diff --git a/.gitlab-ci.yml b/.gitlab-ci.yml
index 169deca26..5907ee672 100644
--- a/.gitlab-ci.yml
+++ b/.gitlab-ci.yml
@@ -7,8 +7,6 @@ stages:
   - compileSpectralGNU
   - prepareSpectral
   - spectral
-  - compileMarc2014
-  - compileMarc2014.2
   - compileMarc2015
   - compileMarc2016
   - marc
@@ -331,35 +329,6 @@ TextureComponents:
     - master
     - release
 
-###################################################################################################
-Marc_compileIfort2014:
-  stage: compileMarc2014
-  script:
-    - module load $IntelCompiler16_0 $MSC2014
-    - Marc_compileIfort/test.py -m 2014
-  except:
-    - master
-    - release
-
-###################################################################################################
-Marc_compileIfort2014.2:
-  stage: compileMarc2014.2
-  script:
-    - module load $IntelCompiler16_0 $MSC2014_2
-    - Marc_compileIfort/test.py -m 2014.2
-  except:
-    - master
-    - release
-
-###################################################################################################
-Marc_compileIfort2015:
-  stage: compileMarc2015
-  script:
-    - module load $IntelCompiler16_0 $MSC2015
-    - Marc_compileIfort/test.py -m 2015
-  except:
-    - master
-    - release
 
 ###################################################################################################
 Marc_compileIfort2016:
diff --git a/env/DAMASK.sh b/env/DAMASK.sh
index 021603b57..509f5f1b7 100644
--- a/env/DAMASK.sh
+++ b/env/DAMASK.sh
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 # usage:  source DAMASK.sh
 
 function canonicalPath {
-  python -c "import os,sys; print(os.path.realpath(os.path.expanduser(sys.argv[1])))" $1
+  python -c "import os,sys; print(os.path.normpath(os.path.realpath(os.path.expanduser(sys.argv[1]))))" $1
 }
 
 function blink {
@@ -17,12 +17,8 @@ else
   DAMASK_ROOT=${STAT##* }
 fi
 
-# transition compatibility (renamed $DAMASK_ROOT/DAMASK_env.sh to $DAMASK_ROOT/env/DAMASK.sh)
-if [ ${BASH_SOURCE##*/} == "DAMASK.sh" ]; then
-  DAMASK_ROOT="$DAMASK_ROOT/.."
-fi
+DAMASK_ROOT=$(canonicalPath "$DAMASK_ROOT/../")
 
-DAMASK_ROOT=$(canonicalPath $DAMASK_ROOT)
 
 # shorthand command to change to DAMASK_ROOT directory
 eval "function DAMASK_root() { cd $DAMASK_ROOT; }"
diff --git a/env/DAMASK.zsh b/env/DAMASK.zsh
index 2d2bc9aa0..3ceeb116a 100644
--- a/env/DAMASK.zsh
+++ b/env/DAMASK.zsh
@@ -2,15 +2,14 @@
 # usage:  source DAMASK.zsh
 
 function canonicalPath {
-  python -c "import os,sys; print(os.path.realpath(os.path.expanduser(sys.argv[1])))" $1
+  python -c "import os,sys; print(os.path.normpath(os.path.realpath(os.path.expanduser(sys.argv[1]))))" $1
 }
 
-# transition compatibility (renamed $DAMASK_ROOT/DAMASK_env.zsh to $DAMASK_ROOT/env/DAMASK.zsh)
-if [ ${0:t:r} = 'DAMASK' ]; then
-  DAMASK_ROOT=${0:a:h}'/..'
-else
-  DAMASK_ROOT=${0:a:h}
-fi
+function blink {
+  echo -e "\033[2;5m$1\033[0m"
+}
+
+DAMASK_ROOT=$(canonicalPath "${0:a:h}'/..")
 
 # shorthand command to change to DAMASK_ROOT directory
 eval "function DAMASK_root() { cd $DAMASK_ROOT; }"
@@ -25,13 +24,13 @@ unset -f set
 # add DAMASK_BIN if present
 [ "x$DAMASK_BIN != x" ] && PATH=$DAMASK_BIN:$PATH
 
-SOLVER=$(type -p DAMASK_spectral || true 2>/dev/null)
-[ "x$SOLVER == x" ] && SOLVER='Not found!'
+SOLVER=$(which DAMASK_spectral || true 2>/dev/null)
+[ "x$SOLVER" = "x" ] && SOLVER=$(blink 'Not found!')
 
-PROCESSING=$(type -p postResults || true 2>/dev/null)
-[ "x$PROCESSING == x" ] && PROCESSING='Not found!'
+PROCESSING=$(which postResults || true 2>/dev/null)
+[ "x$PROCESSING" = "x" ] && PROCESSING=$(blink 'Not found!')
 
-[ "x$DAMASK_NUM_THREADS == x" ] && DAMASK_NUM_THREADS=1
+[ "x$DAMASK_NUM_THREADS" = "x" ] && DAMASK_NUM_THREADS=1
 
 # currently, there is no information that unlimited causes problems
 # still,  http://software.intel.com/en-us/forums/topic/501500 suggest to fix it
@@ -52,16 +51,18 @@ if [ ! -z "$PS1" ]; then
   echo "DAMASK             $DAMASK_ROOT"
   echo "Spectral Solver    $SOLVER" 
   echo "Post Processing    $PROCESSING"
-  echo "Multithreading     DAMASK_NUM_THREADS=$DAMASK_NUM_THREADS"
   if [ "x$PETSC_DIR"   != "x" ]; then
-    echo "PETSc location     $PETSC_DIR"
+    echo -n "PETSc location     "
+    [ -d $PETSC_DIR ] && echo $PETSC_DIR || blink $PETSC_DIR
     [[ $(canonicalPath "$PETSC_DIR") == $PETSC_DIR ]] \
     || echo "               ~~> "$(canonicalPath "$PETSC_DIR")
   fi
   [[ "x$PETSC_ARCH"  == "x" ]] \
   || echo "PETSc architecture $PETSC_ARCH"
-  echo "MSC.Marc/Mentat    $MSC_ROOT"
+  echo -n "MSC.Marc/Mentat    "
+  [ -d $MSC_ROOT ] && echo $MSC_ROOT || blink $MSC_ROOT
   echo
+  echo "Multithreading     DAMASK_NUM_THREADS=$DAMASK_NUM_THREADS"
   echo -n "heap  size         "
    [[ "$(ulimit -d)" == "unlimited" ]] \
    && echo "unlimited" \
diff --git a/src/DAMASK_marc2014.2.f90 b/src/DAMASK_marc2014.2.f90
deleted file mode 120000
index 2c5bec706..000000000
--- a/src/DAMASK_marc2014.2.f90
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1 +0,0 @@
-DAMASK_marc.f90
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/DAMASK_marc2014.f90 b/src/DAMASK_marc2014.f90
deleted file mode 120000
index 2c5bec706..000000000
--- a/src/DAMASK_marc2014.f90
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1 +0,0 @@
-DAMASK_marc.f90
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/plastic_kinematichardening.f90 b/src/plastic_kinematichardening.f90
index 0cc51817a..5089cd5ca 100644
--- a/src/plastic_kinematichardening.f90
+++ b/src/plastic_kinematichardening.f90
@@ -370,11 +370,11 @@ subroutine plastic_kinehardening_init(fileUnit)
 !--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 !  sanity checks
  
-     if (any(plastic_kinehardening_Nslip(1:nSlipFamilies,instance) > 0_pInt &
-             .and. param(instance)%crss0(1:nSlipFamilies)           < 0.0_pReal)) extmsg = trim(extmsg)//' crss0'
-     if (any(plastic_kinehardening_Nslip(1:nSlipFamilies,instance) > 0_pInt &
-             .and. param(instance)%tau1(1:nSlipFamilies)          <= 0.0_pReal)) extmsg = trim(extmsg)//' tau1'
-     if (any(plastic_kinehardening_Nslip(1:nSlipFamilies,instance) > 0_pInt &
+     if (any(plastic_kinehardening_Nslip (1:nSlipFamilies,instance) > 0_pInt &
+             .and. param(instance)%crss0 (1:nSlipFamilies)          < 0.0_pReal)) extmsg = trim(extmsg)//' crss0'
+     if (any(plastic_kinehardening_Nslip (1:nSlipFamilies,instance) > 0_pInt &
+             .and. param(instance)%tau1  (1:nSlipFamilies)         <= 0.0_pReal)) extmsg = trim(extmsg)//' tau1'
+     if (any(plastic_kinehardening_Nslip (1:nSlipFamilies,instance) > 0_pInt &
              .and. param(instance)%tau1_b(1:nSlipFamilies)         < 0.0_pReal)) extmsg = trim(extmsg)//' tau1_b'
      if (param(instance)%gdot0            <= 0.0_pReal) extmsg = trim(extmsg)//' gdot0'
      if (param(instance)%n_slip           <= 0.0_pReal) extmsg = trim(extmsg)//' n_slip'