diff --git a/Headers/gnustep/base/NSObject.h b/Headers/gnustep/base/NSObject.h
index 4c0f8e572..0608fefc2 100644
--- a/Headers/gnustep/base/NSObject.h
+++ b/Headers/gnustep/base/NSObject.h
@@ -189,4 +189,36 @@ extern NSRecursiveLock *gnustep_global_lock;
 		 inModes: (NSArray*)modes;
 @end
 
+/*
+ *	RETAIN(), RELEASE(), and AUTORELEASE() are placeholders for the
+ *	(possible)  future day when we have garbage collecting.
+ */
+#define	RETAIN(object)		[object retain]
+#define	RELEASE(object)		[object release]
+#define	AUTORELEASE(object)	[object autorelease]
+
+/*
+ *	ASSIGN(object,value) assignes the value to the object with
+ *	appropriate retain and release operations.
+ */
+#define	ASSIGN(object,value)	({\
+if (value != object) \
+  if (value) \
+    { \
+      [value retain]; \
+      if (object) \
+	{ \
+	  [object release]; \
+	} \
+      object = value; \
+    } \
+})
+
+/*
+ *	DESTROY() is a release operation which also sets the object to be
+ *	a nil pointer for tidyness - we can't accidentally use a DESTROYED
+ *	object later.
+ */
+#define	DESTROY(object) 	([object release], object = nil)
+
 #endif /* __NSObject_h_GNUSTEP_BASE_INCLUDE */
diff --git a/Source/NSHost.m b/Source/NSHost.m
index 20953a4a1..0585c04e9 100644
--- a/Source/NSHost.m
+++ b/Source/NSHost.m
@@ -250,11 +250,38 @@ static NSMutableDictionary *_hostCache = nil;
 }
 #endif
 
+/*
+ *	The OpenStep spec says that [-hash] must be the same for any two
+ *	objects that [-isEqual:] returns YES for.  We have a problem in
+ *	that [-isEqualToHost:] is specified to return YES if any name or
+ *	address part of two hosts is the same.  That means we can't
+ *	reasonably calculate a hash since two hosts with radically
+ *	different ivar contents may be 'equal'.  The best I can think of
+ *	is for all hosts to hash to the same value - which makes it very
+ *	inefficient to store them in a set, dictionary, map or hash table.
+ */
+- (unsigned) hash
+{
+  return 1;
+}
+
+- (BOOL) isEqual: (id)other
+{
+  if (other == self)
+    return YES;
+  if ([other isKindOfClass: [NSHost class]])
+    return [self isEqualToHost: (NSHost*)other];
+  return NO;
+}
+
 - (BOOL)isEqualToHost:(NSHost *)aHost
 {
   NSArray*	a;
   int		i;
 
+  if (aHost == self)
+    return YES;
+
   a = [aHost addresses];
   for (i = 0; i < [a count]; i++)
     if ([addresses containsObject:[a objectAtIndex:i]])