diff --git a/mps/test/README b/mps/test/README
index aae904f53e4..f5495c7aca1 100644
--- a/mps/test/README
+++ b/mps/test/README
@@ -6,20 +6,22 @@ to see what version of the harness you have (or look at the
 file "test/version").
 
 
-Running on OS X
+Testing on unix
 ---------------
 
-On OS X you can invoke the test suite like this (from the root of the
-master sources or development branch)::
+From the root of the master sources or development branch::
 
-    $ ./configure && make
-    $ alias qa="perl test/test/qa -i code -l code/xc/mps.build/Debug/mps.build/Objects-normal/x86_64/mps.o"
+    $ PLATFORM=lii6ll # substitute your platform
+    $ make -C code -f $PLATFORM.gmk VARIETY=cool $PLATFORM/cool/mps.o
+    $ alias qa="perl test/test/qa -i code -l code/$PLATFORM/cool/mps.o"
     $ qa clib
     $ qa run test/function/5.c
     $ qa runset test/testsets/passing
 
 Each test case is compiled in its turn to the file
-``test/test/obj/Darwin_12.3.0_i386__unix/tmp_test`` so you can debug it
-with::
+``test/test/obj/$(uname -s)_$(uname -r)_$(uname -p)__unix/tmp_test``
+so you can debug it with::
 
-    $ lldb test/test/obj/Darwin_12.3.0_i386__unix/tmp_test
+    $ lldb test/test/obj/$(uname -s)_$(uname -r)_$(uname -p)__unix/tmp_test
+
+(Or ``gdb`` instead of ``lldb``.)
diff --git a/mps/test/test/testlib/fastfmt.c b/mps/test/test/testlib/fastfmt.c
index 17f3512bca5..80beda1f4a2 100644
--- a/mps/test/test/testlib/fastfmt.c
+++ b/mps/test/test/testlib/fastfmt.c
@@ -139,7 +139,7 @@ static mps_res_t myscan(mps_ss_t ss, mps_addr_t base, mps_addr_t limit)
   {
    mycell *obj = base;
    mps_res_t res;
-   mps_addr_t p, q;
+   mps_addr_t p;
 
    switch (obj->tag & 0x3)
    {
@@ -151,7 +151,6 @@ static mps_res_t myscan(mps_ss_t ss, mps_addr_t base, mps_addr_t limit)
      /* make sure to fix the assoc pointer first */
      p = obj->data.assoc;
      if (p != NULL) {
-      q = p;
       res = MPS_FIX(ss, (mps_addr_t *) &p);
       if (res != MPS_RES_OK) return res;
       obj->data.assoc = p;
@@ -162,7 +161,6 @@ static mps_res_t myscan(mps_ss_t ss, mps_addr_t base, mps_addr_t limit)
       p = obj->data.ref[i].addr;
       if (p != NULL)
       {
-       q = p;
        res = MPS_FIX(ss, (mps_addr_t *) &p);
        if (res != MPS_RES_OK) return res;
        obj->data.ref[i].addr = p;
diff --git a/mps/test/test/testlib/myfmt.c b/mps/test/test/testlib/myfmt.c
index 1e56d854875..2dd95617a56 100644
--- a/mps/test/test/testlib/myfmt.c
+++ b/mps/test/test/testlib/myfmt.c
@@ -102,7 +102,7 @@ mps_res_t myscan(mps_ss_t ss, mps_addr_t base, mps_addr_t limit)
 
      if (obj->ref[0] != NULL)
      {
-      if (formatcomments) printf("Fix: %x.\n", (int) &(obj->ref[0]));
+      if (formatcomments) printf("Fix: %p.\n", (void*)&(obj->ref[0]));
       res = MPS_FIX(ss, (mps_addr_t *) &(obj->ref[0])); /* pun! */
       if (res != MPS_RES_OK)
       {
@@ -111,7 +111,7 @@ mps_res_t myscan(mps_ss_t ss, mps_addr_t base, mps_addr_t limit)
      }
      if (obj->ref[1] != NULL)
      {
-      if (formatcomments) printf("Fix: %x.\n", (int) &(obj->ref[1]));
+      if (formatcomments) printf("Fix: %p.\n", (void*)&(obj->ref[1]));
       res = MPS_FIX(ss, (mps_addr_t *) &(obj->ref[1])); /* pun! */
       if (res != MPS_RES_OK)
       {
@@ -154,7 +154,7 @@ void mycopy(mps_addr_t object, mps_addr_t to)
 /* mycell *toj = to;
 */
 
- if (formatcomments) printf("copy! %x -> %x\n", (int) object, (int) to);
+ if (formatcomments) printf("copy! %p -> %p\n", object, to);
 
 /* this line is bad, because the objects might overlap,
    and then C doesn't guarantee to do the right thing!
diff --git a/mps/test/test/testlib/testlib.c b/mps/test/test/testlib/testlib.c
index 1303ceaf502..227e5988e10 100644
--- a/mps/test/test/testlib/testlib.c
+++ b/mps/test/test/testlib/testlib.c
@@ -552,18 +552,12 @@ void *TQElement(TimeQueue TQ)
 
 void *TQPop(TimeQueue TQ)
 {
- void *ref;
- void *nref;
- unsigned long ntime;
  unsigned long i, c, s;
 
  asserts(!TQEmpty(TQ), "TQPop called on empty TimeQueue");
 
- ref = TQ->element[0].ref;
  TQ->used -= 1;
  s = TQ->used;
- ntime = TQ->element[s].time;
- nref = TQ->element[s].ref;
  i = 0;
  while (1) {
   c = (2*i)+1;