diff --git a/general.ent b/general.ent
index ce51c30272..eba00b632e 100644
--- a/general.ent
+++ b/general.ent
@@ -46,9 +46,7 @@
 
 <!ENTITY lfs-root             "../../../../lfs/view/&lfs-version;">
 <!ENTITY lfs-rootd            "../../../../lfs/view/&lfs-versiond;">
-<!-- not used
 <!ENTITY lfs-dev              "../../../../lfs/view/development">
--->
 <!ENTITY gnu-http             "https://ftp.gnu.org/gnu">
 <!ENTITY gnu-ftp              "ftp://ftp.gnu.org/gnu">
 <!ENTITY gnupg-http           "https://www.gnupg.org/ftp/gcrypt">
@@ -74,9 +72,8 @@
 <!ENTITY elinks-url           "http://elinks.or.cz">
 <!ENTITY w3m-url              "http://w3m.sourceforge.net/">
 
-<!-- These entities used to identify versions of LFS
-     packages referenced throughout the BLFS book. Now, they
-     are unmaintained adn unused:
+<!-- These entities are used to identify versions of LFS
+     packages referenced throughout the BLFS book. -->
 <!ENTITY lfs-autoconf-version         "2.69">
 <!ENTITY lfs-coreutils-version        "8.23">
 <!ENTITY lfs-e2fsprogs-version        "1.42.11">
@@ -84,15 +81,17 @@
 <!ENTITY lfs-gcc-version              "4.9.1">
 <!ENTITY lfs-gdbm-version             "1.11">
 <!ENTITY lfs-m4-version               "1.4.17">
-<!ENTITY lfs-shadow-version           "4.2.1">
-<!ENTITY lfs-vim-version              "7.4">
--->
-
 <!-- FIXME - please check the included version of
  List/Utils when upgrading the perl version.
  Scalar-List-Utils is in perl-deps because List-AllUtils
  needs a newer version at runtime than is in 5.34.0 -->
-<!ENTITY lfs-perl-version             "5.34"> <!-- used in a couple of pages -->
+<!ENTITY lfs-perl-version             "5.34"> <!-- used in git -->
+<!-- this was originally the perl version used by the corresponding
+ version of lfs, in those days always for i686, but now BLFS is a rolling
+ release. \-\->
+<!ENTITY lfs-perl-version             "&lt;5.x.y&gt;/&lt;arch-linux&gt;">-->
+<!ENTITY lfs-shadow-version           "4.2.1">
+<!ENTITY lfs-vim-version              "7.4">
 <!-- End LFS versions -->
 
 <!ENTITY blfs-bootscripts-version     "20210826">