diff --git a/package/boost/Config.in b/package/boost/Config.in
index c7c90aa9ab..a9ab4836b5 100644
--- a/package/boost/Config.in
+++ b/package/boost/Config.in
@@ -24,7 +24,6 @@ config BR2_PACKAGE_BOOST_ATOMIC
 
 config BR2_PACKAGE_BOOST_CHRONO
 	bool "boost-chrono"
-	select BR2_PACKAGE_BOOST_SYSTEM
 	help
 	  Useful time utilities. C++11.
 
@@ -62,7 +61,6 @@ config BR2_PACKAGE_BOOST_CONTRACT
 	bool "boost-contract"
 	# pthread_condattr_setclock
 	depends on BR2_TOOLCHAIN_HAS_THREADS_NPTL
-	select BR2_PACKAGE_BOOST_SYSTEM
 	help
 	  Contract programming for C++.
 
@@ -77,7 +75,6 @@ config BR2_PACKAGE_BOOST_COROUTINE
 	depends on !BR2_TOOLCHAIN_HAS_GCC_BUG_64735 # boost-context, boost-thread
 	select BR2_PACKAGE_BOOST_CHRONO
 	select BR2_PACKAGE_BOOST_CONTEXT
-	select BR2_PACKAGE_BOOST_SYSTEM
 	select BR2_PACKAGE_BOOST_THREAD
 	help
 	  deprecated coroutine library, the non-deprecated coroutine2
@@ -117,7 +114,6 @@ config BR2_PACKAGE_BOOST_FIBER
 	depends on BR2_TOOLCHAIN_GCC_AT_LEAST_4_8
 	select BR2_PACKAGE_BOOST_CONTEXT
 	select BR2_PACKAGE_BOOST_FILESYSTEM
-	select BR2_PACKAGE_BOOST_SYSTEM
 	help
 	  C++11 userland threads library.
 
@@ -134,7 +130,6 @@ config BR2_PACKAGE_BOOST_FILESYSTEM
 	bool "boost-filesystem"
 	depends on BR2_TOOLCHAIN_SUPPORTS_ALWAYS_LOCKFREE_ATOMIC_INTS # boost-atomic
 	select BR2_PACKAGE_BOOST_ATOMIC
-	select BR2_PACKAGE_BOOST_SYSTEM
 	help
 	  The Boost Filesystem Library provides portable facilities to
 	  query and manipulate paths, files, and directories.
@@ -184,7 +179,6 @@ config BR2_PACKAGE_BOOST_LOCALE
 	depends on !(BR2_TOOLCHAIN_HAS_GCC_BUG_64735 && BR2_PACKAGE_ICU) # boost-thread
 	depends on BR2_TOOLCHAIN_SUPPORTS_ALWAYS_LOCKFREE_ATOMIC_INTS \
 		|| !BR2_PACKAGE_ICU # boost-thread
-	select BR2_PACKAGE_BOOST_SYSTEM
 	select BR2_PACKAGE_BOOST_THREAD if BR2_PACKAGE_ICU
 	select BR2_PACKAGE_LIBICONV if !BR2_ENABLE_LOCALE
 	help
@@ -209,7 +203,6 @@ config BR2_PACKAGE_BOOST_LOG
 	select BR2_PACKAGE_BOOST_DATE_TIME
 	select BR2_PACKAGE_BOOST_FILESYSTEM
 	select BR2_PACKAGE_BOOST_REGEX
-	select BR2_PACKAGE_BOOST_SYSTEM
 	select BR2_PACKAGE_BOOST_THREAD
 	help
 	  Logging library.
@@ -279,7 +272,6 @@ config BR2_PACKAGE_BOOST_PYTHON
 
 config BR2_PACKAGE_BOOST_RANDOM
 	bool "boost-random"
-	select BR2_PACKAGE_BOOST_SYSTEM
 	help
 	  A complete system for random number generation.
 
@@ -306,13 +298,14 @@ comment "boost-stacktrace needs a toolchain w/ dynamic library"
 config BR2_PACKAGE_BOOST_SYSTEM
 	bool "boost-system"
 	help
-	  Operating system support, including the diagnostics support
-	  that will be part of the C++0x standard library.
+	  Extensible Error Reporting.
+
+	  This library is now header only. Building a stub library
+	  is still supported for backward compatibility.
 
 config BR2_PACKAGE_BOOST_TEST
 	bool "boost-test"
 	depends on BR2_USE_MMU # fork()
-	select BR2_PACKAGE_BOOST_SYSTEM
 	select BR2_PACKAGE_BOOST_TIMER
 	help
 	  Support for simple program testing, full unit testing, and for
@@ -323,7 +316,6 @@ config BR2_PACKAGE_BOOST_THREAD
 	depends on BR2_TOOLCHAIN_SUPPORTS_ALWAYS_LOCKFREE_ATOMIC_INTS
 	depends on !BR2_TOOLCHAIN_HAS_GCC_BUG_64735 # std::current_exception
 	select BR2_PACKAGE_BOOST_CHRONO
-	select BR2_PACKAGE_BOOST_SYSTEM
 	help
 	  Portable C++ multi-threading. C++11, C++14.
 
@@ -333,7 +325,6 @@ comment "boost-thread needs a toolchain not affected by GCC bug 64735"
 config BR2_PACKAGE_BOOST_TIMER
 	bool "boost-timer"
 	select BR2_PACKAGE_BOOST_CHRONO
-	select BR2_PACKAGE_BOOST_SYSTEM
 	help
 	  Event timer, progress timer, and progress display classes.
 
@@ -341,7 +332,6 @@ config BR2_PACKAGE_BOOST_TYPE_ERASURE
 	bool "boost-type_erasure"
 	depends on BR2_TOOLCHAIN_SUPPORTS_ALWAYS_LOCKFREE_ATOMIC_INTS # boost-thread
 	depends on !BR2_TOOLCHAIN_HAS_GCC_BUG_64735 # boost-thread
-	select BR2_PACKAGE_BOOST_SYSTEM
 	select BR2_PACKAGE_BOOST_THREAD
 	help
 	  Runtime polymorphism based on concepts.
@@ -371,7 +361,6 @@ config BR2_PACKAGE_BOOST_WAVE
 	depends on !BR2_TOOLCHAIN_HAS_GCC_BUG_64735 # boost-thread
 	select BR2_PACKAGE_BOOST_DATE_TIME
 	select BR2_PACKAGE_BOOST_FILESYSTEM
-	select BR2_PACKAGE_BOOST_SYSTEM
 	select BR2_PACKAGE_BOOST_THREAD
 	help
 	  The Boost.Wave library is a Standards conformant, and highly