diff --git a/akka-actor-migration/src/main/scala/akka/migration/AskableActorRef.scala b/akka-actor-migration/src/main/scala/akka/migration/AskableActorRef.scala
index caf8921812..fc4f28cd8b 100644
--- a/akka-actor-migration/src/main/scala/akka/migration/AskableActorRef.scala
+++ b/akka-actor-migration/src/main/scala/akka/migration/AskableActorRef.scala
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ class AskableActorRef(val actorRef: ActorRef) {
    *
    * [see the [[akka.dispatch.Future]] companion object for a description of `flow`]
    */
-  def ask(message: Any)(implicit timeout: Timeout = null): Future[Any] = akka.pattern.ask(actorRef, message)(timeout)
+  def ask(message: Any)(implicit timeout: Timeout): Future[Any] = akka.pattern.ask(actorRef, message)(timeout)
 
   /**
    * Sends a message asynchronously and returns a [[akka.dispatch.Future]]
diff --git a/akka-actor-tests/src/test/scala/akka/pattern/AskSpec.scala b/akka-actor-tests/src/test/scala/akka/pattern/AskSpec.scala
index 44cdd91eba..ecb9690594 100644
--- a/akka-actor-tests/src/test/scala/akka/pattern/AskSpec.scala
+++ b/akka-actor-tests/src/test/scala/akka/pattern/AskSpec.scala
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@
 package akka.pattern
 
 import akka.testkit.AkkaSpec
+import akka.util.duration._
 
 class AskSpec extends AkkaSpec {
 
@@ -11,7 +12,7 @@ class AskSpec extends AkkaSpec {
 
     "return broken promises on DeadLetters" in {
       val dead = system.actorFor("/system/deadLetters")
-      val f = dead ask 42
+      val f = dead.ask(42)(1 second)
       f.isCompleted must be(true)
       f.value.get match {
         case Left(_: AskTimeoutException) ⇒
diff --git a/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/pattern/AskSupport.scala b/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/pattern/AskSupport.scala
index 57dec1debe..492bb46ed8 100644
--- a/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/pattern/AskSupport.scala
+++ b/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/pattern/AskSupport.scala
@@ -51,7 +51,7 @@ object AskSupport {
      *
      * [see the [[akka.dispatch.Future]] companion object for a description of `flow`]
      */
-    def ask(message: Any)(implicit timeout: Timeout = null): Future[Any] = akka.pattern.ask(actorRef, message)(timeout)
+    def ask(message: Any)(implicit timeout: Timeout): Future[Any] = akka.pattern.ask(actorRef, message)(timeout)
 
     /**
      * Sends a message asynchronously and returns a [[akka.dispatch.Future]]
@@ -81,7 +81,7 @@ object AskSupport {
      *
      * [see the [[akka.dispatch.Future]] companion object for a description of `flow`]
      */
-    def ?(message: Any)(implicit timeout: Timeout = null): Future[Any] = akka.pattern.ask(actorRef, message)(timeout)
+    def ?(message: Any)(implicit timeout: Timeout): Future[Any] = akka.pattern.ask(actorRef, message)(timeout)
   }
 
   /**
diff --git a/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/pattern/Patterns.scala b/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/pattern/Patterns.scala
index b1498ee2d0..8c52f096f1 100644
--- a/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/pattern/Patterns.scala
+++ b/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/pattern/Patterns.scala
@@ -9,39 +9,6 @@ object Patterns {
   import akka.pattern.{ ask ⇒ scalaAsk }
   import akka.util.{ Timeout, Duration }
 
-  /**
-   * <i>Java API for `akka.pattern.ask`:</i>
-   * Sends a message asynchronously and returns a [[akka.dispatch.Future]]
-   * holding the eventual reply message; this means that the target actor
-   * needs to send the result to the `sender` reference provided. The Future
-   * will be completed with an [[akka.actor.AskTimeoutException]] after the
-   * given timeout has expired; this is independent from any timeout applied
-   * while awaiting a result for this future (i.e. in
-   * `Await.result(..., timeout)`).
-   *
-   * <b>This variant will use the `akka.actor.timeout` from the configuration.</b>
-   *
-   * <b>Warning:</b>
-   * When using future callbacks, inside actors you need to carefully avoid closing over
-   * the containing actor’s object, i.e. do not call methods or access mutable state
-   * on the enclosing actor from within the callback. This would break the actor
-   * encapsulation and may introduce synchronization bugs and race conditions because
-   * the callback will be scheduled concurrently to the enclosing actor. Unfortunately
-   * there is not yet a way to detect these illegal accesses at compile time.
-   *
-   * <b>Recommended usage:</b>
-   *
-   * {{{
-   *   final Future<Object> f = Patterns.ask(worker, request, timeout);
-   *   f.onSuccess(new Procedure<Object>() {
-   *     public void apply(Object o) {
-   *       nextActor.tell(new EnrichedResult(request, o));
-   *     }
-   *   });
-   * }}}
-   */
-  def ask(actor: ActorRef, message: Any): Future[AnyRef] = scalaAsk(actor, message).asInstanceOf[Future[AnyRef]]
-
   /**
    * <i>Java API for `akka.pattern.ask`:</i>
    * Sends a message asynchronously and returns a [[akka.dispatch.Future]]
diff --git a/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/pattern/package.scala b/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/pattern/package.scala
index 4abb7c41d7..2689b72548 100644
--- a/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/pattern/package.scala
+++ b/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/pattern/package.scala
@@ -87,20 +87,19 @@ package object pattern {
    *
    * [see [[akka.dispatch.Future]] for a description of `flow`]
    */
-  def ask(actorRef: ActorRef, message: Any)(implicit timeout: Timeout = null): Future[Any] = actorRef match {
+  def ask(actorRef: ActorRef, message: Any)(implicit timeout: Timeout): Future[Any] = actorRef match {
     case ref: InternalActorRef if ref.isTerminated ⇒
       actorRef.tell(message)
       Promise.failed(new AskTimeoutException("sending to terminated ref breaks promises"))(ref.provider.dispatcher)
     case ref: InternalActorRef ⇒
       val provider = ref.provider
-      (if (timeout == null) provider.settings.ActorTimeout else timeout) match {
-        case t if t.duration.length <= 0 ⇒
-          actorRef.tell(message)
-          Promise.failed(new AskTimeoutException("not asking with negative timeout"))(provider.dispatcher)
-        case t ⇒
-          val a = AskSupport.createAsker(provider, t)
-          actorRef.tell(message, a)
-          a.result
+      if (timeout.duration.length <= 0) {
+        actorRef.tell(message)
+        Promise.failed(new AskTimeoutException("not asking with negative timeout"))(provider.dispatcher)
+      } else {
+        val a = AskSupport.createAsker(provider, timeout)
+        actorRef.tell(message, a)
+        a.result
       }
     case _ ⇒ throw new IllegalArgumentException("incompatible ActorRef " + actorRef)
   }
diff --git a/akka-docs/java/code/akka/docs/actor/UntypedActorDocTestBase.java b/akka-docs/java/code/akka/docs/actor/UntypedActorDocTestBase.java
index eb8245ee57..a72c828862 100644
--- a/akka-docs/java/code/akka/docs/actor/UntypedActorDocTestBase.java
+++ b/akka-docs/java/code/akka/docs/actor/UntypedActorDocTestBase.java
@@ -231,8 +231,8 @@ public class UntypedActorDocTestBase {
     final Timeout t = new Timeout(Duration.create(5, TimeUnit.SECONDS));
     
     final ArrayList<Future<Object>> futures = new ArrayList<Future<Object>>();
-    futures.add(ask(actorA, "request")); // using `akka.actor.timeout` from config
-    futures.add(ask(actorB, "reqeest", t)); // using explicit timeout from above
+    futures.add(ask(actorA, "request", 1000)); // using 1000ms timeout
+    futures.add(ask(actorB, "reqeest", t)); // using timeout from above
     
     final Future<Iterable<Object>> aggregate = Futures.sequence(futures, system.dispatcher());
     
diff --git a/akka-docs/project/migration-guide-1.3.x-2.0.x.rst b/akka-docs/project/migration-guide-1.3.x-2.0.x.rst
index 273d44c1d1..4dd9b8cc39 100644
--- a/akka-docs/project/migration-guide-1.3.x-2.0.x.rst
+++ b/akka-docs/project/migration-guide-1.3.x-2.0.x.rst
@@ -207,6 +207,9 @@ reply to be received; it is independent of the timeout applied when awaiting
 completion of the :class:`Future`, however, the actor will complete the
 :class:`Future` with an :class:`AskTimeoutException` when it stops itself.
 
+Since there is no good library default value for the ask-timeout, specification
+of a timeout is required for all usages as shown below.
+
 Also, since the ``ask`` feature is coupling futures and actors, it is no longer
 offered on the :class:`ActorRef` itself, but instead as a use pattern to be
 imported. While Scala’s implicit conversions enable transparent replacement,
@@ -221,15 +224,17 @@ v2.0 (Scala)::
 
   import akka.pattern.ask
 
-  actorRef ? message
-  ask(actorRef, message) // will use `akka.actor.timeout` or implicit Timeout
-  ask(actorRef, message)(timeout)
+  implicit val timeout: Timeout = ...
+  actorRef ? message              // uses implicit timeout
+  actorRef ask message            // uses implicit timeout
+  actorRef.ask(message)(timeout)  // uses explicit timeout
+  ask(actorRef, message)          // uses implicit timeout
+  ask(actorRef, message)(timeout) // uses explicit timeout
 
 v2.0 (Java)::
 
   import akka.pattern.Patterns;
 
-  Patterns.ask(actorRef, message) // will use `akka.actor.timeout`
   Patterns.ask(actorRef, message, timeout)
 
 Documentation:
@@ -358,7 +363,7 @@ v2.0::
   import akka.event.Logging
 
   val log = Logging(context.system, this) // will include system name in message source
-  val log = Logging(system.eventStream, this) // will not include system name
+  val log = Logging(system.eventStream, getClass.getName) // will not include system name
   log.error(exception, message)
   log.warning(message)
   log.info(message)
diff --git a/akka-docs/scala/actors.rst b/akka-docs/scala/actors.rst
index da0ae5b91e..fe1b134b65 100644
--- a/akka-docs/scala/actors.rst
+++ b/akka-docs/scala/actors.rst
@@ -389,9 +389,6 @@ taken from one of the following locations in order of precedence:
 
 .. includecode:: code/akka/docs/actor/ActorDocSpec.scala#using-implicit-timeout
 
-3. actor system’s default value from ``akka.actor.timeout`` setting for
-   :meth:`ask` methods
-
 See :ref:`futures-scala` for more information on how to await or query a
 future.