diff --git a/2012/kang/de.alt.sh b/2012/kang/de.alt.sh
index fd5de0723..c5449d4be 100755
--- a/2012/kang/de.alt.sh
+++ b/2012/kang/de.alt.sh
@@ -8,7 +8,17 @@
 # What does it get right and what does it get wrong? Why does it get what it
 # gets wrong wrong?
 
-make everything || exit 1
+# make sure CC is set so that when we do make CC="$CC" it isn't empty. Doing it
+# this way allows us to have the user specify a different compiler in an easy
+# way.
+if [[ -z "$CC" ]]; then
+    CC="cc"
+fi
+
+make CC="$CC" everything >/dev/null || exit 1
+
+# clear screen after compilation so that only the entry is shown
+clear
 
 # set up path to program if not set
 if [[ -z "$KANG" ]]; then
diff --git a/2012/kang/de.sh b/2012/kang/de.sh
index 2d0dbf622..75e59b99c 100755
--- a/2012/kang/de.sh
+++ b/2012/kang/de.sh
@@ -8,7 +8,17 @@
 # What does it get right and what does it get wrong? Why does it get what it
 # gets wrong wrong?
 
-make everything || exit 1
+# make sure CC is set so that when we do make CC="$CC" it isn't empty. Doing it
+# this way allows us to have the user specify a different compiler in an easy
+# way.
+if [[ -z "$CC" ]]; then
+    CC="cc"
+fi
+
+make CC="$CC" everything >/dev/null || exit 1
+
+# clear screen after compilation so that only the entry is shown
+clear
 
 # set up path to program if not set
 if [[ -z "$KANG" ]]; then
diff --git a/2012/kang/en.alt.sh b/2012/kang/en.alt.sh
index afc61e430..098a0d5f3 100755
--- a/2012/kang/en.alt.sh
+++ b/2012/kang/en.alt.sh
@@ -5,7 +5,17 @@
 # What does it get right and what does it get wrong? Why does it get what it
 # gets wrong wrong?
 
-make everything || exit 1
+# make sure CC is set so that when we do make CC="$CC" it isn't empty. Doing it
+# this way allows us to have the user specify a different compiler in an easy
+# way.
+if [[ -z "$CC" ]]; then
+    CC="cc"
+fi
+
+make CC="$CC" everything >/dev/null || exit 1
+
+# clear screen after compilation so that only the entry is shown
+clear
 
 # set up path to program if not set
 if [[ -z "$KANG" ]]; then
diff --git a/2012/kang/en.sh b/2012/kang/en.sh
index 995c4d6e6..02aa3e808 100755
--- a/2012/kang/en.sh
+++ b/2012/kang/en.sh
@@ -5,7 +5,18 @@
 # What does it get right and what does it get wrong? Why does it get what it
 # gets wrong wrong?
 
-make everything || exit 1
+
+# make sure CC is set so that when we do make CC="$CC" it isn't empty. Doing it
+# this way allows us to have the user specify a different compiler in an easy
+# way.
+if [[ -z "$CC" ]]; then
+    CC="cc"
+fi
+
+make CC="$CC" everything >/dev/null || exit 1
+
+# clear screen after compilation so that only the entry is shown
+clear
 
 # set up path to program if not set
 if [[ -z "$KANG" ]]; then
diff --git a/2012/kang/try.sh b/2012/kang/try.sh
index 97bec68f4..fa08e6771 100755
--- a/2012/kang/try.sh
+++ b/2012/kang/try.sh
@@ -1,6 +1,18 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env bash
+#
+# try.sh - demonstrate IOCCC winner 2012/kang
 
-make everything || exit 1
+# make sure CC is set so that when we do make CC="$CC" it isn't empty. Doing it
+# this way allows us to have the user specify a different compiler in an easy
+# way.
+if [[ -z "$CC" ]]; then
+    CC="cc"
+fi
+
+make CC="$CC" everything >/dev/null || exit 1
+
+# clear screen after compilation so that only the entry is shown
+clear
 
 echo "$ echo Nineteen hundred and eighty-four | ./kang"
 echo Nineteen hundred and eighty-four | ./kang