diff --git a/doc/go1.html b/doc/go1.html
index 83a7653c40e..8b67cd3aa07 100644
--- a/doc/go1.html
+++ b/doc/go1.html
@@ -953,7 +953,7 @@ func sleepUntil(wakeup time.Time) {
         return
     }
     delta := wakeup.Sub(now) // A Duration.
-    log.Printf("Sleeping for %.3fs", delta.Seconds())
+    fmt.Printf("Sleeping for %.3fs\n", delta.Seconds())
     time.Sleep(delta)
 }</pre>
 
diff --git a/doc/progs/error.go b/doc/progs/error.go
index ffa7ec1ccae..f85a5273a45 100644
--- a/doc/progs/error.go
+++ b/doc/progs/error.go
@@ -102,7 +102,10 @@ func decodeError(dec *json.Decoder, val struct{}) error { // OMIT
 	return nil
 }
 
-func findLine(os.FileInfo, int64) (int, int)
+func findLine(os.FileInfo, int64) (int, int) {
+	// place holder; no need to run
+	return 0, 0
+}
 
 func netError(err error) { // OMIT
 	for { // OMIT
diff --git a/doc/progs/go1.go b/doc/progs/go1.go
index 1507d5b33b5..50fd93441f4 100644
--- a/doc/progs/go1.go
+++ b/doc/progs/go1.go
@@ -35,6 +35,11 @@ func main() {
 
 var timeout = flag.Duration("timeout", 30*time.Second, "how long to wait for completion")
 
+func init() {
+	// canonicalize the logging
+	log.SetFlags(0)
+}
+
 func mapDelete() {
 	m := map[string]int{"7": 7, "23": 23}
 	k := "7"
@@ -177,7 +182,7 @@ func sleepUntil(wakeup time.Time) {
 		return
 	}
 	delta := wakeup.Sub(now) // A Duration.
-	log.Printf("Sleeping for %.3fs", delta.Seconds())
+	fmt.Printf("Sleeping for %.3fs\n", delta.Seconds())
 	time.Sleep(delta)
 }
 
diff --git a/doc/progs/run b/doc/progs/run
index 2470d5e8e02..e3d5c128c8c 100755
--- a/doc/progs/run
+++ b/doc/progs/run
@@ -5,63 +5,49 @@
 
 set -e
 
-eval $(gomake --no-print-directory -f ../../src/Make.inc go-env)
-
-if [ -z "$O" ]; then
-	echo 'missing $O - maybe no Make.$GOARCH?' 1>&2
-	exit 1
-fi
-
-rm -f *.$O
-
 defer_panic_recover="
-	defer.go 
-	defer2.go 
+	defer
+	defer2
 "
 
 effective_go="
-	eff_bytesize.go
-	eff_qr.go 
-	eff_sequence.go
+	eff_bytesize
+	eff_qr
+	eff_sequence
 "
 
 error_handling="
-	error.go
-	error2.go
-	error3.go
-	error4.go
+	error
+	error2
+	error3
+	error4
 "
 
-for i in \
-	$defer_panic_recover \
-	$effective_go \
-	$error_handling \
-	slices.go \
-	go1.go \
-; do
-	$GC $i
+all=$(echo $defer_panic_recover  $effective_go $error_handling slices go1)
+
+for i in $all; do
+	go build $i.go
 done
 
 # Write to temporary file to avoid mingw bash bug.
 TMPFILE="/tmp/gotest3.$USER"
 
 function testit {
-	$LD $1.$O
-	./$O.out $2 2>&1 >"$TMPFILE" || true
+	./$1 >"$TMPFILE" 2>&1 || true
 	x=$(echo $(cat "$TMPFILE")) # extra echo canonicalizes
-	if [ "$x" != "$3" ]
+	if ! echo "$x" | grep "$2" > /dev/null
 	then
-		echo $1 failed: '"'$x'"' is not '"'$3'"'
+		echo $1 failed: '"'$x'"' is not '"'$2'"'
 	fi
 }
 
 
-testit defer "" "0 3210 2"
-testit defer2 "" "Calling g. Printing in g 0 Printing in g 1 Printing in g 2 Printing in g 3 Panicking! Defer in g 3 Defer in g 2 Defer in g 1 Defer in g 0 Recovered in f 4 Returned normally from f."
+testit defer '^0 3210 2$'
+testit defer2 '^Calling g. Printing in g 0 Printing in g 1 Printing in g 2 Printing in g 3 Panicking! Defer in g 3 Defer in g 2 Defer in g 1 Defer in g 0 Recovered in f 4 Returned normally from f.$'
 
-testit eff_bytesize "" "1.00YB 9.09TB"
-testit eff_sequence "" "[-1 2 6 16 44]"
+testit eff_bytesize '^1.00YB 9.09TB$'
+testit eff_sequence '^\[-1 2 6 16 44\]$'
 
-testit go1 "" "Christmas is a holiday: true"
+testit go1 '^Christmas is a holiday: true Sleeping for 0.123s.*go1.go already exists$'
 
-rm -f $O.out $O.out.exe *.$O "$TMPFILE"
+rm -f $all "$TMPFILE"
diff --git a/doc/progs/slices.go b/doc/progs/slices.go
index 72fb4b7c17b..8e440103efc 100644
--- a/doc/progs/slices.go
+++ b/doc/progs/slices.go
@@ -57,3 +57,7 @@ func CopyDigits(filename string) []byte {
 }
 
 // STOP OMIT
+
+func main() {
+	// place holder; no need to run
+}
diff --git a/src/run.bash b/src/run.bash
index d818751b2c6..fd3b1f27b7c 100755
--- a/src/run.bash
+++ b/src/run.bash
@@ -72,7 +72,6 @@ $BROKEN ||
 ./test.bash
 ) || exit $?
 
-$BROKEN ||
 (xcd ../doc/progs
 time ./run
 ) || exit $?