diff --git a/pkgs/development/tools/build-managers/gnumake/3.82/default.nix b/pkgs/development/tools/build-managers/gnumake/3.82/default.nix
index ce5eff878ead..87897017f86a 100644
--- a/pkgs/development/tools/build-managers/gnumake/3.82/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/development/tools/build-managers/gnumake/3.82/default.nix
@@ -15,10 +15,6 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation {
 
   patches =
     [
-      # Provide nested log output for subsequent pretty-printing by
-      # nix-log2xml.
-      ./log.patch
-
       # Purity: don't look for library dependencies (of the form
       # `-lfoo') in /lib and /usr/lib.  It's a stupid feature anyway.
       # Likewise, when searching for included Makefiles, don't look in
diff --git a/pkgs/development/tools/build-managers/gnumake/3.82/log.patch b/pkgs/development/tools/build-managers/gnumake/3.82/log.patch
deleted file mode 100644
index e6197fd8e78f..000000000000
--- a/pkgs/development/tools/build-managers/gnumake/3.82/log.patch
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,125 +0,0 @@
-diff -rc job.c job.c
-*** job.c	2006-03-20 04:03:04.000000000 +0100
---- job.c	2009-01-19 19:37:28.000000000 +0100
-***************
-*** 1083,1089 ****
-       appear.  */
-  
-    message (0, (just_print_flag || (!(flags & COMMANDS_SILENT) && !silent_flag))
-! 	   ? "%s" : (char *) 0, p);
-  
-    /* Tell update_goal_chain that a command has been started on behalf of
-       this target.  It is important that this happens here and not in
---- 1083,1089 ----
-       appear.  */
-  
-    message (0, (just_print_flag || (!(flags & COMMANDS_SILENT) && !silent_flag))
-!           ? (enable_nested_output ? "\e[3s\e[a%s\e[b" : "%s") : (char *) 0, p);
-  
-    /* Tell update_goal_chain that a command has been started on behalf of
-       this target.  It is important that this happens here and not in
-diff -rc main.c main.c
-*** main.c	2006-03-20 03:36:37.000000000 +0100
---- main.c	2009-01-19 19:41:41.000000000 +0100
-***************
-*** 886,891 ****
---- 886,900 ----
-  }
-  
-  
-+ static void close_nesting()
-+ {
-+   while (stdout_nesting_level--)
-+     printf("\e[q");
-+   while (stderr_nesting_level--)
-+     fprintf(stderr, "\e[q");
-+ }
-+ 
-+ 
-  #ifdef _AMIGA
-  int
-  main (int argc, char **argv)
-***************
-*** 931,936 ****
---- 940,950 ----
-    atexit (close_stdout);
-  #endif
-  
-+   atexit(close_nesting);
-+ 
-+   if (getenv("NIX_INDENT_MAKE"))
-+     enable_nested_output = 1;
-+ 
-    /* Needed for OS/2 */
-    initialize_main(&argc, &argv);
-  
-***************
-*** 3095,3100 ****
---- 3109,3120 ----
-  
-    /* Use entire sentences to give the translators a fighting chance.  */
-  
-+   if (entering && enable_nested_output)
-+     {
-+       printf("\e[p");
-+       stdout_nesting_level++;
-+     }
-+   
-    if (makelevel == 0)
-      if (starting_directory == 0)
-        if (entering)
-***************
-*** 3124,3129 ****
---- 3144,3159 ----
-          printf (_("%s[%u]: Leaving directory `%s'\n"),
-                  program, makelevel, starting_directory);
-  
-+   if (!entering && enable_nested_output)
-+     {
-+       printf("\e[q");
-+       stdout_nesting_level--;
-+     }
-+  
-    /* Flush stdout to be sure this comes before any stderr output.  */
-    fflush (stdout);
-  }
-+ 
-+ int enable_nested_output = 0;
-+ int stdout_nesting_level = 0;
-+ int stderr_nesting_level = 0;
-diff -rc make.h
-*** make.h	2006-02-16 00:54:43.000000000 +0100
---- make.h	2009-01-19 19:32:03.000000000 +0100
-***************
-*** 609,611 ****
---- 609,614 ----
-  
-  #define ENULLLOOP(_v,_c)   do { errno = 0; (_v) = _c; } \
-                             while((_v)==0 && errno==EINTR)
-+ extern int enable_nested_output;
-+ extern int stdout_nesting_level;
-+ extern int stderr_nesting_level;
-diff -rc reremake.c
-*** remake.c	2006-03-20 03:36:37.000000000 +0100
---- remake.c	2009-01-19 19:39:40.000000000 +0100
-***************
-*** 1120,1126 ****
---- 1120,1137 ----
-        /* The normal case: start some commands.  */
-        if (!touch_flag || file->cmds->any_recurse)
-  	{
-+           if (enable_nested_output) 
-+             {
-+               log_working_directory (1);
-+               fprintf(stderr, "\e[pbuilding %s\n", file->name);
-+               stderr_nesting_level++;
-+             }
-  	  execute_file_commands (file);
-+           if (enable_nested_output) 
-+             {
-+               fprintf(stderr, "\e[q");
-+               stderr_nesting_level--;
-+             }
-  	  return;
-  	}
-  
diff --git a/pkgs/stdenv/generic/setup.sh b/pkgs/stdenv/generic/setup.sh
index 35fe8fd69504..8ee72c962566 100644
--- a/pkgs/stdenv/generic/setup.sh
+++ b/pkgs/stdenv/generic/setup.sh
@@ -77,32 +77,10 @@ _eval() {
 ######################################################################
 # Logging.
 
-nestingLevel=0
-
-startNest() {
-    # Assert natural as sanity check.
-    let nestingLevel+=1 "nestingLevel>=0"
-    echo -en "\033[$1p"
-}
-
-stopNest() {
-    # Assert natural as sanity check.
-    let nestingLevel-=1 "nestingLevel>=0"
-    echo -en "\033[q"
-}
-
-header() {
-    startNest "$2"
-    echo "$1"
-}
-
-# Make sure that even when we exit abnormally, the original nesting
-# level is properly restored.
-closeNest() {
-    while [ $nestingLevel -gt 0 ]; do
-        stopNest
-    done
-}
+# Obsolete.
+stopNest() { true; }
+header() { echo "$1"; }
+closeNest() { true; }
 
 # Prints a command such that all word splits are unambiguous. We need
 # to split the command in three parts because the middle format string
@@ -123,8 +101,6 @@ exitHandler() {
     exitCode=$?
     set +e
 
-    closeNest
-
     if [ -n "$showBuildStats" ]; then
         times > "$NIX_BUILD_TOP/.times"
         local -a times=($(cat "$NIX_BUILD_TOP/.times"))
@@ -593,7 +569,6 @@ unpackFile() {
         echo "do not know how to unpack source archive $curSrc"
         exit 1
     fi
-    stopNest
 }
 
 
@@ -688,7 +663,6 @@ patchPhase() {
         # "2>&1" is a hack to make patch fail if the decompressor fails (nonexistent patch, etc.)
         # shellcheck disable=SC2086
         $uncompress < "$i" 2>&1 | patch ${patchFlags:--p1}
-        stopNest
     done
 
     runHook postPatch
@@ -973,8 +947,6 @@ genericBuild() {
             echo
             echo "@ phase-succeeded $out $curPhase"
         fi
-
-        stopNest
     done
 }