diff --git a/classpath/java-lang.cpp b/classpath/java-lang.cpp
index 7974cb658c..fd2f6d10bc 100644
--- a/classpath/java-lang.cpp
+++ b/classpath/java-lang.cpp
@@ -31,58 +31,50 @@
 #endif
 
 extern "C" JNIEXPORT jstring JNICALL
-Java_java_lang_System_getProperty(JNIEnv* e, jclass, jint code)
+Java_java_lang_System_getProperty(JNIEnv* e, jclass, jstring name,
+                                  jbooleanArray found)
 {
-  enum {
-    LineSeparator = 100,
-    FileSeparator = 101,
-    OsName = 102,
-    JavaIoTmpdir = 103,
-    UserHome = 104
-  };
-
-  switch (code) {
+  jstring r = 0;
+  const char* chars = e->GetStringUTFChars(name, 0);
+  if (chars) {
 #ifdef WIN32 
-  case LineSeparator:
-    return e->NewStringUTF("\r\n");
-        
-  case FileSeparator:
-    return e->NewStringUTF("\\");
-   
-  case OsName:
-    return e->NewStringUTF("Windows");
-
-  case JavaIoTmpdir: {
-    TCHAR buffer[MAX_PATH];
-    GetTempPath(MAX_PATH, buffer);
-    return e->NewStringUTF(buffer);
-  }
-
-  case UserHome: {
-    LPWSTR home = _wgetenv(L"USERPROFILE");
-    return e->NewString(reinterpret_cast<jchar*>(home), lstrlenW(home));
-  }
+    if (strcmp(chars, "line.separator") == 0) {
+      r = e->NewStringUTF("\r\n");
+    } else if (strcmp(chars, "file.separator") == 0) {
+      r = e->NewStringUTF("\\");
+    } else if (strcmp(chars, "os.name") == 0) {
+      r = e->NewStringUTF("windows");
+    } else if (strcmp(chars, "java.io.tmpdir") == 0) {
+      TCHAR buffer[MAX_PATH];
+      GetTempPath(MAX_PATH, buffer);
+      r = e->NewStringUTF(buffer);
+    } else if (strcmp(chars, "user.home") == 0) {
+      LPWSTR home = _wgetenv(L"USERPROFILE");
+      r = e->NewString(reinterpret_cast<jchar*>(home), lstrlenW(home));
+    }
 #else
-  case LineSeparator:
-    return e->NewStringUTF("\n");
-
-  case FileSeparator:
-    return e->NewStringUTF("/");
-
-  case OsName:
-    return e->NewStringUTF("posix");
-
-  case JavaIoTmpdir:
-    return e->NewStringUTF("/tmp");
-
-  case UserHome:
-    return e->NewStringUTF(getenv("HOME"));
+    if (strcmp(chars, "line.separator") == 0) {
+      r = e->NewStringUTF("\n");
+    } else if (strcmp(chars, "file.separator") == 0) {
+      r = e->NewStringUTF("/");
+    } else if (strcmp(chars, "os.name") == 0) {
+      r = e->NewStringUTF("posix");
+    } else if (strcmp(chars, "java.io.tmpdir") == 0) {
+      r = e->NewStringUTF("/tmp");
+    } else if (strcmp(chars, "user.home") == 0) {
+      r = e->NewStringUTF(getenv("HOME"));      
+    }
 #endif
 
-  default:
-    throwNew(e, "java/lang/RuntimeException", 0);
-    return 0;
+    e->ReleaseStringUTFChars(name, chars);
   }
+
+  if (r) {
+    jboolean v = true;
+    e->SetBooleanArrayRegion(found, 0, 1, &v);
+  }
+
+  return r;
 }
 
 extern "C" JNIEXPORT jlong JNICALL
diff --git a/classpath/java/lang/System.java b/classpath/java/lang/System.java
index 95b8f6f0c7..989a805298 100644
--- a/classpath/java/lang/System.java
+++ b/classpath/java/lang/System.java
@@ -9,14 +9,6 @@ import java.io.FileOutputStream;
 import java.io.FileDescriptor;
 
 public abstract class System {
-  private static final int Unknown = 0;
-  private static final int JavaClassPath = 1;
-  private static final int LineSeparator = 100;
-  private static final int FileSeparator = 101;
-  private static final int OsName = 102;
-  private static final int JavaIoTmpdir = 103;
-  private static final int UserHome = 104;
-
   private static Property properties;
   
 //   static {
@@ -42,28 +34,14 @@ public abstract class System {
       }
     }
 
-    int code = Unknown;
-    if (name.equals("java.class.path")) {
-      code = JavaClassPath;
-    } else if (name.equals("java.io.tmpdir")) {
-      code = JavaIoTmpdir;
-    } else if (name.equals("line.separator")) {
-      code = LineSeparator;
-    } else if (name.equals("file.separator")) {
-      code = FileSeparator;
-    } else if (name.equals("user.home")) {
-      code = UserHome;
-    } else if (name.equals("os.name")) {
-      code = OsName;
-    }
+    boolean[] found = new boolean[1];
+    String value = getProperty(name, found);
+    if (found[0]) return value;
 
-    if (code == Unknown) {
-      return null;
-    } else if (code == JavaClassPath) {
-      return getVMProperty(code);
-    } else {
-      return getProperty(code);
-    }
+    value = getVMProperty(name, found);
+    if (found[0]) return value;
+
+    return null;
   }
 
   public static String setProperty(String name, String value) {
@@ -79,9 +57,9 @@ public abstract class System {
     return null;
   }
 
-  private static native String getProperty(int code);
+  private static native String getProperty(String name, boolean[] found);
 
-  private static native String getVMProperty(int code);
+  private static native String getVMProperty(String name, boolean[] found);
 
   public static native long currentTimeMillis();
 
diff --git a/src/builtin.cpp b/src/builtin.cpp
index 0c0947e581..2223221714 100644
--- a/src/builtin.cpp
+++ b/src/builtin.cpp
@@ -407,22 +407,27 @@ Java_java_lang_String_intern(Thread* t, jobject this_)
 }
 
 extern "C" JNIEXPORT jstring JNICALL
-Java_java_lang_System_getVMProperty(Thread* t, jclass, jint code)
+Java_java_lang_System_getVMProperty(Thread* t, jclass, jstring name,
+                                    jbooleanArray found)
 {
   ENTER(t, Thread::ActiveState);
 
-  enum {
-    JavaClassPath = 1
-  };
+  unsigned length = stringLength(t, *name);
+  char n[length + 1];
+  stringChars(t, *name, n);
 
-  switch (code) {
-  case JavaClassPath:
-    return makeLocalReference(t, makeString(t, "%s", t->m->finder->path()));
-
-  default:
-    t->exception = makeRuntimeException(t, 0);
-    return 0;
+  jstring r = 0;
+  if (strcmp(n, "java.lang.classpath") == 0) {
+    r = makeLocalReference(t, makeString(t, "%s", t->m->finder->path()));
+  } else if (strcmp(n, "avium.version") == 0) {
+    r = makeLocalReference(t, makeString(t, "0.0"));
   }
+  
+  if (r) {
+    booleanArrayBody(t, *found, 0) = true;
+  }
+
+  return r;
 }
 
 extern "C" JNIEXPORT void JNICALL