diff --git a/etc/bashrc b/etc/bashrc
index 7907ce303a36d6f65bf684701a4be5f121c6180c..0e7c7c62a4b1ff4882b55b14ce339f7ecfc52244 100644
--- a/etc/bashrc
+++ b/etc/bashrc
@@ -137,7 +137,7 @@ _foamSource()
 {
     while [ $# -ge 1 ]
     do
-        [ "$FOAM_VERBOSE" -a "$PS1" ] && echo "Sourcing: $1"
+        [ "$FOAM_VERBOSE" -a "$PS1" ] && echo "Sourcing: $1" 1>&2
         . $1
        shift
     done
@@ -155,12 +155,12 @@ _foamEval()
             ;;
         *=)
             # name=       -> unset name
-            [ "$FOAM_VERBOSE" -a "$PS1" ] && echo "unset ${1%=}"
+            [ "$FOAM_VERBOSE" -a "$PS1" ] && echo "unset ${1%=}" 1>&2
             eval "unset ${1%=}"
             ;;
         *=*)
             # name=value  -> export name=value
-            [ "$FOAM_VERBOSE" -a "$PS1" ] && echo "export $1"
+            [ "$FOAM_VERBOSE" -a "$PS1" ] && echo "export $1" 1>&2
             eval "export $1"
             ;;
         *)
diff --git a/etc/config/aliases.sh b/etc/config/aliases.sh
index 341899e428cb3135aae949ef3209ab515dc6a393..ea5a25a82a6f1735d797ff23756e66da99e74c55 100644
--- a/etc/config/aliases.sh
+++ b/etc/config/aliases.sh
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ unset foamPV
 foamPV()
 {
     . $WM_PROJECT_DIR/etc/config/paraview.sh ParaView_VERSION=$1
-    echo "paraview-$ParaView_VERSION  (major: $ParaView_MAJOR)"
+    echo "paraview-$ParaView_VERSION  (major: $ParaView_MAJOR)" 1>&2
 }
 
 
diff --git a/etc/config/settings.sh b/etc/config/settings.sh
index f9110f768e24f5af5689ec32fe513e803602c8d4..1a7e8237f9da1b45abb08e70adc8ccab3ac13852 100644
--- a/etc/config/settings.sh
+++ b/etc/config/settings.sh
@@ -93,7 +93,7 @@ Linux)
             export WM_LDFLAGS='-m64'
             ;;
         *)
-            echo "Unknown WM_ARCH_OPTION '$WM_ARCH_OPTION', should be 32 or 64"
+            echo "Unknown WM_ARCH_OPTION '$WM_ARCH_OPTION', should be 32 or 64" 1>&2
             ;;
         esac
         ;;
@@ -135,7 +135,7 @@ Linux)
         ;;
 
     *)
-        echo Unknown processor type `uname -m` for Linux
+        echo Unknown processor type `uname -m` for Linux 1>&2
         ;;
     esac
     ;;
@@ -152,7 +152,7 @@ SunOS)
     ;;
 
 *)    # an unsupported operating system
-    cat <<USAGE
+    /bin/cat <<USAGE 1>&2
 
     Your "$WM_ARCH" operating system is not supported by this release
     of OpenFOAM. For further assistance, please contact www.OpenFOAM.org
@@ -268,11 +268,11 @@ OpenFOAM | ThirdParty)
         #clang_version=llvm-svn
         ;;
     *)
-        echo
-        echo "Warning in $WM_PROJECT_DIR/etc/config/settings.sh:"
-        echo "    Unknown OpenFOAM compiler type '$WM_COMPILER'"
-        echo "    Please check your settings"
-        echo
+        echo 1>&2
+        echo "Warning in $WM_PROJECT_DIR/etc/config/settings.sh:" 1>&2
+        echo "    Unknown OpenFOAM compiler type '$WM_COMPILER'" 1>&2
+        echo "    Please check your settings" 1>&2
+        echo 1>&2
         ;;
     esac
 
@@ -288,11 +288,11 @@ OpenFOAM | ThirdParty)
 
         # Check that the compiler directory can be found
         [ -d "$gccDir" ] || {
-            echo
-            echo "Warning in $WM_PROJECT_DIR/etc/config/settings.sh:"
-            echo "    Cannot find $gccDir installation."
-            echo "    Please install this compiler version or if you wish to use the system compiler,"
-            echo "    change the 'foamCompiler' setting to 'system'"
+            echo 1>&2
+            echo "Warning in $WM_PROJECT_DIR/etc/config/settings.sh:" 1>&2
+            echo "    Cannot find $gccDir installation." 1>&2
+            echo "    Please install this compiler version or if you wish to use the system compiler," 1>&2
+            echo "    change the 'foamCompiler' setting to 'system'" 1>&2
             echo
         }
 
@@ -325,12 +325,12 @@ OpenFOAM | ThirdParty)
 
         # Check that the compiler directory can be found
         [ -d "$clangDir" ] || {
-            echo
-            echo "Warning in $WM_PROJECT_DIR/etc/config/settings.sh:"
-            echo "    Cannot find $clangDir installation."
-            echo "    Please install this compiler version or if you wish to use the system compiler,"
-            echo "    change the 'foamCompiler' setting to 'system'"
-            echo
+            echo 1>&2
+            echo "Warning in $WM_PROJECT_DIR/etc/config/settings.sh:" 1>&2
+            echo "    Cannot find $clangDir installation." 1>&2
+            echo "    Please install this compiler version or if you wish to use the system compiler," 1>&2
+            echo "    change the 'foamCompiler' setting to 'system'" 1>&2
+            echo 1>&2
         }
 
         _foamAddMan     $clangDir/share/man
@@ -415,10 +415,10 @@ SYSTEMOPENMPI)
 
     if [ "$FOAM_VERBOSE" -a "$PS1" ]
     then
-        echo "Using system installed MPI:"
-        echo "    compile flags : $PINC"
-        echo "    link flags    : $PLIBS"
-        echo "    libmpi dir    : $libDir"
+        echo "Using system installed MPI:" 1>&2
+        echo "    compile flags : $PINC" 1>&2
+        echo "    link flags    : $PLIBS" 1>&2
+        echo "    libmpi dir    : $libDir" 1>&2
     fi
 
     _foamAddLib     $libDir
@@ -492,7 +492,7 @@ HPMPI)
         _foamAddLib $MPI_ARCH_PATH/lib/linux_ia64
         ;;
     *)
-        echo Unknown processor type `uname -m` for Linux
+        echo Unknown processor type `uname -m` 1>&2
         ;;
     esac
     ;;
@@ -542,9 +542,9 @@ SGIMPI)
 
     if [ "$FOAM_VERBOSE" -a "$PS1" ]
     then
-        echo "Using SGI MPT:"
-        echo "    MPI_ROOT : $MPI_ROOT"
-        echo "    FOAM_MPI : $FOAM_MPI"
+        echo "Using SGI MPT:" 1>&2
+        echo "    MPI_ROOT : $MPI_ROOT" 1>&2
+        echo "    FOAM_MPI : $FOAM_MPI" 1>&2
     fi
 
     _foamAddPath    $MPI_ARCH_PATH/bin
@@ -568,9 +568,9 @@ INTELMPI)
 
     if [ "$FOAM_VERBOSE" -a "$PS1" ]
     then
-        echo "Using INTEL MPI:"
-        echo "    MPI_ROOT : $MPI_ROOT"
-        echo "    FOAM_MPI : $FOAM_MPI"
+        echo "Using INTEL MPI:" 1>&2
+        echo "    MPI_ROOT : $MPI_ROOT" 1>&2
+        echo "    FOAM_MPI : $FOAM_MPI" 1>&2
     fi
 
     _foamAddPath    $MPI_ARCH_PATH/bin64