diff --git a/wscript b/wscript
index b5b3920..82aafb6 100644
--- a/wscript
+++ b/wscript
@@ -5,12 +5,12 @@
 GIT_TAG_PREFIX = ''
 
 from waflib import Logs, Utils, Context
-import os
+import os, subprocess
 
 def options(opt):
     opt.load(['compiler_c', 'compiler_cxx', 'gnu_dirs'])
     opt.load(['default-compiler-flags', 'boost', 'doxygen', 'sphinx_build',
-              'coverage', 'sanitizers', 'pch'],
+              'coverage', 'sanitizers'],
              tooldir=['.waf-tools'])
 
     opt.add_option('--with-tests', action='store_true', default=False,
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@
 
 def configure(conf):
     conf.load(['compiler_c', 'compiler_cxx', 'gnu_dirs',
-               'default-compiler-flags', 'boost', 'pch', 'coverage',
+               'default-compiler-flags', 'boost', 'coverage',
                'doxygen', 'sphinx_build'])
 
     if 'PKG_CONFIG_PATH' not in os.environ:
@@ -28,8 +28,8 @@
 
     boost_libs = 'system iostreams thread log log_setup'
     if conf.options.with_tests:
-        conf.env['CHRONOSYNC_HAVE_TESTS'] = 1
-        conf.define('CHRONOSYNC_HAVE_TESTS', 1);
+        conf.env['CHRONOSYNC_HAVE_TESTS'] = True
+        conf.define('CHRONOSYNC_HAVE_TESTS', 1)
         boost_libs += ' unit_test_framework'
     conf.check_boost(lib=boost_libs, mt=True)
 
@@ -48,44 +48,39 @@
     conf.write_config_header('config.hpp')
 
 def build(bld):
-    libsync = bld(
-        target="ChronoSync",
+    bld.shlib(
+        target='ChronoSync',
         vnum = VERSION,
         cnum = VERSION,
-        features=['cxx', 'cxxshlib'],
         source =  bld.path.ant_glob(['src/**/*.cpp', 'src/**/*.proto']),
         use = 'BOOST NDN_CXX',
         includes = ['src', '.'],
-        export_includes=['src', '.'],
-        )
+        export_includes=['src', '.'])
 
     # Unit tests
     if bld.env["CHRONOSYNC_HAVE_TESTS"]:
         bld.recurse('tests')
 
     bld.install_files(
-        dest = "%s/ChronoSync" % bld.env['INCLUDEDIR'],
-        files = bld.path.ant_glob(['src/**/*.hpp', 'src/**/*.h', 'common.hpp']),
+        dest = '%s/ChronoSync' % bld.env['INCLUDEDIR'],
+        files = bld.path.ant_glob(['src/*.hpp', 'common.hpp']),
         cwd = bld.path.find_dir("src"),
         relative_trick = False,
         )
 
     bld.install_files(
-        dest = "%s/ChronoSync" % bld.env['INCLUDEDIR'],
-        files = bld.path.get_bld().ant_glob(['src/**/*.hpp', 'src/**/*.h', 'common.hpp', 'config.hpp']),
+        dest = '%s/ChronoSync' % bld.env['INCLUDEDIR'],
+        files = bld.path.get_bld().ant_glob(['src/*.hpp', 'common.hpp', 'config.hpp']),
         cwd = bld.path.get_bld().find_dir("src"),
-        relative_trick = False,
-        )
+        relative_trick = False)
 
-    pc = bld(
-        features = "subst",
+    bld(features = 'subst',
         source='ChronoSync.pc.in',
         target='ChronoSync.pc',
         install_path = '${LIBDIR}/pkgconfig',
         PREFIX       = bld.env['PREFIX'],
         INCLUDEDIR   = "%s/ChronoSync" % bld.env['INCLUDEDIR'],
-        VERSION      = VERSION,
-        )
+        VERSION      = VERSION)
 
 def docs(bld):
     from waflib import Options
@@ -95,85 +90,82 @@
     version(bld)
 
     if not bld.env.DOXYGEN:
-        Logs.error("ERROR: cannot build documentation (`doxygen' not found in $PATH)")
-    else:
-        bld(features="subst",
-            name="doxygen-conf",
-            source=["docs/doxygen.conf.in",
-                    "docs/named_data_theme/named_data_footer-with-analytics.html.in"],
-            target=["docs/doxygen.conf",
-                    "docs/named_data_theme/named_data_footer-with-analytics.html"],
-            VERSION=VERSION,
-            HTML_FOOTER="../build/docs/named_data_theme/named_data_footer-with-analytics.html" \
-                          if os.getenv('GOOGLE_ANALYTICS', None) \
-                          else "../docs/named_data_theme/named_data_footer.html",
-            GOOGLE_ANALYTICS=os.getenv('GOOGLE_ANALYTICS', ""))
+        bld.fatal('Cannot build documentation ("doxygen" not found in PATH)')
 
-        bld(features="doxygen",
-            doxyfile="docs/doxygen.conf",
-            use="doxygen-conf")
+    bld(features='subst',
+        name='doxygen.conf',
+        source=['docs/doxygen.conf.in',
+                'docs/named_data_theme/named_data_footer-with-analytics.html.in'],
+        target=['docs/doxygen.conf',
+                'docs/named_data_theme/named_data_footer-with-analytics.html'],
+        VERSION=VERSION,
+        HTML_FOOTER='../build/docs/named_data_theme/named_data_footer-with-analytics.html' \
+                        if os.getenv('GOOGLE_ANALYTICS', None) \
+                        else '../docs/named_data_theme/named_data_footer.html',
+        GOOGLE_ANALYTICS=os.getenv('GOOGLE_ANALYTICS', ''))
+
+    bld(features='doxygen',
+        doxyfile='docs/doxygen.conf',
+        use='doxygen.conf')
 
 def sphinx(bld):
     version(bld)
 
     if not bld.env.SPHINX_BUILD:
-        bld.fatal("ERROR: cannot build documentation (`sphinx-build' not found in $PATH)")
-    else:
-        bld(features="sphinx",
-            outdir="docs",
-            source=bld.path.ant_glob("docs/**/*.rst"),
-            config="docs/conf.py",
-            VERSION=VERSION)
+        bld.fatal('Cannot build documentation ("sphinx-build" not found in PATH)')
+
+    bld(features='sphinx',
+        config='docs/conf.py',
+        outdir='docs',
+        source=bld.path.ant_glob('docs/**/*.rst'),
+        VERSION=VERSION)
 
 def version(ctx):
+    # don't execute more than once
     if getattr(Context.g_module, 'VERSION_BASE', None):
         return
 
     Context.g_module.VERSION_BASE = Context.g_module.VERSION
-    Context.g_module.VERSION_SPLIT = [v for v in VERSION_BASE.split('.')]
+    Context.g_module.VERSION_SPLIT = VERSION_BASE.split('.')
 
-    didGetVersion = False
+    # first, try to get a version string from git
+    gotVersionFromGit = False
     try:
         cmd = ['git', 'describe', '--always', '--match', '%s*' % GIT_TAG_PREFIX]
-        p = Utils.subprocess.Popen(cmd, stdout=Utils.subprocess.PIPE,
-                                   stderr=None, stdin=None)
-        out = str(p.communicate()[0].strip())
-        didGetVersion = (p.returncode == 0 and out != "")
-        if didGetVersion:
+        out = subprocess.check_output(cmd, universal_newlines=True).strip()
+        if out:
+            gotVersionFromGit = True
             if out.startswith(GIT_TAG_PREFIX):
-                Context.g_module.VERSION = out[len(GIT_TAG_PREFIX):]
+                Context.g_module.VERSION = out.lstrip(GIT_TAG_PREFIX)
             else:
-                Context.g_module.VERSION = "%s-commit-%s" % (Context.g_module.VERSION_BASE, out)
-    except OSError:
+                # no tags matched
+                Context.g_module.VERSION = '%s-commit-%s' % (VERSION_BASE, out)
+    except subprocess.CalledProcessError:
         pass
 
     versionFile = ctx.path.find_node('VERSION')
-
-    if not didGetVersion and versionFile is not None:
+    if not gotVersionFromGit and versionFile is not None:
         try:
             Context.g_module.VERSION = versionFile.read()
             return
-        except (OSError, IOError):
+        except EnvironmentError:
             pass
 
     # version was obtained from git, update VERSION file if necessary
     if versionFile is not None:
         try:
-            version = versionFile.read()
-            if version == Context.g_module.VERSION:
-                return # no need to update
-        except (OSError, IOError):
-            Logs.warn("VERSION file exists, but not readable")
+            if versionFile.read() == Context.g_module.VERSION:
+                # already up-to-date
+                return
+        except EnvironmentError as e:
+            Logs.warn('%s exists but is not readable (%s)' % (versionFile, e.strerror))
     else:
         versionFile = ctx.path.make_node('VERSION')
 
-    if versionFile is None:
-        return
-
     try:
         versionFile.write(Context.g_module.VERSION)
-    except (OSError, IOError):
-        Logs.warn("VERSION file is not writeable")
+    except EnvironmentError as e:
+        Logs.warn('%s is not writable (%s)' % (versionFile, e.strerror))
 
 def dist(ctx):
     version(ctx)