diff --git a/examples/rand/run_server.sh b/examples/rand/run_server.sh
index 2789064653f..26fc67aaed5 100755
--- a/examples/rand/run_server.sh
+++ b/examples/rand/run_server.sh
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env bash
-echo "   run RealtimeStandaloneMain service in background"
+echo "This will run RealtimeStandaloneMain service in background"
 set +u
 shopt -s xpg_echo
 shopt -s expand_aliases
@@ -7,18 +7,18 @@ trap "exit 1" 1 2 3 15
 
 # props are set in src/main/resources/runtime.properties
 
-echo "cleaning up previous run, if any"
-/bin/rm -fr /tmp/rand_realtime
+[ -d /tmp/rand_realtime ]  &&  echo "cleaning up from previous run.."  &&  /bin/rm -fr /tmp/rand_realtime
 
-# check rand_realtime.spec exists
+# check spec file exists
 [ ! -e rand_realtime.spec ]  &&  echo "expecting file rand_realtime.spec (as specified by property druid.realtime.specFile) to be in current directory"  &&  exit 3
 
 #  start RealtimeNode process
 #
-java -Xmx400m -Duser.timezone=UTC -Dfile.encoding=UTF-8 -classpath target/druid-examples-rand-*-selfcontained.jar  druid.examples.RealtimeStandaloneMain  >RealtimeNode.out 2>&1  &
+echo "Log output of service can be found in ./RealtimeNode.out"
+java -Xmx600m -Duser.timezone=UTC -Dfile.encoding=UTF-8 -classpath target/druid-examples-rand-*-selfcontained.jar  druid.examples.RealtimeStandaloneMain  >RealtimeNode.out 2>&1  &
 PID=$!
 
-trap "kill $PID" 1 2 3 15
+trap "kill $PID ; exit 1" 1 2 3 15
 sleep 4
 grep druid.examples.RandomFirehoseFactory RealtimeNode.out | awk '{ print $7,$8,$9,$10,$11,$12,$13,$14,$15 }'
 wait $PID
diff --git a/examples/twitter/run_server.sh b/examples/twitter/run_server.sh
index 603c9d9e9dc..cea22bcd703 100755
--- a/examples/twitter/run_server.sh
+++ b/examples/twitter/run_server.sh
@@ -1,11 +1,11 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env bash
-echo "   This will run RealtimeStandaloneMain service in background"
+echo "This will run RealtimeStandaloneMain service in background"
+set +u
+shopt -s xpg_echo
+shopt -s expand_aliases
 
 PF=./twitter4j.properties
 
-# check twitter_realtime.spec exists
-[ ! -e twitter_realtime.spec ]  &&  echo "expecting file twitter_realtime.spec (as specified by property druid.realtime.specFile) to be in current directory"  &&  exit 3
-
 # if twitter4j.properties already exists, then user is okay with having twitter pw in file.
 #  Otherwise a twitter4j.properties file in curr. dir. is made temporarily for twitter login.
 if [ -e "$PF" ]; then
@@ -29,14 +29,16 @@ trap "${PF_CLEANUP} ; exit 1" 1 2 3 15
 
 [ -d /tmp/twitter_realtime ]  &&  echo "cleaning up from previous run.."  &&  /bin/rm -fr /tmp/twitter_realtime
 
-echo "Log output of service can be found in ./RealtimeNode.out"
+# check spec file exists
+[ ! -e twitter_realtime.spec ]  &&  echo "expecting file twitter_realtime.spec (as specified by property druid.realtime.specFile) to be in current directory"  &&  exit 3
 
 OPT_PROPS=""
 #OPT_PROPS="-Dtwitter4j.debug=true -Dtwitter4j.http.prettyDebug=true"
 
 #  start RealtimeNode process
 #
-java -Duser.timezone=UTC -Dfile.encoding=UTF-8 -Xmx600m -classpath target/druid-examples-twitter-*-selfcontained.jar $OPT_PROPS -Dtwitter4j.http.useSSL=true -Ddruid.realtime.specFile=twitter_realtime.spec druid.examples.RealtimeStandaloneMain  >RealtimeNode.out 2>&1  &
+echo "Log output of service can be found in ./RealtimeNode.out"
+java -Xmx600m -Duser.timezone=UTC -Dfile.encoding=UTF-8 -classpath target/druid-examples-twitter-*-selfcontained.jar $OPT_PROPS -Dtwitter4j.http.useSSL=true druid.examples.RealtimeStandaloneMain  >RealtimeNode.out 2>&1  &
 PID=$!
 
 trap "${PF_CLEANUP} ; kill ${PID} ; exit 1" 1 2 3 15