diff --git a/Makefile.in b/Makefile.in
index f20d8ffa867..c8b05addbd0 100644
--- a/Makefile.in
+++ b/Makefile.in
@@ -121,7 +121,6 @@ OCAMLC = @OCAMLC@
 OCAMLCDOTOPT = @OCAMLCDOTOPT@
 OCAMLDEP = @OCAMLDEP@
 OCAMLDOC = @OCAMLDOC@
-OCAMLFIND = @OCAMLFIND@
 OCAMLLIB = @OCAMLLIB@
 OCAMLMKLIB = @OCAMLMKLIB@
 OCAMLMKTOP = @OCAMLMKTOP@
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index e5311f9e6e0..b83b613040d 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ things, used by Debian to manage their packages.
 To compile `opam`, simply run:
 
 ```
+$ ./configure # (or ./configure --prefix=$HOME if you want to install under your $HOME)
 $ make
 ```
 
@@ -30,20 +31,22 @@ If you don't have `curl` installed on your system, you can run
 
 ### Installing OPAM
 
-To install opam (under `/usr/local`) simply run:
+To install opam simply run:
 
 ```
-$ sudo make install
+$ make install
 ```
 
-If you want to install OPAM under a different prefix:
+or
 
 ```
-$ make PREFIX=$HOME install
+$ sudo make install
 ```
 
-This way, opam binaries will be installed in `$HOME/bin`, and man
-pages will be located in `$HOME/share/man`.
+if you need root privileges.
+
+This way, opam binaries will be installed in `$prefix/bin`, where
+prefix might have been specified during the ./configure phase.
 
 ### Using opam
 
diff --git a/configure b/configure
index ff35335cab0..786929b4dc0 100755
--- a/configure
+++ b/configure
@@ -585,7 +585,6 @@ ac_subst_vars='am__EXEEXT_FALSE
 am__EXEEXT_TRUE
 LTLIBOBJS
 LIBOBJS
-OCAMLFIND
 OCAMLBUILD
 OCAMLDOC
 OCAMLMKLIB
@@ -4295,106 +4294,6 @@ if test "$OCAMLC" = "no"; then
    as_fn_error $? "You must install the OCaml compiler" "$LINENO" 5
 fi
 
-
-  # checking for ocamlfind
-  if test -n "$ac_tool_prefix"; then
-  # Extract the first word of "${ac_tool_prefix}ocamlfind", so it can be a program name with args.
-set dummy ${ac_tool_prefix}ocamlfind; ac_word=$2
-{ $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: checking for $ac_word" >&5
-$as_echo_n "checking for $ac_word... " >&6; }
-if ${ac_cv_prog_OCAMLFIND+:} false; then :
-  $as_echo_n "(cached) " >&6
-else
-  if test -n "$OCAMLFIND"; then
-  ac_cv_prog_OCAMLFIND="$OCAMLFIND" # Let the user override the test.
-else
-as_save_IFS=$IFS; IFS=$PATH_SEPARATOR
-for as_dir in $PATH
-do
-  IFS=$as_save_IFS
-  test -z "$as_dir" && as_dir=.
-    for ac_exec_ext in '' $ac_executable_extensions; do
-  if as_fn_executable_p "$as_dir/$ac_word$ac_exec_ext"; then
-    ac_cv_prog_OCAMLFIND="${ac_tool_prefix}ocamlfind"
-    $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: found $as_dir/$ac_word$ac_exec_ext" >&5
-    break 2
-  fi
-done
-  done
-IFS=$as_save_IFS
-
-fi
-fi
-OCAMLFIND=$ac_cv_prog_OCAMLFIND
-if test -n "$OCAMLFIND"; then
-  { $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: result: $OCAMLFIND" >&5
-$as_echo "$OCAMLFIND" >&6; }
-else
-  { $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: result: no" >&5
-$as_echo "no" >&6; }
-fi
-
-
-fi
-if test -z "$ac_cv_prog_OCAMLFIND"; then
-  ac_ct_OCAMLFIND=$OCAMLFIND
-  # Extract the first word of "ocamlfind", so it can be a program name with args.
-set dummy ocamlfind; ac_word=$2
-{ $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: checking for $ac_word" >&5
-$as_echo_n "checking for $ac_word... " >&6; }
-if ${ac_cv_prog_ac_ct_OCAMLFIND+:} false; then :
-  $as_echo_n "(cached) " >&6
-else
-  if test -n "$ac_ct_OCAMLFIND"; then
-  ac_cv_prog_ac_ct_OCAMLFIND="$ac_ct_OCAMLFIND" # Let the user override the test.
-else
-as_save_IFS=$IFS; IFS=$PATH_SEPARATOR
-for as_dir in $PATH
-do
-  IFS=$as_save_IFS
-  test -z "$as_dir" && as_dir=.
-    for ac_exec_ext in '' $ac_executable_extensions; do
-  if as_fn_executable_p "$as_dir/$ac_word$ac_exec_ext"; then
-    ac_cv_prog_ac_ct_OCAMLFIND="ocamlfind"
-    $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: found $as_dir/$ac_word$ac_exec_ext" >&5
-    break 2
-  fi
-done
-  done
-IFS=$as_save_IFS
-
-fi
-fi
-ac_ct_OCAMLFIND=$ac_cv_prog_ac_ct_OCAMLFIND
-if test -n "$ac_ct_OCAMLFIND"; then
-  { $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: result: $ac_ct_OCAMLFIND" >&5
-$as_echo "$ac_ct_OCAMLFIND" >&6; }
-else
-  { $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: result: no" >&5
-$as_echo "no" >&6; }
-fi
-
-  if test "x$ac_ct_OCAMLFIND" = x; then
-    OCAMLFIND="no"
-  else
-    case $cross_compiling:$ac_tool_warned in
-yes:)
-{ $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: WARNING: using cross tools not prefixed with host triplet" >&5
-$as_echo "$as_me: WARNING: using cross tools not prefixed with host triplet" >&2;}
-ac_tool_warned=yes ;;
-esac
-    OCAMLFIND=$ac_ct_OCAMLFIND
-  fi
-else
-  OCAMLFIND="$ac_cv_prog_OCAMLFIND"
-fi
-
-
-
-if test "$OCAMLFIND" = "no"; then
-   as_fn_error $? "You must install OCaml findlib" "$LINENO" 5
-fi
-
 ac_config_files="$ac_config_files Makefile"
 
 cat >confcache <<\_ACEOF
diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index c0313c10830..5938279fa54 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -10,10 +10,5 @@ if test "$OCAMLC" = "no"; then
    AC_MSG_ERROR([You must install the OCaml compiler])
 fi
 
-AC_PROG_FINDLIB
-if test "$OCAMLFIND" = "no"; then
-   AC_MSG_ERROR([You must install OCaml findlib])
-fi
-
 AC_CONFIG_FILES([Makefile])
 AC_OUTPUT