diff --git a/config.lib b/config.lib
index fd05a8fb5d..7183e92814 100644
--- a/config.lib
+++ b/config.lib
@@ -149,7 +149,7 @@ detect_params() {
 		optarg=`expr "x$p" : 'x[^=]*=\(.*\)'`
 
 		case "$p" in
-			--help | -h)                  SHOW_HELP="1";;
+			--help | -h)                  showhelp; exit 0;;
 
 			--config-log)                 prev_p="config_log";;
 			--config-log=*)               config_log="$optarg";;
@@ -2466,7 +2466,7 @@ showhelp() {
 	echo "  --strip=STRIP                  the strip to use [HOST-strip]"
 	echo "  --awk=AWK                      the awk to use in configure [awk]"
 	echo "  --lipo=LIPO                    the lipo to use (OSX ONLY) [HOST-lipo]"
-	echo "  --os=OS                        the OS we are compiling for [$os]"
+	echo "  --os=OS                        the OS we are compiling for [DETECT]"
 	echo "                                 DETECT/UNIX/OSX/FREEBSD/OPENBSD/NETBSD/"
 	echo "                                 MORPHOS/HPUX/BEOS/SUNOS/CYGWIN/MINGW/OS2/"
 	echo "                                 WINCE/PSP"
@@ -2476,17 +2476,17 @@ showhelp() {
 	echo ""
 	echo "Paths:"
 	echo "  --prefix-dir=dir               specifies the prefix for all installed"
-	echo "                                 files [$prefix_dir]"
+	echo "                                 files [/usr/local]"
 	echo "  --binary-dir=dir               location of the binary. Will be prefixed"
-	echo "                                 with the prefix-dir [$binary_dir]"
+	echo "                                 with the prefix-dir [games]"
 	echo "  --data-dir=dir                 location of data files (lang, data, gm)."
 	echo "                                 Will be prefixed with the prefix-dir"
-	echo "                                 [$data_dir]"
+	echo "                                 [share/games/openttd]"
 	echo "  --doc-dir=dir                  location of the doc files"
 	echo "                                 Will be prefixed with the prefix-dir"
 	echo "                                 [$doc_dir]"
 	echo "  --icon-dir=dir                 location of icons. Will be prefixed"
-	echo "                                 with the prefix-dir [$icon_dir]"
+	echo "                                 with the prefix-dir [share/pixmaps]"
 	echo "  --icon-theme-dir=dir           location of icon theme."
 	echo "                                 Will be prefixed with the prefix-dir"
 	echo "                                 and postfixed with size-dirs [$icon_theme_dir]"
@@ -2495,13 +2495,13 @@ showhelp() {
 	echo "                                 [$man_dir]"
 	echo "  --menu-dir=dir                 location of the menu item. (UNIX only, except OSX)"
 	echo "                                 Will be prefixed with the prefix-dir"
-	echo "                                 [$menu_dir]"
+	echo "                                 [share/applications]"
 	echo "  --personal-dir=dir             location of the personal directory"
-	echo "                                 [$personal_dir]"
+	echo "                                 [os-dependent default]"
 	echo "  --shared-dir=dir               location of shared data files"
-	echo "                                 [$shared_dir]"
+	echo "                                 [os-dependent default]"
 	echo "  --install-dir=dir              specifies the root to install to."
-	echo "                                 Useful to install into jails [$install_dir]"
+	echo "                                 Useful to install into jails [/]"
 	echo ""
 	echo "Features and packages:"
 	echo "  --enable-debug[=LVL]           enable debug-mode (LVL=[0123], 0 is release)"
diff --git a/configure b/configure
index 55dfc6785f..adcdf0595a 100755
--- a/configure
+++ b/configure
@@ -43,17 +43,9 @@ if [ "$1" = "--reconfig" ] || [ "$1" = "--reconfigure" ]; then
 	exit $?
 fi
 
-# 'export SHOW_HELP="0"' doesn't work on some systems
-SHOW_HELP="0"
-export SHOW_HELP
-
 set_default
 detect_params "$@"
 check_params
-if [ "$SHOW_HELP" != "0" ]; then
-	showhelp
-	exit 0
-fi
 save_params
 make_cflags_and_ldflags