diff --git a/ChangeLog b/ChangeLog
index 1fafb905998290777253764ee56b4eec8e3af9c3..44789128b3a6e9e7ea1c2b271271acf0ac0be2e9 100644
--- a/ChangeLog
+++ b/ChangeLog
@@ -2,6 +2,8 @@
 	* doc/Makefile.am, doc/man/Makefile.am, doc/man/fr/Makefile.am -
 	The build already provides a standard htmldir for installing html
 	files.  Use that instead of creating our own.
+	* doc/man/Makefile.am, doc/man/fr/Makefile.am - Use dist_ prefixes
+	and += appending supported by automake to produce simpler files.
 
 2014-03-27  Benno Schulenberg  <bensberg@justemail.net>
 	* src/nano.c (main) - Fix compilation with --disable-utf8.
diff --git a/doc/man/Makefile.am b/doc/man/Makefile.am
index a04710c5a90ed48a55cf18f62dd15d739dc4d360..d360e10e50826f32f31f41f91099ad66b9d9d8ce 100644
--- a/doc/man/Makefile.am
+++ b/doc/man/Makefile.am
@@ -1,25 +1,24 @@
-if USE_NLS
-SUBDIRS = fr
-else
 SUBDIRS =
+if USE_NLS
+SUBDIRS += fr
 endif
 
-if USE_NANORC
-man_MANS = nano.1 nanorc.5 rnano.1
+BUILT_SOURCES =
+dist_man_MANS = nano.1 rnano.1
+
 if GROFF_HTML
-BUILT_SOURCES = nano.1.html nanorc.5.html rnano.1.html
+BUILT_SOURCES += nano.1.html rnano.1.html
 endif
-else
-man_MANS = nano.1 rnano.1
+
+if USE_NANORC
+dist_man_MANS += nanorc.5
 if GROFF_HTML
-BUILT_SOURCES = nano.1.html rnano.1.html
+BUILT_SOURCES += nanorc.5.html
 endif
 endif
 
-nano_man_mans = nano.1 nanorc.5 rnano.1
 if GROFF_HTML
 dist_html_DATA = nano.1.html nanorc.5.html rnano.1.html
-nano_built_sources = nano.1.html nanorc.5.html rnano.1.html
 
 nano.1.html: nano.1
 	groff -t -mandoc -Thtml < $? > $@
@@ -27,8 +26,6 @@ nanorc.5.html: nanorc.5
 	groff -t -mandoc -Thtml < $? > $@
 rnano.1.html: rnano.1
 	groff -t -mandoc -Thtml < $? > $@
-
-EXTRA_DIST = $(nano_man_mans) $(nano_built_sources)
-else 
-EXTRA_DIST = $(nano_man_mans)
 endif
+
+EXTRA_DIST = $(BUILT_SOURCES)
diff --git a/doc/man/fr/Makefile.am b/doc/man/fr/Makefile.am
index 6ae892121008ee12db3a6e1bd7107e928c41cc27..47c9f8d16ea4f846c66886e6b9a4c5b025214547 100644
--- a/doc/man/fr/Makefile.am
+++ b/doc/man/fr/Makefile.am
@@ -1,23 +1,22 @@
 mandir = @mandir@/fr
 htmldir = @htmldir@/fr
 
-if USE_NANORC
-man_MANS = nano.1 nanorc.5 rnano.1
+BUILT_SOURCES =
+dist_man_MANS = nano.1 rnano.1
+
 if GROFF_HTML
-BUILT_SOURCES = nano.1.html nanorc.5.html rnano.1.html
+BUILT_SOURCES += nano.1.html rnano.1.html
 endif
-else
-man_MANS = nano.1 rnano.1
+
+if USE_NANORC
+dist_man_MANS += nanorc.5
 if GROFF_HTML
-BUILT_SOURCES = nano.1.html rnano.1.html
+BUILT_SOURCES += nanorc.5.html
 endif
 endif
 
-nano_man_mans = nano.1 nanorc.5 rnano.1
 if GROFF_HTML
-html_DATA = nano.1.html nanorc.5.html rnano.1.html
-
-nano_built_sources = nano.1.html nanorc.5.html rnano.1.html
+dist_html_DATA = nano.1.html nanorc.5.html rnano.1.html
 
 nano.1.html: nano.1
 	groff -t -mandoc -Thtml < $? > $@
@@ -25,9 +24,6 @@ nanorc.5.html: nanorc.5
 	groff -t -mandoc -Thtml < $? > $@
 rnano.1.html: rnano.1
 	groff -t -mandoc -Thtml < $? > $@
-
-EXTRA_DIST = $(nano_man_mans) $(nano_built_sources)
-else
-EXTRA_DIST = $(nano_man_mans)
 endif
 
+EXTRA_DIST = $(BUILT_SOURCES)