diff --git a/README.rst b/README.rst
index dafae05df..9b397f37a 100644
--- a/README.rst
+++ b/README.rst
@@ -60,13 +60,27 @@ To set up to develop on TriBITS:
   NOTES:
 
   * If you don't have a working and compatible Fortran compiler, then pass
-    ``-DTriBITS_ENABLE_Fortran=OFF`` into the ``do-configure`` script.
+    ``-DTriBITS_ENABLE_Fortran=OFF`` into the ``do-configure`` script as::
+
+      $ ./do-configure -DTriBITS_ENABLE_Fortran=OFF
+
+  * On Mac OSX systems, one has to manually set the path the the TriBITS
+    project base dir TRIBITS_BASE_DIR such as with::
+
+      $ env TRIBITS_BASE_DIR=.. ./do-configure [other options]
 
   * Use as many processes as you have with ``ctest`` (``-j12`` is just used as
     an example).
 
   * All of the tests should pass on your machine before beginning any
-    development work (if there are any failures, then please `report them`_).
+    development work.  If there are any failures, then please `report them`_.
+    To help show the failures you are seeing, do::
+
+      $ ./do-configure -DCTEST_PARALLEL_LEVEL=12
+      $ make dashboard
+
+    and then provide the link to the CDash results in the TriBITS Issue when
+    you report them.
 
 Any change (refactoring) of TriBITS (minimally) requires that the automated
 test suite run with ``ctest`` pass 100%.  To add new features (in most cases)
diff --git a/dev_testing/generic/do-configure-mpi-debug b/dev_testing/generic/do-configure-mpi-debug
index b33184b39..02c0f3328 100755
--- a/dev_testing/generic/do-configure-mpi-debug
+++ b/dev_testing/generic/do-configure-mpi-debug
@@ -9,25 +9,22 @@ EXTRA_ARGS=$@
 # the default path.
 #
 # This script must be symbolically linked in for it to find the path back to
-# the local TriBITS repo.
+# the local TriBITS repo.  However, on Mac OSX, one must manually set
+# TRIBITS_BASE_DIR in the env before calling this script.
 #
 
 if [ "$TRIBITS_BASE_DIR" == "" ] ; then
-  _ABS_FILE_PATH=`readlink -f $0`
+  _ABS_FILE_PATH=`readlink -f $0` || \
+    echo "ERROR: Must set TRIBITS_BASE_DIR in env to TriBITS base dir!"
   _SCRIPT_DIR=`dirname $_ABS_FILE_PATH`
   TRIBITS_BASE_DIR=$_SCRIPT_DIR/../..
 fi
 
-TRIBITS_BASE_DIR_ABS=$(readlink -f $TRIBITS_BASE_DIR)
-echo "TRIBITS_BASE_DIR_ABS = $TRIBITS_BASE_DIR_ABS"
-
 cmake \
 -D CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE:STRING="DEBUG" \
 -D TPL_ENABLE_MPI:BOOL=ON \
--D PYTHON_EXECUTABLE=/usr/bin/python2.6 \
 -D TriBITS_ENABLE_Fortran:BOOL=ON \
 -D TriBITS_ENABLE_TESTS:BOOL=ON \
--D TriBITS_ENABLE_CONFIGURE_TIMING:BOOL=ON \
 $EXTRA_ARGS \
-${TRIBITS_BASE_DIR_ABS}
+${TRIBITS_BASE_DIR}
 
diff --git a/dev_testing/generic/do-configure-serial-debug-gcc b/dev_testing/generic/do-configure-serial-debug-gcc
index cee066316..870b7f598 100755
--- a/dev_testing/generic/do-configure-serial-debug-gcc
+++ b/dev_testing/generic/do-configure-serial-debug-gcc
@@ -10,27 +10,25 @@ EXTRA_ARGS=$@
 # default.
 #
 # This script must be symbolically linked in for it to find the path back to
-# the local TriBITS repo.
+# the local TriBITS repo.  However, on Mac OSX, one must manually set
+# TRIBITS_BASE_DIR in the env before calling this script.
 #
 
 if [ "$TRIBITS_BASE_DIR" == "" ] ; then
-  _ABS_FILE_PATH=`readlink -f $0`
+  _ABS_FILE_PATH=`readlink -f $0` || \
+    echo "ERROR: Must set TRIBITS_BASE_DIR in env to TriBITS base dir!"
   _SCRIPT_DIR=`dirname $_ABS_FILE_PATH`
   TRIBITS_BASE_DIR=$_SCRIPT_DIR/../..
 fi
 
-TRIBITS_BASE_DIR_ABS=$(readlink -f $TRIBITS_BASE_DIR)
-echo "TRIBITS_BASE_DIR_ABS = $TRIBITS_BASE_DIR_ABS"
-
 cmake \
--D CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE="DEBUG" \
+-D CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=DEBUG \
 -D TPL_ENABLE_MPI=OFF \
 -D CMAKE_C_COMPILER=gcc \
 -D TriBITS_ENABLE_Fortran=ON \
 -D TriBITS_ENABLE_TESTS=ON \
--D TriBITS_ENABLE_CONFIGURE_TIMING=ON \
 $EXTRA_ARGS \
-${TRIBITS_BASE_DIR_ABS}
+${TRIBITS_BASE_DIR}
 
 # NOTE: Above we must set CMAKE_C_COMPILER=gcc or CMake will find cc by
 # default and then it will not find Fortran.
diff --git a/dev_testing/generic/do-configure-serial-release-gcc b/dev_testing/generic/do-configure-serial-release-gcc
index cee066316..2f24f1d4e 100755
--- a/dev_testing/generic/do-configure-serial-release-gcc
+++ b/dev_testing/generic/do-configure-serial-release-gcc
@@ -3,34 +3,32 @@
 EXTRA_ARGS=$@
 
 #
-# Configure script for a SERIAL DEBUG build with GCC compilers of the TriBITS
-# project & package.
+# Configure script for a SERIAL RELEASE build with GCC compilers of the
+# TriBITS project & package.
 #
 # This script will work in any platform where the gcc compilers are found by
 # default.
 #
 # This script must be symbolically linked in for it to find the path back to
-# the local TriBITS repo.
+# the local TriBITS repo.  However, on Mac OSX, one must manually set
+# TRIBITS_BASE_DIR in the env before calling this script.
 #
 
 if [ "$TRIBITS_BASE_DIR" == "" ] ; then
-  _ABS_FILE_PATH=`readlink -f $0`
+  _ABS_FILE_PATH=`readlink -f $0` || \
+    echo "ERROR: Must set TRIBITS_BASE_DIR in env to TriBITS base dir!"
   _SCRIPT_DIR=`dirname $_ABS_FILE_PATH`
   TRIBITS_BASE_DIR=$_SCRIPT_DIR/../..
 fi
 
-TRIBITS_BASE_DIR_ABS=$(readlink -f $TRIBITS_BASE_DIR)
-echo "TRIBITS_BASE_DIR_ABS = $TRIBITS_BASE_DIR_ABS"
-
 cmake \
--D CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE="DEBUG" \
+-D CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=RELEASE \
 -D TPL_ENABLE_MPI=OFF \
 -D CMAKE_C_COMPILER=gcc \
 -D TriBITS_ENABLE_Fortran=ON \
 -D TriBITS_ENABLE_TESTS=ON \
--D TriBITS_ENABLE_CONFIGURE_TIMING=ON \
 $EXTRA_ARGS \
-${TRIBITS_BASE_DIR_ABS}
+${TRIBITS_BASE_DIR}
 
 # NOTE: Above we must set CMAKE_C_COMPILER=gcc or CMake will find cc by
 # default and then it will not find Fortran.