diff --git a/1988/spinellis/.gitignore b/1988/spinellis/.gitignore
index 0e2971a8e..6a6607176 100644
--- a/1988/spinellis/.gitignore
+++ b/1988/spinellis/.gitignore
@@ -6,7 +6,6 @@ indent.c
 indent.o
 prog.c
 prog.orig
-runme
 spinellis
 spinellis.alt
 spinellis.orig
diff --git a/1988/spinellis/Makefile b/1988/spinellis/Makefile
index 365720d09..d8afb4b8b 100644
--- a/1988/spinellis/Makefile
+++ b/1988/spinellis/Makefile
@@ -130,20 +130,21 @@ all: data ${TARGET}
 ${PROG}: ${PROG}.c input.txt
 	@${RM} -f $@
 	@echo
-	@echo "Hello, world!  To compile this IOCCC winner, we need you to take change."
+	@echo "Hello, world!  To compile this IOCCC winner, we need you to take charge."
 	@echo
-	@echo "IMPORTANT NOTE:"
+	@echo "IMPORTANT NOTE: this entry is likely to NOT compile with some compilers"
+	@echo "like clang, NOR will it likely compile under macOS. In particular the"
+	@echo "the compiler must accept reading in input from /dev/tty. Where this is"
+	@echo "not possible, try this instead: "
 	@echo
-	@echo "	This entry is likely to NOT compile with some compilers like clang, NOR will it likely"
-	@echo "	to compile under macOS.  For those situations, try this instead:"
+	@echo "    make clobber alt"
 	@echo
-	@echo "	make clobber alt"
+	@echo "For hosts with a true gcc compiler, manually run the following command:"
 	@echo
-	@echo "For non-macOS hosts with a true gcc compiler, manually run the following command:"
+	@echo "    ${GCC} ${CFLAGS} ${PROG}.c -o $@ ${LDFLAGS}"
 	@echo
-	@echo ${GCC} ${CFLAGS} ${PROG}.c -o $@ ${LDFLAGS}
-	@echo
-	@echo "Next copy and paste (on a non-macOS host) the folowwing as input to the above command:"
+	@echo "Next copy and paste (on a non-macOS host/host with true gcc)"
+	@echo "the folowwing as input to the above command:"
 	@echo
 	@${CAT} input.txt
 	@echo
@@ -151,7 +152,9 @@ ${PROG}: ${PROG}.c input.txt
 	@echo
 	@echo "Finally run the program you have just compiled:"
 	@echo
-	@echo "./$@"
+	@echo "    ./$@"
+	@echo
+	@echo "Of course you may provide other C code if you wish, even typing it manually."
 	@echo
 
 # alternative executable
@@ -163,11 +166,11 @@ ${PROG}.alt: ${PROG}.alt.c input.txt
 	@${RM} -f $@ runme
 	${CC} ${CFLAGS} ${PROG}.alt.c -o $@ ${LDFLAGS}
 	@echo
-	@echo "Hello, world!  To compile this IOCCC winner, we need you to take change."
+	@echo "Hello, world!  To compile this IOCCC winner, we need you to take charge."
 	@echo
 	@echo "Run the following command:"
 	@echo
-	@echo "./$@"
+	@echo "   ./$@"
 	@echo
 	@echo "Next copy and paste the folowwing as input to the above command:"
 	@echo
@@ -175,9 +178,11 @@ ${PROG}.alt: ${PROG}.alt.c input.txt
 	@echo
 	@echo "After pasing the above, end input by providing an EOF (usually control-D)."
 	@echo
-	@echo "Finally run the this progrqm:"
+	@echo "Finally run the program you have just compiled:"
 	@echo
-	@echo "./runme"
+	@echo "    ./$@"
+	@echo
+	@echo "Of course you may provide other C code if you wish, even typing it manually."
 	@echo
 
 # data files
diff --git a/1988/spinellis/README.md b/1988/spinellis/README.md
index 8504c111e..bd22ca2dd 100644
--- a/1988/spinellis/README.md
+++ b/1988/spinellis/README.md
@@ -1,35 +1,58 @@
 ## To build:
 
 ```sh
-make all
+make clobber all
 ```
 
+and follow the instructions this will give you.
 
-### Try:
+If your compiler will not read from `/dev/tty` see the [Alternate
+code](#alternate-code) section below.
+
+
+### To use:
 
 ```sh
-rm -f spinellis ; cc spinellis.c -o spinellis < input.txt && ./spinellis
+./spinellis
 ```
 
-and try:
+Type in or copy paste some C code, perhaps from [input.txt](input.txt), and send
+EOF (typically ctrl-d).
+
+Now run again:
 
 ```sh
-rm -f spinellis ; cc spinellis.c -o spinellis < input2.txt && ./spinellis
+./spinellis
 ```
 
 
 ## Alternate code:
 
-For clang try the alt code like:
+For clang or compilers that won't read from `/dev/tty`, we provide this version.
+
+
+### Alternate build:
 
 ```sh
-cc spinellis.alt.c -o spinellis.alt < input.txt && ./spinellis.alt
+make clobber alt
 ```
 
-and try:
+and follow the instructions.
+
+
+### Alternate use:
 
 ```sh
-cc spinellis.alt.c -o spinellis.alt < input2.txt && ./spinellis.alt
+./spinellis.alt
+```
+
+Type in or copy paste some C code, perhaps from [input.txt](input.txt), and send
+EOF (typically ctrl-d).
+
+Now run again:
+
+```sh
+./spinellis.alt
 ```
 
 
diff --git a/1988/spinellis/input.txt b/1988/spinellis/input.txt
index f7f67b4b0..59da2a911 100644
--- a/1988/spinellis/input.txt
+++ b/1988/spinellis/input.txt
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
-#include <stdio.h>
-int
-main(void)
-{
-    printf("Hello, world!\n");
-    return 0;
-}
+    #include <stdio.h>
+    int
+    main(void)
+    {
+	printf("Hello, world!\n");
+	return 0;
+    }
diff --git a/1988/spinellis/spinellis.alt.c b/1988/spinellis/spinellis.alt.c
index 6103c36bc..84dc736bf 100644
--- a/1988/spinellis/spinellis.alt.c
+++ b/1988/spinellis/spinellis.alt.c
@@ -1 +1,2 @@
-int main(void){system("cc -x c -Wno-everything - -o runme");return 0;}
+#include <stdlib.h>
+int main(void){system("cc -x c -Wno-everything - -o spinellis.alt");return 0;}
diff --git a/1988/spinellis/try.alt.sh b/1988/spinellis/try.alt.sh
new file mode 100755
index 000000000..e7c57fa2c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/1988/spinellis/try.alt.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,31 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+#
+# try.alt.sh - demonstrate IOCCC winner 1988/spinellis alt code
+#
+
+# 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
+
+# clear screen after compilation so that only the entry is shown
+clear
+
+echo "$ cat input.txt" 1>&2
+cat input.txt
+
+echo "$ cc -Wno-error spinellis.alt.c -o spinellis.alt && ./spinellis.alt < input.txt"
+cc -Wno-error spinellis.alt.c -o spinellis.alt && ./spinellis.alt < input.txt
+echo "$ ./spinellis.alt" 1>&2
+./spinellis.alt
+
+echo 1>&2
+
+echo "$ cat input2.txt" 1>&2
+cat input2.txt
+echo "$ cc -Wno-error spinellis.c -o spinellis.alt && ./spinellis" 1>&2
+cc -Wno-error spinellis.alt.c -o spinellis.alt && ./spinellis.alt < input2.txt
+echo "$ ./spinellis.alt" 1>&2
+./spinellis.alt
diff --git a/1988/spinellis/try.sh b/1988/spinellis/try.sh
new file mode 100755
index 000000000..1b6413d33
--- /dev/null
+++ b/1988/spinellis/try.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+#
+# try.sh - demonstrate IOCCC winner 1988/spinellis
+#
+
+# 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
+
+# clear screen after compilation so that only the entry is shown
+clear
+
+echo "$ cat input.txt" 1>&2
+cat input.txt
+
+echo "$ cc spinellis.c -o spinellis < input.txt && ./spinellis" 1>&2
+cc spinellis.c -o spinellis < input.txt && ./spinellis
+
+echo 1>&2
+
+echo "$ cat input2.txt" 1>&2
+cat input2.txt
+echo "$ cc spinellis.c -o spinellis < input2.txt && ./spinellis" 1>&2
+cc spinellis.c -o spinellis < input2.txt && ./spinellis