diff --git a/lib/git.rb b/lib/git.rb
index 9ef0fc09..38423725 100644
--- a/lib/git.rb
+++ b/lib/git.rb
@@ -99,7 +99,7 @@ def self.export(repository, name, options = {})
     options.delete(:remote)
     repo = clone(repository, name, {:depth => 1}.merge(options))
     repo.checkout("origin/#{options[:branch]}") if options[:branch]
-    Dir.chdir(repo.dir.to_s) { FileUtils.rm_r '.git' }
+    FileUtils.rm_r "#{repo.dir.to_s}/.git"
   end
   
   # Same as g.config, but forces it to be at the global level
diff --git a/lib/git/base.rb b/lib/git/base.rb
index 362f6432..2f05f0b1 100644
--- a/lib/git/base.rb
+++ b/lib/git/base.rb
@@ -118,9 +118,15 @@ def chdir # :yields: the Git::Path
     end
     
     # returns the repository size in bytes
-    def repo_size
-      Dir.chdir(repo.path) do
-        return `du -s`.chomp.split.first.to_i
+    if (RUBY_VERSION.to_f < 1.9)
+      def repo_size
+        Dir.chdir(repo.path) do
+          return IO.popen("du -s").read.chomp.split.first.to_i
+        end
+      end
+    else
+      def repo_size
+        return IO.popen("du -s", {:chdir => repo.path}).read.chomp.split.first.to_i
       end
     end
     
diff --git a/lib/git/lib.rb b/lib/git/lib.rb
index 34a8b184..8acf26d8 100644
--- a/lib/git/lib.rb
+++ b/lib/git/lib.rb
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 require 'tempfile'
+require 'open3' unless (RUBY_VERSION.to_f < 1.9)
 
 module Git
   
@@ -233,9 +234,7 @@ def branches_all
 
     def list_files(ref_dir)
       dir = File.join(@git_dir, 'refs', ref_dir)
-      files = []
-      Dir.chdir(dir) { files = Dir.glob('**/*').select { |f| File.file?(f) } } rescue nil
-      files
+      Dir.glob("#{dir}/**/*").select { |f| File.file?(f) } rescue nil
     end
     
     def branch_current
@@ -334,15 +333,7 @@ def config_remote(name)
     end
 
     def config_get(name)
-      do_get = lambda do |path|
-        command('config', ['--get', name])
-      end
-
-      if @git_dir
-        Dir.chdir(@git_dir, &do_get)
-      else
-        build_list.call
-      end
+      command('config', ['--get', name])
     end
 
     def global_config_get(name)
@@ -350,15 +341,7 @@ def global_config_get(name)
     end
     
     def config_list
-      build_list = lambda do |path|
-        parse_config_list command_lines('config', ['--list'])
-      end
-      
-      if @git_dir
-        Dir.chdir(@git_dir, &build_list)
-      else
-        build_list.call
-      end
+      parse_config_list command_lines('config', ['--list'])
     end
 
     def global_config_list
@@ -753,9 +736,9 @@ def command(cmd, opts = [], chdir = true, redirect = '', &block)
       output = nil
 
       if chdir && (Dir.getwd != path)
-        Dir.chdir(path) { output = run_command(git_cmd, &block) } 
+        output, process_status = run_command(git_cmd, path, &block)
       else
-        output = run_command(git_cmd, &block)
+        output, process_status = run_command(git_cmd, &block)
       end
       
       if @logger
@@ -763,7 +746,7 @@ def command(cmd, opts = [], chdir = true, redirect = '', &block)
         @logger.debug(output)
       end
             
-      if $?.exitstatus > 1 || ($?.exitstatus == 1 && output != '')
+      if process_status.exitstatus > 1 || (process_status.exitstatus == 1 && output != '')
         raise Git::GitExecuteError.new(git_cmd + ':' + output.to_s) 
       end
 
@@ -824,10 +807,27 @@ def log_path_options(opts)
       arr_opts
     end
     
-    def run_command(git_cmd, &block)
-      return IO.popen(git_cmd, &block) if block_given?
+    # run_command
+    if (RUBY_VERSION.to_f < 1.9)
+      # in Ruby 1.8 we just have to run inside Dir.chdir. No getting around it
+      def run_command(git_cmd, chdir = nil, &block)
+        Dir.chdir(chdir || Dir.getwd) do
+          return IO.popen(git_cmd, &block), $? if block_given?
+          return `#{git_cmd}`.chomp, $?
+        end
+      end
+    else
+      def run_command(git_cmd, chdir = nil, &block)
+        commands = [git_cmd]
+        commands << {:chdir => chdir} unless chdir.nil?
+        if block_given?
+          retval = IO.popen(*commands, &block)
+          return retval, $?
+        end
+        out, process_status = Open3.capture2(*commands)
       
-      `#{git_cmd}`.chomp
+        return out.chomp, process_status
+      end
     end
 
     def escape(s)
diff --git a/lib/git/status.rb b/lib/git/status.rb
index d59bc777..7347d27a 100644
--- a/lib/git/status.rb
+++ b/lib/git/status.rb
@@ -89,12 +89,12 @@ def construct_status
         ignore = @base.lib.ignored_files
         
         # find untracked in working dir
-        Dir.chdir(@base.dir.path) do
-          Dir.glob('**/*', File::FNM_DOTMATCH) do |file|
-            next if @files[file] || File.directory?(file) || ignore.include?(file) || file =~ /^.git\/.+/
+        prefix = "#{@base.dir.path}/"
+        Dir.glob(prefix+"**/*", File::FNM_DOTMATCH) do |abs_file|
+          file = abs_file.slice(prefix.length..-1)
+          next if @files[file] || File.directory?(file) || ignore.include?(file) || file =~ /^.git\/.+/
 
-            @files[file] = {:path => file, :untracked => true}
-          end
+          @files[file] = {:path => file, :untracked => true}
         end
         
         # find modified in tree