diff --git a/ChangeLog b/ChangeLog
index 7677697ec..53031bfa8 100644
--- a/ChangeLog
+++ b/ChangeLog
@@ -1,3 +1,10 @@
+2010-11-04  Robert Larice
+ * src/frontend/com_compose.c ,
+ * src/frontend/postcoms.c ,
+ * src/misc/util.c :
+    minor rewrites
+      in postcoms.c, drop an overwritten |= VF_PERMANENT assignment
+
 2010-11-04  Robert Larice
  * src/main.c ,
  * src/ngsconvert.c ,
diff --git a/src/frontend/com_compose.c b/src/frontend/com_compose.c
index 6fd916db5..897e63def 100644
--- a/src/frontend/com_compose.c
+++ b/src/frontend/com_compose.c
@@ -466,11 +466,13 @@ com_compose(wordlist *wl)
     ZERO(result, struct dvec);
     result->v_name = copy(resname);
     result->v_type = type;
-    result->v_flags = (realflag ? VF_REAL : VF_COMPLEX) | VF_PERMANENT;
-    if (realflag)
+    if (realflag) {
+        result->v_flags = VF_REAL | VF_PERMANENT;
         result->v_realdata = data;
-    else
+    } else {
+        result->v_flags =  VF_COMPLEX | VF_PERMANENT;
         result->v_compdata = cdata;
+    }
     result->v_length = length;
     result->v_numdims = 1;
     result->v_dims[0] = length;
diff --git a/src/frontend/postcoms.c b/src/frontend/postcoms.c
index 4911bfcc2..a107712cb 100644
--- a/src/frontend/postcoms.c
+++ b/src/frontend/postcoms.c
@@ -742,13 +742,15 @@ com_cross(wordlist *wl)
     v->v_name = copy(newvec);
     v->v_type = vecs ? vecs->v_type : SV_NOTYPE;
     v->v_length = i;
-    v->v_flags |= VF_PERMANENT;
-    v->v_flags = comp ? VF_COMPLEX : VF_REAL;
-    if (comp)
+
+    if (comp) {
+        v->v_flags = VF_COMPLEX;
         v->v_compdata = TMALLOC(ngcomplex_t, i);
-    else
+    } else {
+        v->v_flags = VF_REAL;
         v->v_realdata = TMALLOC(double, i);
-    
+    }
+
     /* Now copy the ind'ths elements into this one. */
     for (n = vecs, i = 0; n; n = n->v_link2, i++)
         if (n->v_length > ind) {
diff --git a/src/misc/util.c b/src/misc/util.c
index 96833df9b..f08494385 100644
--- a/src/misc/util.c
+++ b/src/misc/util.c
@@ -33,7 +33,9 @@ canonicalize_pathname(char *path)
     /* The result cannot be larger than the input PATH. */
     result = copy(path);
 
-    stub_char = (*path == '/') ? '/' : '.';
+    stub_char = '.';
+    if(*path == '/')
+        stub_char = '/';
 
     /* Walk along RESULT looking for things to compact. */
     i = 0;