diff --git a/release-notes/VERSION b/release-notes/VERSION
index a7269812e7..c0fbf662a9 100644
--- a/release-notes/VERSION
+++ b/release-notes/VERSION
@@ -75,6 +75,7 @@ Project: jackson-databind
  (reported by mjr6140@gitgub)
 #828: Respect DeserializationFeatures.WRAP_EXCEPTIONS in CollectionDeserializer
  (contributed by Steve G, thezerobit@github)
+#840: Change semantics of `@JsonPropertyOrder(alphabetic)` to only count `true` value
 - Remove old cglib compatibility tests; cause problems in Eclipse
 
 2.5.4 (09-Jun-2015)
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/fasterxml/jackson/databind/AnnotationIntrospector.java b/src/main/java/com/fasterxml/jackson/databind/AnnotationIntrospector.java
index 2d315206c7..5e1721cb3b 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/fasterxml/jackson/databind/AnnotationIntrospector.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/fasterxml/jackson/databind/AnnotationIntrospector.java
@@ -765,11 +765,6 @@ public Boolean findSerializationSortAlphabetically(Annotated ann) {
         return null;
     }
 
-    @Deprecated // since 2.4
-    public Boolean findSerializationSortAlphabetically(AnnotatedClass ac) {
-        return null;
-    }
-
     /**
      * Method for adding possible virtual properties to be serialized along
      * with regular properties.
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/fasterxml/jackson/databind/introspect/AnnotationIntrospectorPair.java b/src/main/java/com/fasterxml/jackson/databind/introspect/AnnotationIntrospectorPair.java
index 0428cd5592..0a7b8d5826 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/fasterxml/jackson/databind/introspect/AnnotationIntrospectorPair.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/fasterxml/jackson/databind/introspect/AnnotationIntrospectorPair.java
@@ -488,18 +488,6 @@ public String[] findSerializationPropertyOrder(AnnotatedClass ac) {
         return (r == null) ? _secondary.findSerializationPropertyOrder(ac) : r;
     }
 
-    /**
-     * Method for checking whether an annotation indicates that serialized properties
-     * for which no explicit is defined should be alphabetically (lexicograpically)
-     * ordered
-     */
-    @Override
-    @Deprecated
-    public Boolean findSerializationSortAlphabetically(AnnotatedClass ac) {
-        Boolean r = _primary.findSerializationSortAlphabetically(ac);
-        return (r == null) ? _secondary.findSerializationSortAlphabetically(ac) : r;
-    }
-
     @Override
     public Boolean findSerializationSortAlphabetically(Annotated ann) {
         Boolean r = _primary.findSerializationSortAlphabetically(ann);
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/fasterxml/jackson/databind/introspect/JacksonAnnotationIntrospector.java b/src/main/java/com/fasterxml/jackson/databind/introspect/JacksonAnnotationIntrospector.java
index 0fb0d6aa7a..301e9aa2ea 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/fasterxml/jackson/databind/introspect/JacksonAnnotationIntrospector.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/fasterxml/jackson/databind/introspect/JacksonAnnotationIntrospector.java
@@ -616,15 +616,15 @@ public Boolean findSerializationSortAlphabetically(Annotated ann) {
         return _findSortAlpha(ann);
     }
 
-    @Override
-    @Deprecated
-    public Boolean findSerializationSortAlphabetically(AnnotatedClass ac) {
-        return _findSortAlpha(ac);
-    }
-
     private final Boolean _findSortAlpha(Annotated ann) {
         JsonPropertyOrder order = _findAnnotation(ann, JsonPropertyOrder.class);
-        return (order == null) ? null : order.alphabetic();
+        /* 23-Jun-2015, tatu: as per [databind#840], let's only consider
+         *  `true` to have any significance.
+         */
+        if ((order != null) && order.alphabetic()) {
+            return Boolean.TRUE;
+        }
+        return null;
     }
 
     @Override
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/fasterxml/jackson/databind/ser/PropertyBuilder.java b/src/main/java/com/fasterxml/jackson/databind/ser/PropertyBuilder.java
index 689fced871..ef82ade3b7 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/fasterxml/jackson/databind/ser/PropertyBuilder.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/fasterxml/jackson/databind/ser/PropertyBuilder.java
@@ -93,47 +93,49 @@ protected BeanPropertyWriter buildWriter(SerializerProvider prov,
         boolean suppressNulls = false;
 
         JsonInclude.Include inclusion = propDef.findInclusion();
-        if (inclusion == null) {
+        if ((inclusion == null)
+                || (inclusion == JsonInclude.Include.USE_DEFAULTS)) { // since 2.6
             inclusion = _defaultInclusion;
+            if (inclusion == null) {
+                inclusion = JsonInclude.Include.ALWAYS;
+            }
         }
-        if (inclusion != null) {
-            switch (inclusion) {
-            case NON_DEFAULT:
-                valueToSuppress = getDefaultValue(propDef.getName(), am);
-                if (valueToSuppress == null) {
-                    suppressNulls = true;
-                } else {
-                    // [JACKSON-531]: Allow comparison of arrays too...
-                    if (valueToSuppress.getClass().isArray()) {
-                        valueToSuppress = ArrayBuilders.getArrayComparator(valueToSuppress);
-                    }
-                }
-                break;
-            case NON_ABSENT: // new with 2.6, to support Guava/JDK8 Optionals
-                // always suppress nulls
+        switch (inclusion) {
+        case NON_DEFAULT:
+            valueToSuppress = getDefaultValue(propDef.getName(), am);
+            if (valueToSuppress == null) {
                 suppressNulls = true;
-                // and for referential types, also "empty", which in their case means "absent"
-                if (declaredType.isReferenceType()) {
-                    valueToSuppress = BeanPropertyWriter.MARKER_FOR_EMPTY;
+            } else {
+                if (valueToSuppress.getClass().isArray()) {
+                    valueToSuppress = ArrayBuilders.getArrayComparator(valueToSuppress);
                 }
-                break;
-            case NON_EMPTY:
-                // always suppress nulls
-                suppressNulls = true;
-                // but possibly also 'empty' values:
+            }
+            break;
+        case NON_ABSENT: // new with 2.6, to support Guava/JDK8 Optionals
+            // always suppress nulls
+            suppressNulls = true;
+            // and for referential types, also "empty", which in their case means "absent"
+            if (declaredType.isReferenceType()) {
+                valueToSuppress = BeanPropertyWriter.MARKER_FOR_EMPTY;
+            }
+            break;
+        case NON_EMPTY:
+            // always suppress nulls
+            suppressNulls = true;
+            // but possibly also 'empty' values:
+            valueToSuppress = BeanPropertyWriter.MARKER_FOR_EMPTY;
+            break;
+        case NON_NULL:
+            suppressNulls = true;
+            // fall through
+        case ALWAYS: // default
+        default:
+            // we may still want to suppress empty collections, as per [JACKSON-254]:
+            if (declaredType.isContainerType()
+                    && !_config.isEnabled(SerializationFeature.WRITE_EMPTY_JSON_ARRAYS)) {
                 valueToSuppress = BeanPropertyWriter.MARKER_FOR_EMPTY;
-                break;
-            case NON_NULL:
-                suppressNulls = true;
-                // fall through
-            case ALWAYS: // default
-                // we may still want to suppress empty collections, as per [JACKSON-254]:
-                if (declaredType.isContainerType()
-                        && !_config.isEnabled(SerializationFeature.WRITE_EMPTY_JSON_ARRAYS)) {
-                    valueToSuppress = BeanPropertyWriter.MARKER_FOR_EMPTY;
-                }
-                break;
             }
+            break;
         }
         BeanPropertyWriter bpw = new BeanPropertyWriter(propDef,
                 am, _beanDesc.getClassAnnotations(), declaredType,