diff --git a/gas/testsuite/ChangeLog b/gas/testsuite/ChangeLog
index 4f3e5a1ad4..c4b4cf252e 100644
--- a/gas/testsuite/ChangeLog
+++ b/gas/testsuite/ChangeLog
@@ -1,4 +1,14 @@
+2004-08-24  Jan Beulich  <jbeulich@novell.com>
+
+	* gas/all/altmacro.[sd]: Split out part from here...
+	* gas/all/altmac2.[sd]: ... to here.
+	* gas/all/excl.s: New.
+	* gas/all/gas.exp: Suppress both tests for a few targets known to
+	  break. Run the new (split out) test only when the target doesn't
+	  use '!' as a comment character.
+
 2004-08-18  Thiemo Seufer  <seufer@csv.ica.uni-stuttgart.de>
+
 	* gas/mips/branch-swap.s: New testcase.
 	* gas/mips/branch-swap.d: New testcase.
 	* gas/mips/mips.exp: Run the testcase.
diff --git a/gas/testsuite/gas/all/altmac2.d b/gas/testsuite/gas/all/altmac2.d
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..59fb32706e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/gas/testsuite/gas/all/altmac2.d
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+#as: --alternate
+#objdump: -s -j .data
+#name: alternate macro syntax (escape)
+
+# Test the alternate macro syntax.
+
+.*: .*
+
+Contents of section .data:
+ 0000 3e3c21.*
diff --git a/gas/testsuite/gas/all/altmac2.s b/gas/testsuite/gas/all/altmac2.s
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..603846057e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/gas/testsuite/gas/all/altmac2.s
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+.macro	m1 str
+	.ascii	&str
+.endm
+
+	.data
+
+m1	<!>!<!!>
diff --git a/gas/testsuite/gas/all/altmacro.d b/gas/testsuite/gas/all/altmacro.d
index f377f7ae63..aa72f6d673 100644
--- a/gas/testsuite/gas/all/altmacro.d
+++ b/gas/testsuite/gas/all/altmacro.d
@@ -8,4 +8,4 @@
 
 Contents of section .data:
  0000 01020912 61626331 32332121 3c3e2721 .*
- 0010 3c3e273e 3c21.*
+ 0010 3c3e27.*
diff --git a/gas/testsuite/gas/all/altmacro.s b/gas/testsuite/gas/all/altmacro.s
index c7dbea10f9..b989133002 100644
--- a/gas/testsuite/gas/all/altmacro.s
+++ b/gas/testsuite/gas/all/altmacro.s
@@ -33,4 +33,3 @@ m4	"!!<>'"
 	.altmacro
 
 m3	"!!<>'"
-m3	<!>!<!!>
diff --git a/gas/testsuite/gas/all/excl.s b/gas/testsuite/gas/all/excl.s
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..cf84a95981
--- /dev/null
+++ b/gas/testsuite/gas/all/excl.s
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+.equ	a,!0
diff --git a/gas/testsuite/gas/all/gas.exp b/gas/testsuite/gas/all/gas.exp
index 3fb713c9e7..c6267a87dc 100644
--- a/gas/testsuite/gas/all/gas.exp
+++ b/gas/testsuite/gas/all/gas.exp
@@ -114,7 +114,24 @@ case $target_triplet in {
     }
 }
 
-run_dump_test altmacro
+# '<' and '>' appear to have special meanings on the excluded targets
+case $target_triplet in {
+    { a29k-*-* } { }
+    { frv-*-* } { }
+    { hppa*-*-* } { }
+    { m32r-*-* } { }
+    { mmix-*-* } { }
+    { *c4x*-*-* } { }
+    { *c54x*-*-* } { }
+    default {
+	run_dump_test altmacro
+	# The second test is valid only when '!' is not a comment
+	# character (it is allowed to be a line comment character).
+	if { [lindex [gas_run excl.s "-o /dev/null" ""] 0] eq "" } {
+	    run_dump_test altmac2
+	}
+    }
+}
 
 # This test is for any COFF target.
 # We omit m88k COFF because it uses weird pseudo-op names.