diff --git a/core/core-spacemacs.el b/core/core-spacemacs.el
index bcb393044..b7db5a20e 100644
--- a/core/core-spacemacs.el
+++ b/core/core-spacemacs.el
@@ -219,7 +219,15 @@ FILE-TO-LOAD is an explicit file to load after the installation."
    (lambda ()
      ;; Ultimate configuration decisions are given to the user who can defined
      ;; them in his/her ~/.spacemacs file
-     (dotspacemacs|call-func dotspacemacs/config "Calling dotfile config...")
+     ;; TODO remove support for dotspacemacs/config in 0.105
+     (if (fboundp 'dotspacemacs/user-config)
+         (dotspacemacs|call-func dotspacemacs/user-config
+                                 "Calling dotfile user config...")
+       (spacemacs-buffer/warning (concat "`dotspacemacs/config' is deprecated, "
+                                         "please rename your function to "
+                                         "`dotspacemacs/user-config'"))
+       (dotspacemacs|call-func dotspacemacs/config
+                               "Calling dotfile user config..."))
      ;; from jwiegley
      ;; https://github.com/jwiegley/dot-emacs/blob/master/init.el
      (let ((elapsed (float-time
diff --git a/core/templates/.spacemacs.template b/core/templates/.spacemacs.template
index a14b3e850..8fdefeab9 100644
--- a/core/templates/.spacemacs.template
+++ b/core/templates/.spacemacs.template
@@ -3,7 +3,9 @@
 ;; It must be stored in your home directory.
 
 (defun dotspacemacs/layers ()
-  "Configuration Layers declaration."
+  "Configuration Layers declaration.
+You should not put any user code in this function besides modifying the variable
+values."
   (setq-default
    ;; List of additional paths where to look for configuration layers.
    ;; Paths must have a trailing slash (i.e. `~/.mycontribs/')
@@ -45,7 +47,9 @@
 (defun dotspacemacs/init ()
   "Initialization function.
 This function is called at the very startup of Spacemacs initialization
-before layers configuration."
+before layers configuration.
+You should not put any user code in there besides modifying the variable
+values."
   ;; This setq-default sexp is an exhaustive list of all the supported
   ;; spacemacs settings.
   (setq-default
@@ -162,13 +166,15 @@ before layers configuration."
    ))
 
 (defun dotspacemacs/user-init ()
-  "Initialization function for user. Called immediately following `dotspacemacs/init'."
+  "Initialization function for user code.
+It is called immediately after `dotspacemacs/init'.  You are free to put any
+user code."
   )
 
-(defun dotspacemacs/config ()
-  "Configuration function.
+(defun dotspacemacs/user-config ()
+  "Configuration function for user code.
  This function is called at the very end of Spacemacs initialization after
-layers configuration."
+layers configuration. You are free to put any user code."
 )
 
 ;; Do not write anything past this comment. This is where Emacs will