc/distro.md
@@ -34,6 +34,9 @@ build time:
 ./configure --with-rcsd=/etc/init.d --with-config=/etc/init.d/init.conf
 ```
 
+> **Note:** remember `--prefix` et al as well, the default is likely
+>           *not* what you want.  See the [build docs][1] for details.
+
 The resulting directory structure is depicted below.  Please notice how
 `/etc/finit.conf` now resides in the same sub-directory as a non-symlink
 `/etc/init.d/init.conf`:
@@ -73,3 +76,4 @@ requires the `available/` sub-directory.  Any non-symlink in the parent
 directory, here `/etc/init.d/`, will be considered a system override by
 `initctl`.
 
+[1]: build.md#configure