diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 9521ecc9..858e3fce 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -63,13 +63,29 @@ TARFILES := AUTHORS BUGS NEWS README TODO COPYING COPYING.LIB \
 
 CURSES := -I/usr/include/ncurses -lncurses
 
-LDFLAGS := -Wl,-warn-common
+# Preprocessor flags.
+PKG_CPPFLAGS := -D_GNU_SOURCE -I proc
+CPPFLAGS :=
+ALL_CPPFLAGS := $(PKG_CPPFLAGS) $(CPPFLAGS)
 
-CFLAGS := -D_GNU_SOURCE -O2 -g3 -fno-common -ffast-math -I proc \
+# Left out -Wconversion due to noise in glibc headers.
+# Left out a number of things that older compilers lack:
+# -Wpadded -Wunreachable-code -Wdisabled-optimization
+#
+# Since none of the PKG_CFLAGS things are truly required
+# to compile procps, they might best be moved to CFLAGS.
+# On the other hand, they aren't normal -O -g things either.
+#
+PKG_CFLAGS := -fno-common -ffast-math \
   -W -Wall -Wshadow -Wcast-align -Wredundant-decls \
   -Wbad-function-cast -Wcast-qual -Wwrite-strings -Waggregate-return \
-#  -Wpadded -Wunreachable-code -Wdisabled-optimization \
-  -Wstrict-prototypes -Wmissing-prototypes # -Wconversion
+  -Wstrict-prototypes -Wmissing-prototypes
+CFLAGS := -O2 -g3
+ALL_CFLAGS := $(PKG_CFLAGS) $(CFLAGS)
+
+PKG_LDFLAGS := -Wl,-warn-common
+LDFLAGS :=
+ALL_LDFLAGS := $(PKG_LDFLAGS) $(LDFLAGS)
 
 ############ misc.
 
@@ -112,7 +128,7 @@ CLEAN += $(junk) $(foreach dir,$(DIRS),$(addprefix $(dir), $(junk)))
 #endif
 #
 #%.d: %.c
-#	depend.sh $(CFLAGS) $< > $@
+#	depend.sh $(ALL_CPPFLAGS) $(ALL_CFLAGS) $< > $@
 ############
 
 # don't want to type "make procps-$(TARVERSION).tar.gz"
@@ -140,21 +156,21 @@ install: $(filter-out $(SKIP) $(addprefix $(DESTDIR),$(SKIP)),$(INSTALL))
 ############ prog.c --> prog.o
 
 %.o : %.c
-	$(CC) $(CFLAGS) -c -o $@ $^
+	$(CC) $(ALL_CPPFLAGS) $(ALL_CFLAGS) -c -o $@ $^
 
 w.o:    w.c
-	$(CC) $(CFLAGS) $(W_SHOWFROM) -c $<
+	$(CC) $(ALL_CPPFLAGS) $(ALL_CFLAGS) $(W_SHOWFROM) -c $<
 
 ############ prog.o --> prog
 
 pmap w uptime tload free sysctl vmstat utmp pgrep skill: % : %.o $(LIBPROC)
-	$(CC) $(LDFLAGS) -o $@ $^
+	$(CC) $(ALL_CFLAGS) $(ALL_LDFLAGS) -o $@ $^
 
 top:   % : %.o $(LIBPROC)
-	$(CC) $(LDFLAGS) -o $@ $^ $(CURSES)
+	$(CC) $(ALL_CFLAGS) $(ALL_LDFLAGS) -o $@ $^ $(CURSES)
 
 watch: % : %.o
-	$(CC) $(LDFLAGS) -o $@ $^ $(CURSES)
+	$(CC) $(ALL_CFLAGS) $(ALL_LDFLAGS) -o $@ $^ $(CURSES)
 
 ############ progX --> progY
 
diff --git a/NEWS b/NEWS
index cb8164fe..d364938a 100644
--- a/NEWS
+++ b/NEWS
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 procps-3.1.11 --> procps-3.1.12
 
+required flags moved out of CFLAGS               #205429
 RPM generation handles /lib64
 WCHAN skips leading '.'
 vmstat: numerous new features
diff --git a/README b/README
index f4466779..25d27b84 100644
--- a/README
+++ b/README
@@ -16,9 +16,6 @@ INSTALLATION
     named t, v, and p to ensure that the correct libproc
     (the new one) is used during your testing.
 
-    If you need to add a compiler option, use CC to do it:
-    make CC='gcc -foo'
-
     You may set SKIP to avoid building or installing things.
     For example:
 
diff --git a/proc/module.mk b/proc/module.mk
index de0399b5..11353197 100644
--- a/proc/module.mk
+++ b/proc/module.mk
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ endif
 
 # Separate rule for this directory, to use -fpic or -fPIC
 $(filter-out proc/version.o,$(LIBOBJ)): proc/%.o: proc/%.c
-	$(CC) -c $(CFLAGS) $(LIBFLAGS) $< -o $@
+	$(CC) -c $(ALL_CPPFLAGS) $(ALL_CFLAGS) $(LIBFLAGS) $< -o $@
 
 LIB_X := COPYING module.mk library.map
 TARFILES += $(LIBSRC) $(LIBHDR) $(addprefix proc/,$(LIB_X))
@@ -51,7 +51,7 @@ proc/$(SONAME): $(LIBOBJ)
 
 # AUTOMATIC DEPENDENCY GENERATION -- GCC AND GNUMAKE DEPENDENT
 proc/.depend: $(LIBSRC) $(LIBHDR)
-	$(strip $(CC) $(LIB_CFLAGS) -MM -MG $(LIBSRC) > $@)
+	$(strip $(CC) $(ALL_CPPFLAGS) $(LIB_CFLAGS) -MM -MG $(LIBSRC) > $@)
 
 ifneq ($(MAKECMDGOALS),clean)
 ifneq ($(MAKECMDGOALS),tar)
@@ -74,4 +74,4 @@ $(lib)/$(SONAME) : proc/$(SONAME)
 
 
 proc/version.o:	proc/version.c proc/version.h
-	$(CC) $(CFLAGS) $(LIBFLAGS) -DVERSION=\"$(VERSION)\" -DSUBVERSION=\"$(SUBVERSION)\" -DMINORVERSION=\"$(MINORVERSION)\" -c -o $@ $<
+	$(CC) $(ALL_CPPFLAGS) $(ALL_CFLAGS) $(LIBFLAGS) -DVERSION=\"$(VERSION)\" -DSUBVERSION=\"$(SUBVERSION)\" -DMINORVERSION=\"$(MINORVERSION)\" -c -o $@ $<
diff --git a/ps/module.mk b/ps/module.mk
index e3ab74b1..5726ec8d 100755
--- a/ps/module.mk
+++ b/ps/module.mk
@@ -20,14 +20,14 @@ PS_X := COPYING HACKING TRANSLATION common.h module.mk it p ps.1 regression
 TARFILES += $(PSSRC) $(addprefix ps/,$(PS_X))
 
 ps/ps: $(PSOBJ) $(LIBPROC)
-	$(CC) $(LDFLAGS) -o $@ $^
+	$(CC) $(ALL_CFLAGS) $(ALL_LDFLAGS) -o $@ $^
 
 # This just adds the stacktrace code
 ps/debug: $(PSOBJ) stacktrace.o $(LIBPROC)
-	$(CC) -o $@ $^ -lefence
+	$(CC) $(ALL_CFLAGS) $(ALL_LDFLAGS) -o $@ $^ -lefence
 
 $(PSOBJ): %.o: %.c ps/common.h proc/$(SONAME)
-	$(CC) -c $(CFLAGS) $< -o $@
+	$(CC) -c $(ALL_CPPFLAGS) $(ALL_CFLAGS) $< -o $@
 
 ps/stacktrace.o: ps/stacktrace.c