diff --git a/Makefile.defs b/Makefile.defs
index 343abc53..d34eb9fa 100644
--- a/Makefile.defs
+++ b/Makefile.defs
@@ -159,9 +159,9 @@ ifeq ($(ARCH),sparc)
 endif
 
 # need OS specific for this ?
-CXX ?= g++
-CC ?= gcc
-LD ?= $(CC)
+CXX = g++
+CC = gcc
+LD = $(CC)
 
 CXXFLAGS += -Wall -Wno-reorder -fPIC -g $(EXTRA_CXXFLAGS)
 CFLAGS   += -Wall -fPIC -g $(EXTRA_CFLAGS)