diff --git a/src/compile.cpp b/src/compile.cpp
index cfe268f15f..4c25fb2d86 100644
--- a/src/compile.cpp
+++ b/src/compile.cpp
@@ -138,6 +138,19 @@ resolveThisPointer(MyThread* t, void* stack)
     [t->arch->frameFooterSize() + t->arch->frameReturnAddressSize()];
 }
 
+object
+findMethod(Thread* t, object method, object instance)
+{
+  if ((methodFlags(t, method) & ACC_STATIC) == 0) {
+    if (methodVirtual(t, method)) {
+      return findVirtualMethod(t, method, objectClass(t, instance));      
+    } else if (classFlags(t, methodClass(t, method)) & ACC_INTERFACE) {
+      return findInterfaceMethod(t, method, objectClass(t, instance));
+    }
+  }
+  return method;
+}
+
 object
 resolveTarget(MyThread* t, void* stack, object method)
 {
@@ -154,7 +167,7 @@ resolveTarget(MyThread* t, void* stack, object method)
   if (classFlags(t, methodClass(t, method)) & ACC_INTERFACE) {
     return findInterfaceMethod(t, method, class_);
   } else {
-    return findMethod(t, method, class_);
+    return findVirtualMethod(t, method, class_);
   }
 }
 
@@ -3513,7 +3526,7 @@ compile(MyThread* t, Frame* initialFrame, unsigned ip,
 
       object class_ = methodClass(t, context->method);
       if (isSpecialMethod(t, target, class_)) {
-        target = findMethod(t, target, classSuper(t, class_));
+        target = findVirtualMethod(t, target, classSuper(t, class_));
       }
 
       assert(t, (methodFlags(t, target) & ACC_STATIC) == 0);
@@ -6333,6 +6346,8 @@ class SegFaultHandler: public System::SignalHandler {
         t->exception = makeNullPointerException(t);
         t->tracing = false;
 
+//         printTrace(t, t->exception);
+
         findUnwindTarget(t, ip, base, stack);
 
         t->ip = oldIp;
@@ -6543,6 +6558,8 @@ class MyProcessor: public Processor {
 
     assert(t, ((methodFlags(t, method) & ACC_STATIC) == 0) xor (this_ == 0));
 
+    method = findMethod(t, method, this_);
+
     const char* spec = reinterpret_cast<char*>
       (&byteArrayBody(t, methodSpec(t, method), 0));
 
@@ -6574,6 +6591,8 @@ class MyProcessor: public Processor {
 
     assert(t, ((methodFlags(t, method) & ACC_STATIC) == 0) xor (this_ == 0));
     
+    method = findMethod(t, method, this_);
+
     const char* spec = reinterpret_cast<char*>
       (&byteArrayBody(t, methodSpec(t, method), 0));
 
diff --git a/src/machine.cpp b/src/machine.cpp
index 11290bf0bf..9905f63ddf 100644
--- a/src/machine.cpp
+++ b/src/machine.cpp
@@ -1326,7 +1326,8 @@ parseMethodTable(Thread* t, Stream& s, object class_, object pool)
           hashMapInsert(t, virtualMap, method, method, methodHash);
         }
 
-        if (UNLIKELY(strcmp
+        if (UNLIKELY((classFlags(t, class_) & ACC_INTERFACE) == 0
+                     and strcmp
                      (reinterpret_cast<const int8_t*>("finalize"), 
                       &byteArrayBody(t, methodName(t, method), 0)) == 0
                      and strcmp
@@ -1775,6 +1776,8 @@ boot(Thread* t)
     |= ReferenceFlag;
   classVmFlags(t, arrayBody(t, m->types, Machine::WeakReferenceType))
     |= ReferenceFlag | WeakReferenceFlag;
+  classVmFlags(t, arrayBody(t, m->types, Machine::SoftReferenceType))
+    |= ReferenceFlag | WeakReferenceFlag;
   classVmFlags(t, arrayBody(t, m->types, Machine::PhantomReferenceType))
     |= ReferenceFlag | WeakReferenceFlag;
 
@@ -2428,16 +2431,18 @@ makeString(Thread* t, const char* format, ...)
 void
 stringChars(Thread* t, object string, char* chars)
 {
-  object data = stringData(t, string);
-  if (objectClass(t, data)
-      == arrayBody(t, t->m->types, Machine::ByteArrayType))
-  {
-    memcpy(chars,
-           &byteArrayBody(t, data, stringOffset(t, string)),
-           stringLength(t, string));
-  } else {
-    for (unsigned i = 0; i < stringLength(t, string); ++i) {
-      chars[i] = charArrayBody(t, data, stringOffset(t, string) + i);
+  if (stringLength(t, string)) {
+    object data = stringData(t, string);
+    if (objectClass(t, data)
+        == arrayBody(t, t->m->types, Machine::ByteArrayType))
+    {
+      memcpy(chars,
+             &byteArrayBody(t, data, stringOffset(t, string)),
+             stringLength(t, string));
+    } else {
+      for (unsigned i = 0; i < stringLength(t, string); ++i) {
+        chars[i] = charArrayBody(t, data, stringOffset(t, string) + i);
+      }
     }
   }
   chars[stringLength(t, string)] = 0;
@@ -2446,17 +2451,19 @@ stringChars(Thread* t, object string, char* chars)
 void
 stringChars(Thread* t, object string, uint16_t* chars)
 {
-  object data = stringData(t, string);
-  if (objectClass(t, data)
-      == arrayBody(t, t->m->types, Machine::ByteArrayType))
-  {
-    for (unsigned i = 0; i < stringLength(t, string); ++i) {
-      chars[i] = byteArrayBody(t, data, stringOffset(t, string) + i);
+  if (stringLength(t, string)) {
+    object data = stringData(t, string);
+    if (objectClass(t, data)
+        == arrayBody(t, t->m->types, Machine::ByteArrayType))
+    {
+      for (unsigned i = 0; i < stringLength(t, string); ++i) {
+        chars[i] = byteArrayBody(t, data, stringOffset(t, string) + i);
+      }
+    } else {
+      memcpy(chars,
+             &charArrayBody(t, data, stringOffset(t, string)),
+             stringLength(t, string) * sizeof(uint16_t));
     }
-  } else {
-    memcpy(chars,
-           &charArrayBody(t, data, stringOffset(t, string)),
-           stringLength(t, string) * sizeof(uint16_t));
   }
   chars[stringLength(t, string)] = 0;
 }
@@ -2821,7 +2828,7 @@ resolveClass(Thread* t, object loader, object spec)
         }
 
         if (LIKELY(t->exception == 0)) {
-          object method = findMethod
+          object method = findVirtualMethod
             (t, t->m->loadClassMethod, objectClass(t, loader));
 
           if (LIKELY(t->exception == 0)) {
diff --git a/src/machine.h b/src/machine.h
index a5e686238c..38063626e0 100644
--- a/src/machine.h
+++ b/src/machine.h
@@ -2185,7 +2185,7 @@ findMethod(Thread* t, object class_, object name, object spec)
 }
 
 inline object
-findMethod(Thread* t, object method, object class_)
+findVirtualMethod(Thread* t, object method, object class_)
 {
   return arrayBody(t, classVirtualTable(t, class_), 
                    methodOffset(t, method));
diff --git a/src/types.def b/src/types.def
index 5afa48a8e8..1bf786e8f3 100644
--- a/src/types.def
+++ b/src/types.def
@@ -210,6 +210,8 @@
 
 (type weakReference java/lang/ref/WeakReference)
 
+(type softReference java/lang/ref/SoftReference)
+
 (type phantomReference java/lang/ref/PhantomReference)
 
 (type byteArray [B