Index: lib/platform.py
===================================================================
--- lib/platform.py	(revision 66142)
+++ lib/platform.py	(working copy)
@@ -112,7 +112,7 @@
 
 __version__ = '1.0.6'
 
-import sys,string,os,re
+import sys,string,os,re,subprocess
 
 ### Platform specific APIs
 
@@ -936,24 +936,29 @@
             os.path.join(filepath,os.readlink(filepath)))
     return filepath
 
-def _syscmd_uname(option,default=''):
+def _syscmd(command,default):
 
-    """ Interface to the system's uname command.
+    """ Interface to the system command.
     """
     if sys.platform in ('dos','win32','win16','os2'):
         # XXX Others too ?
         return default
     try:
-        f = os.popen('uname %s 2> /dev/null' % option)
+        p = subprocess.Popen(command, stdout=subprocess.PIPE, stderr=subprocess.PIPE)
     except (AttributeError,os.error):
         return default
-    output = string.strip(f.read())
-    rc = f.close()
-    if not output or rc:
+    output = string.strip(p.communicate()[0])
+    if not output or p.returncode:
         return default
     else:
         return output
 
+def _syscmd_uname(option,default=''):
+
+    """ Interface to the system's uname command.
+    """
+    return _syscmd(['uname', option], default)
+
 def _syscmd_file(target,default=''):
 
     """ Interface to the system's file command.
@@ -964,20 +969,7 @@
         case the command should fail.
 
     """
-    if sys.platform in ('dos','win32','win16','os2'):
-        # XXX Others too ?
-        return default
-    target = _follow_symlinks(target)
-    try:
-        f = os.popen('file %s 2> /dev/null' % target)
-    except (AttributeError,os.error):
-        return default
-    output = string.strip(f.read())
-    rc = f.close()
-    if not output or rc:
-        return default
-    else:
-        return output
+    return _syscmd(['file', '-b', _follow_symlinks(target)], default)
 
 ### Information about the used architecture
 
@@ -989,8 +981,6 @@
     'dos': ('','MSDOS'),
 }
 
-_architecture_split = re.compile(r'[\s,]').split
-
 def architecture(executable=sys.executable,bits='',linkage=''):
 
     """ Queries the given executable (defaults to the Python interpreter
@@ -1041,34 +1031,31 @@
                 linkage = l
         return bits,linkage
 
-    # Split the output into a list of strings omitting the filename
-    fileout = _architecture_split(output)[1:]
-
-    if 'executable' not in fileout:
+    if 'executable' not in output:
         # Format not supported
         return bits,linkage
 
     # Bits
-    if '32-bit' in fileout:
+    if '32-bit' in output:
         bits = '32bit'
-    elif 'N32' in fileout:
+    elif 'N32' in output:
         # On Irix only
         bits = 'n32bit'
-    elif '64-bit' in fileout:
+    elif '64-bit' in output:
         bits = '64bit'
 
     # Linkage
-    if 'ELF' in fileout:
+    if 'ELF' in output:
         linkage = 'ELF'
-    elif 'PE' in fileout:
+    elif 'PE' in output:
         # E.g. Windows uses this format
-        if 'Windows' in fileout:
+        if 'Windows' in output:
             linkage = 'WindowsPE'
         else:
             linkage = 'PE'
-    elif 'COFF' in fileout:
+    elif 'COFF' in output:
         linkage = 'COFF'
-    elif 'MS-DOS' in fileout:
+    elif 'MS-DOS' in output:
         linkage = 'MSDOS'
     else:
         # XXX the A.OUT format also falls under this class...