diff --git a/mk/defs.SunOS.mk b/mk/defs.SunOS.mk
index f0b523d4ebcf..258e83080696 100644
--- a/mk/defs.SunOS.mk
+++ b/mk/defs.SunOS.mk
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-# $NetBSD: defs.SunOS.mk,v 1.78 2004/01/27 16:11:47 agc Exp $
+# $NetBSD: defs.SunOS.mk,v 1.79 2004/02/14 00:11:30 grant Exp $
 #
 # Variable definitions for the SunOS/Solaris operating system.
 
@@ -67,7 +67,11 @@ PS?=		/bin/ps
 PWD_CMD?=	/bin/pwd	# needs to print physical path
 RM?=		/usr/bin/rm
 RMDIR?=		/usr/bin/rmdir
+.if exists(${LOCALBASE}/bin/nbsed)
 SED?=		${LOCALBASE}/bin/nbsed
+.else
+SED?=		/usr/xpg4/bin/sed
+.endif
 SETENV?=	/usr/bin/env
 SH?=		/bin/ksh
 SHLOCK=		${LOCALBASE}/bin/shlock
@@ -158,6 +162,24 @@ _STRIPFLAG_INSTALL?=	-s	# install(1) option to strip
 	@false
 .endif
 
+.if !exists(${SED}) || ${SED} == "/usr/xpg4/bin/sed"
+.BEGIN:
+	@echo ""
+	@echo "==========================================================================="
+	@echo ""
+	@echo "ERROR: pkgsrc now requires a more functional sed(1) than Solaris provides."
+	@echo "you can satisfy this requirement by running:"
+	@echo ""
+	@echo "    cd ${_PKGSRCDIR}/textproc/nbsed; ${MAKE} install"
+	@echo ""
+	@echo "this will install ${LOCALBASE}/bin/nbsed and eliminate this message."
+	@echo "(nbsed is already installed by recent bootstrap-pkgsrc)."
+	@echo ""
+	@echo "==========================================================================="
+	@echo ""
+	@false
+.endif
+
 LOCALBASE?=		${DESTDIR}/usr/pkg
 .if !defined(ZOULARISBASE)
 .  if exists(${LOCALBASE}/bsd)