diff --git a/lib/spack/spack/concretize.py b/lib/spack/spack/concretize.py
index c5dad93aef..14edcf1f3d 100644
--- a/lib/spack/spack/concretize.py
+++ b/lib/spack/spack/concretize.py
@@ -236,14 +236,6 @@ def _concretize_operating_system(self, spec):
 
         return True #changed
 
-#        """ Future method for concretizing operating system """
-#        if isinstance(arch.platform_os, spack.architecture.OperatingSystem):
-#            return False
-#        else:
-#            arch.arch_os = platform.operating_system('default_os')
-#            return True
-
-
     def _concretize_target(self, spec):
         if spec.architecture.target is not None:
             if isinstance(spec.architecture.target,spack.architecture.Target):
@@ -258,16 +250,10 @@ def _concretize_target(self, spec):
             else:
                 spec.add_target_from_string(spec.root.architecture.target)
         else:
-            spec.architecture.target = spec.architecture.platform.target('default')
+            spec.architecture.target = spec.architecture.platform.target('default_target')
 
         return True #changed
 
-#        if isinstance(arch.target, spack.architecture.Target):
-#            return False
-#        else:
-#            arch.target = platform.target('default')
-#            return True
-
     def concretize_architecture(self, spec):
         """If the spec is empty provide the defaults of the platform. If the
         architecture is not a basestring, then check if either the platform,
@@ -283,50 +269,12 @@ def concretize_architecture(self, spec):
             # Set the architecture to all defaults
             spec.architecture = spack.architecture.Arch()
             return True
-         #If there is a target and it is a tuple and has both filled return
-         #False
-#        if isinstance(spec.architecture, basestring):
-#            spec.split_architecture_string(spec.architecture)
-
-        ret =  any((
-                self._concretize_operating_system(spec),
-                self._concretize_target(spec)))
-
-
-        # Does not look pretty at all!!!
-#        if spec.root.architecture and \
-#            not isinstance(spec.root.architecture, basestring):
-#                bool_flag =  any((
-#                    self._concretize_platform(spec.root.architecture, platform),
-#                    self._concretize_operating_system(spec.root.architecture,
-#                                                      platform),
-#                    self._concretize_target(spec.root.target, platform)))
-#                spec.architecture =spec.root.architecture
-#                return bool_flag
-#        else:
-#            spec.add_architecture_from_string(spec.root.architecture)
-
+            
+            # Concretize the operating_system and target based of the spec
+        ret =  any((self._concretize_operating_system(spec),
+                             self._concretize_target(spec)))
         return ret
 
-        # if there is no target specified used the defaults
-
-        #if spec.target is not None:
-        #    if isinstance(spec.target,spack.architecture.Target):
-        #        return False
-        #    else:
-        #        spec.add_target_from_string(spec.target)
-        #        return True #changed
-
-        #if spec.root.target:
-        #    if isinstance(spec.root.target,spack.architecture.Target):
-        #        spec.target = spec.root.target
-        #    else:
-        #        spec.add_target_from_string(spec.root.target)
-        #else:
-        #    platform = spack.architecture.sys_type()
-        #    spec.target = platform.target('default')
-
-        #return True #changed
 
 
     def concretize_variants(self, spec):