--- a/config/icu-config-bottom
+++ b/config/icu-config-bottom
@@ -218,65 +218,65 @@
 	    ;;
 
 	--cflags)
-	    echo $ECHO_N "${CFLAGS} ${ECHO_C}"
+	    printf "%s" "${CFLAGS} "
 	    ;;
 
 	--cc)
-	    echo $ECHO_N "${CC} ${ECHO_C}"
+	    printf "%s" "${CC} "
 	    ;;
 
 	--cxx)
-	    echo $ECHO_N "${CXX} ${ECHO_C}"
+	    printf "%s" "${CXX} "
 	    ;;
 
 	--cxxflags)
-	    echo $ECHO_N "${CXXFLAGS} ${ECHO_C}"
+	    printf "%s" "${CXXFLAGS} "
 	    ;;
 
 	--cppflags)
 	    # Don't echo the -I. - it's unneeded.
-	    echo $ECHO_N "${CPPFLAGS} ${ECHO_C}" | sed -e 's/-I. //'
+	    printf "%s" "${CPPFLAGS} " | sed -e 's/-I. //'
 	    ;;
 
 	--cppflags-searchpath)
-	    echo $ECHO_N "-I${prefix}/include ${ECHO_C}"
+	    printf "%s" "-I${prefix}/include "
 	    ;;
 
 	--cppflags-dynamic)
-	    echo $ECHO_N "${SHAREDLIBCPPFLAGS} ${ECHO_C}"
+	    printf "%s" "${SHAREDLIBCPPFLAGS} "
 	    ;;
 
 	--cxxflags-dynamic)
-	    echo $ECHO_N "${SHAREDLIBCXXFLAGS} ${ECHO_C}"
+	    printf "%s" "${SHAREDLIBCXXFLAGS} "
 	    ;;
 
 	--cflags-dynamic)
-	    echo $ECHO_N "${SHAREDLIBCFLAGS} ${ECHO_C}"
+	    printf "%s" "${SHAREDLIBCFLAGS} "
 	    ;;
 
 	--ldflags-system)
-	    echo $ECHO_N "${LIBS} ${ECHO_C}"
+	    printf "%s" "${LIBS} "
 	    ;;
 
 	--ldflags)
-	    echo $ECHO_N "${LDFLAGS} ${ICULIBS} ${ECHO_C}"
+	    printf "%s" "${LDFLAGS} ${ICULIBS} "
 # $RPATH_LDFLAGS
 	    ;;
 
 	--ldflags-libsonly)
-	    echo $ECHO_N "${ICULIBS_I18N} ${ICULIBS_COMMON} ${ICULIBS_DATA} ${ECHO_C}"
+	    printf "%s" "${ICULIBS_I18N} ${ICULIBS_COMMON} ${ICULIBS_DATA} "
 	    ;;
 
 	--ldflags-icuio)
-	    echo $ECHO_N " ${ICULIBS_ICUIO} ${ECHO_C}"
+	    printf "%s" " ${ICULIBS_ICUIO} "
 	    ;;
 
 	--ldflags-obsolete)
-	    echo $ECHO_N "${ICULIBS_OBSOLETE} ${ECHO_C}"
+	    printf "%s" "${ICULIBS_OBSOLETE} "
 	    ;;
 
 	--ldflags-toolutil)
-	    echo $ECHO_N " ${ICULIBS_TOOLUTIL} ${ECHO_C}"
+	    printf "%s" " ${ICULIBS_TOOLUTIL} "
 	    ;;
 
 	--ldflags-layout)
@@ -285,7 +285,7 @@
 	    ;;
 
 	--ldflags-searchpath)
-	    echo $ECHO_N "-L${libdir} ${ECHO_C}"
+	    printf "%s" "-L${libdir} "
 	    ;;
 
 	--detect-prefix)
@@ -321,47 +321,47 @@
 	    ;;
 
 	--shared-datadir)
-	    echo $ECHO_N "${datadir} ${ECHO_C}"
+	    printf "%s" "${datadir} "
 	    ;;
 
         --incfile)
-	    echo $ECHO_N "${pkglibdir}/Makefile.inc ${ECHO_C}"
+	    printf "%s" "${pkglibdir}/Makefile.inc "
 	    ;;
 
 	--incpkgdatafile)
-	    echo $ECHO_N "${pkglibdir}/pkgdata.inc ${ECHO_C}"
+	    printf "%s" "${pkglibdir}/pkgdata.inc "
 	    ;;
 
 	--icudata)
-	    echo $ECHO_N "${ICUDATA_NAME} ${ECHO_C}"
+	    printf "%s" "${ICUDATA_NAME} "
 	    ;;
 
 	--icudata-mode)
-	    echo $ECHO_N "${PKGDATA_MODE} ${ECHO_C}"
+	    printf "%s" "${PKGDATA_MODE} "
 	    ;;
 
 	--icudata-install-dir)
-        echo $ECHO_N "${ICUPKGDATA_DIR} ${ECHO_C}"
+        printf "%s" "${ICUPKGDATA_DIR} "
 	    ;;
 
 	--icudatadir)
-	    echo $ECHO_N "${ICUDATA_DIR} ${ECHO_C}"
+	    printf "%s" "${ICUDATA_DIR} "
 	    ;;
 
 	--shlib-c)
-	    echo $ECHO_N "${SHLIB_c} ${ECHO_C}"
+	    printf "%s" "${SHLIB_c} "
 	    ;;
 
 	--shlib-cc)
-	    echo $ECHO_N "${SHLIB_cc} ${ECHO_C}"
+	    printf "%s" "${SHLIB_cc} "
 	    ;;
 
 	--version)
-	    echo $ECHO_N $VERSION
+	    printf "%s" "$VERSION"
 	    ;;
 
 	--unicode-version)
-	    echo $ECHO_N $UNICODE_VERSION
+	    printf "%s" "$UNICODE_VERSION"
 	    ;;
 
 	--host)
--- a/config/Makefile.inc.in
+++ b/config/Makefile.inc.in
@@ -124,12 +124,6 @@
 # with usually. Many applications will want to add $(ICULIBS_I18N) as well. 
 ICULIBS = $(ICULIBS_BASE) $(ICULIBS_I18N) $(ICULIBS_COMMON) $(ICULIBS_DATA) 
 
-# Proper echo newline handling is needed in icu-config
-ECHO_N=@ICU_ECHO_N@
-ECHO_C=@ICU_ECHO_C@
-# Not currently being used but good to have for proper tab handling
-ECHO_T=@ICU_ECHO_T@
-
 ##################################################################
 ##################################################################
 #
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -26,24 +26,6 @@
 PACKAGE="icu"
 AC_SUBST(PACKAGE)
 
-# Use custom echo test for newline option
-# Current autoconf (2.65) gives incorrect echo newline option
-# for icu-config
-# This may be removed later - mow (June 17, 2010)
-ICU_ECHO_C= ICU_ECHO_N= ICU_ECHO_T=
-case `/bin/sh -c "echo -n x"` in
--n*)
-  case `/bin/sh -c "echo 'x\c'"` in
-  *c*) ICU_ECHO_T=' ';;     # ECHO_T is single tab character.
-  *)   ICU_ECHO_C='\c';;
-  esac;;
-*)
-  ICU_ECHO_N='-n';;
-esac
-AC_SUBST(ICU_ECHO_N)
-AC_SUBST(ICU_ECHO_C)
-AC_SUBST(ICU_ECHO_T)
-
 AC_MSG_CHECKING(for ICU version numbers)
 
 # Get the ICU version from uversion.h or other headers
--- a/icudefs.mk.in
+++ b/icudefs.mk.in
@@ -161,11 +161,6 @@
 ENABLE_STATIC = @ENABLE_STATIC@
 ENABLE_SHARED = @ENABLE_SHARED@
 
-# Echo w/o newline
-
-#ECHO_N = @ICU_ECHO_N@
-#ECHO_C = @ICU_ECHO_C@
-
 # Commands to compile
 COMPILE.c=    $(CC) $(CPPFLAGS) $(DEFS) $(CFLAGS) -c
 COMPILE.cc=   $(CXX) $(CPPFLAGS) $(DEFS) $(CXXFLAGS) -c