diff --git a/jdk/make/common/Rules.gmk b/jdk/make/common/Rules.gmk
index 5072b33c2c9..041e1d20226 100644
--- a/jdk/make/common/Rules.gmk
+++ b/jdk/make/common/Rules.gmk
@@ -233,13 +233,15 @@ classes : $(CLASSES_INIT) .delete.classlist .compile.classlist
 	@$(MKDIR) -p $(CLASSDESTDIR)
 	@$(RM) $<.filtered
 	@$(CAT) $< | $(NAWK) 'length>0' | $(SORT) -u > $<.filtered
-	@if [ `$(CAT) $<.filtered | $(WC) -l` -ge 1 ] ; then \
-	  $(ECHO) "# Java sources to be compiled: (listed in file $<)"; \
-	  $(CAT) $<.filtered; \
-	  $(ECHO) "# Running javac:"; \
-	  $(ECHO) $(JAVAC_CMD) -sourcepath "$(SOURCEPATH)" -d $(CLASSDESTDIR) @$<.filtered; \
-	  $(JAVAC_CMD) -sourcepath "$(SOURCEPATH)" -d $(CLASSDESTDIR) @$<.filtered; \
-	fi
+	@numfiles=`$(WC) -l < $<.filtered` ; \
+	  if [ $$numfiles -ge 1 ] ; then \
+	    $(ECHO) "# Java sources to be compiled: (listed in file $<)"; \
+	    $(CAT) $<.filtered; \
+	    $(ECHO) "# Running javac: $$numfiles files; in $(CURDIR)"; \
+	    $(ECHO) $(JAVAC_CMD) -sourcepath "$(SOURCEPATH)" -d $(CLASSDESTDIR) @$<.filtered; \
+	    $(JAVAC_CMD) -sourcepath "$(SOURCEPATH)" -d $(CLASSDESTDIR) @$<.filtered; \
+	    $(ECHO) "# javac finished"; \
+	  fi
 	@$(java-vm-cleanup)
 
 clobber clean::