diff --git a/Headers/gnustep/base/NSObjCRuntime.h b/Headers/gnustep/base/NSObjCRuntime.h
index 8c607e241..13eb91aa0 100644
--- a/Headers/gnustep/base/NSObjCRuntime.h
+++ b/Headers/gnustep/base/NSObjCRuntime.h
@@ -42,6 +42,13 @@ extern NSLog_printf_handler *_NSLog_printf_handler;
 extern void NSLog (NSString* format, ...);
 extern void NSLogv (NSString* format, va_list args);
 
+/* Debug logging which can be enabled/disabled */
+#ifdef DEBUGLOG
+#define NSDebugLog(format, args...) NSLog(format, ## args)
+#else
+#define NSDebugLog(format, args...)
+#endif
+
 #ifndef YES
 #define YES		1
 #endif YES
diff --git a/Headers/gnustep/base/NSString.h b/Headers/gnustep/base/NSString.h
index a05ca1872..090174782 100644
--- a/Headers/gnustep/base/NSString.h
+++ b/Headers/gnustep/base/NSString.h
@@ -68,6 +68,7 @@ typedef enum _NSStringEncoding
    length: (unsigned int)length;
 + (NSString*) stringWithCString: (const char*) byteString;
 + (NSString*) stringWithFormat: (NSString*)format,...;
++ (NSString*) stringWithContentsOfFile:(NSString *)path;
 
 // Initializing Newly Allocated Strings
 - (id) initWithCharactersNoCopy: (unichar*)chars
diff --git a/Headers/gnustep/base/preface.h.in b/Headers/gnustep/base/preface.h.in
index 5ddd13399..7e02ce5c1 100644
--- a/Headers/gnustep/base/preface.h.in
+++ b/Headers/gnustep/base/preface.h.in
@@ -58,7 +58,7 @@
 #endif
 
 #include <Foundation/NSObject.h>
-@class String;
+#include <Foundation/NSObjCRuntime.h>
 
 /* The following group of lines maintained by the gstep-base src/Makefile */
 #define @VERSION@
diff --git a/Source/NSBundle.m b/Source/NSBundle.m
index d06c65005..2e8b8e56b 100644
--- a/Source/NSBundle.m
+++ b/Source/NSBundle.m
@@ -112,12 +112,6 @@ static NSString* platform =
 #else
   nil;
 #endif
-static NSString* gnustep_libdir =
-#ifdef GNUSTEP_INSTALL_LIBDIR
-  @GNUSTEP_INSTALL_LIBDIR;
-#else
-  nil;
-#endif
 
 /* Declaration from find_exec.c */
 extern char *objc_find_executable(const char *name);
@@ -502,17 +496,6 @@ _bundle_load_callback(Class theClass, Category *theCategory)
   while ((language = [enumerate nextObject]))
     [array addObject: _bundle_resource_path(primary, bundlePath, language)];
 
-  if (gnustep_libdir)
-    {
-      primary = [NSString stringWithCString: [gnustep_libdir cString]];
-      [array addObject: _bundle_resource_path(primary, bundlePath, nil)];
-      enumerate = [languages objectEnumerator];
-      while ((language = [enumerate nextObject]))
-	[array addObject: 
-	       _bundle_resource_path(primary, bundlePath, language)];
-    }
-
-
   return array;
 }
 
diff --git a/Source/NSCharacterSet.m b/Source/NSCharacterSet.m
index 342998918..4f8762690 100644
--- a/Source/NSCharacterSet.m
+++ b/Source/NSCharacterSet.m
@@ -28,6 +28,12 @@
 #include <Foundation/NSLock.h>
 
 static NSString* NSCharacterSet_PATH = @"NSCharacterSets";
+static NSString* gnustep_libdir =
+#ifdef GNUSTEP_INSTALL_LIBDIR
+  @GNUSTEP_INSTALL_LIBDIR;
+#else
+  nil;
+#endif
 
 /* A simple array for caching standard bitmap sets */
 #define MAX_STANDARD_SETS 12
@@ -61,6 +67,7 @@ static NSLock* cache_lock = nil;
 {
   NSCharacterSet* set;
   NSString *path;
+  NSBundle *gstep_base_bundle = [NSBundle bundleWithPath: gnustep_libdir];
 
   if (!cache_lock)
     cache_lock = [NSLock new];
@@ -70,15 +77,15 @@ static NSLock* cache_lock = nil;
   if (cache_set[number] == nil)
     {
       NS_DURING
-	path = [NSBundle pathForResource:setname
-			ofType:@"dat"
-			inDirectory:NSCharacterSet_PATH];
+	path = [gstep_base_bundle pathForResource:setname
+				  ofType:@"dat"
+				  inDirectory:NSCharacterSet_PATH];
         /* This is for testing purposes */
         if (path == nil || [path length] == 0)
 	  {
-	    path = [NSBundle pathForResource:setname
-			ofType:@"dat"
-			inDirectory:@"../NSCharacterSets"];
+	    path = [gstep_base_bundle pathForResource:setname
+				      ofType:@"dat"
+				      inDirectory:@"../NSCharacterSets"];
 	  }
 
         if (path == nil || [path length] == 0)
diff --git a/Source/NSString.m b/Source/NSString.m
index 23a40a2dc..2ae5a2865 100644
--- a/Source/NSString.m
+++ b/Source/NSString.m
@@ -1230,7 +1230,7 @@ handle_printf_atsign (FILE *stream,
   NSString *newstring;
 
   range = [self rangeOfString:@"/" options:NSBackwardsSearch];
-  if (range.length == 0 && range.location != [self length] - 1)
+  if (range.location != ([self length] - 1))
       newstring = [self stringByAppendingString:@"/"];
   else
       newstring = self;
@@ -1248,7 +1248,7 @@ handle_printf_atsign (FILE *stream,
   NSString *newstring;
 
   range = [self rangeOfString:@"." options:NSBackwardsSearch];
-  if ((range.length == 0) && (range.location != ([self length] - 1)))
+  if (range.location != ([self length] - 1))
       newstring = [self stringByAppendingString:@"."];
   else
       newstring = self;