diff --git a/ArmoryQt.py b/ArmoryQt.py
index 5d1515777..55d8d7fd7 100755
--- a/ArmoryQt.py
+++ b/ArmoryQt.py
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-#! /usr/bin/python
+#!/usr/bin/env python
 ################################################################################
 #                                                                              #
 # Copyright (C) 2011-2014, Armory Technologies, Inc.                           #
diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index c68b096a6..e9099ee2d 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 # All the actual Makefiles are deeper in the directory tree.  
 # I am just calling them, here.
 
-PREFIX=/usr
+PREFIX=?/usr
 DESTDIR=
 
 all :
diff --git a/cppForSwig/Makefile b/cppForSwig/Makefile
index c27105220..68007244b 100644
--- a/cppForSwig/Makefile
+++ b/cppForSwig/Makefile
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-CXX = g++
+CXX ?= g++
 
 ifdef DEBUG
 CFLAGS=-g3 -Wall -pipe -fPIC
diff --git a/cppForSwig/testswig.py b/cppForSwig/testswig.py
index f27161b3f..a212b7ac9 100755
--- a/cppForSwig/testswig.py
+++ b/cppForSwig/testswig.py
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-#! /usr/bin/python
+#!/usr/bin/env python
 ################################################################################
 #                                                                              #
 #  Copyright (C) 2011, Alan C. Reiner    <alan.reiner@gmail.com>               #
diff --git a/dpkgfiles/make_deb_package.py b/dpkgfiles/make_deb_package.py
index 5c417d42a..57802f986 100755
--- a/dpkgfiles/make_deb_package.py
+++ b/dpkgfiles/make_deb_package.py
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-#! /usr/bin/python
+#!/usr/bin/env python
 
 import os
 import shutil
diff --git a/dpkgfiles/postinst b/dpkgfiles/postinst
index fb051abc6..6bd76cb3f 100755
--- a/dpkgfiles/postinst
+++ b/dpkgfiles/postinst
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-#! /usr/bin/python
+#!/usr/bin/env python
 
 import os
 import time
diff --git a/extras/armoryengine_basics.py b/extras/armoryengine_basics.py
index 150639ffc..e6a0166f3 100644
--- a/extras/armoryengine_basics.py
+++ b/extras/armoryengine_basics.py
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-#! /usr/bin/python
+#!/usr/bin/env python
 import sys
 sys.path.append('..')
 from armoryengine import *
diff --git a/extras/cli_sign_txdp.py b/extras/cli_sign_txdp.py
index b9d02cf32..6f390cfbf 100644
--- a/extras/cli_sign_txdp.py
+++ b/extras/cli_sign_txdp.py
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-#! /usr/bin/python
+#!/usr/bin/env python
 import sys
 sys.path.append('..')
 sys.path.append('.')
diff --git a/extras/createTestChain.py b/extras/createTestChain.py
index b39ea1314..e6c3198d0 100644
--- a/extras/createTestChain.py
+++ b/extras/createTestChain.py
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-#! /usr/bin/python
+#!/usr/bin/env python
 from pybtcengine import *
 from CppBlockUtils import BlockHeader    as CppBlockHeader
 from CppBlockUtils import BlockHeaderRef as CppBlockHeaderRef
diff --git a/extras/dlscript.py b/extras/dlscript.py
index d1fad7875..c54515fa2 100644
--- a/extras/dlscript.py
+++ b/extras/dlscript.py
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-#! /usr/bin/python
+#!/usr/bin/env python
 import subprocess
 import os
 from sys import argv
diff --git a/extras/extractKeysFromWallet.py b/extras/extractKeysFromWallet.py
index 328a08e7e..5470ffc3c 100755
--- a/extras/extractKeysFromWallet.py
+++ b/extras/extractKeysFromWallet.py
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-#! /usr/bin/python
+#!/usr/bin/env python
 
 #
 #  IMPORTANT:  This script extracts *EVERY KEY & ADDR* out of your wallet.dat 
diff --git a/extras/mysteryHex.py b/extras/mysteryHex.py
index 2c6022a1e..462effd45 100644
--- a/extras/mysteryHex.py
+++ b/extras/mysteryHex.py
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-#! /usr/bin/python
+#!/usr/bin/env python
 from os import path
 import sys
 from optparse import OptionParser
diff --git a/extras/sign_release.py b/extras/sign_release.py
index f89aacadf..a9abe2451 100644
--- a/extras/sign_release.py
+++ b/extras/sign_release.py
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-#! /usr/bin/python
+#!/usr/bin/env python
 
 # Take a directory full of things to be signed, and do the right thing.
 # Make sure you cert-sign the windows installers, first
diff --git a/release_scripts/Step2_Offline_PackageSigning.py b/release_scripts/Step2_Offline_PackageSigning.py
index d13a0919e..69879abda 100644
--- a/release_scripts/Step2_Offline_PackageSigning.py
+++ b/release_scripts/Step2_Offline_PackageSigning.py
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-#! /usr/bin/python
+#!/usr/bin/env python
 
 # Take a directory full of things to be signed, and do the right thing.
 # Make sure you cert-sign the windows installers, first
diff --git a/release_scripts/Step3_Online_VerifyAndUpload.py b/release_scripts/Step3_Online_VerifyAndUpload.py
index c1eee5e2e..0b2e4e4af 100644
--- a/release_scripts/Step3_Online_VerifyAndUpload.py
+++ b/release_scripts/Step3_Online_VerifyAndUpload.py
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-#! /usr/bin/python
+#!/usr/bin/env python
 
 # This script doesn't actually do the verification stuff yet.  You should 
 # manually check, after this script completes, that signed_release_unpack:
diff --git a/release_scripts/release_utils.py b/release_scripts/release_utils.py
index 9f460dc80..f7c529335 100644
--- a/release_scripts/release_utils.py
+++ b/release_scripts/release_utils.py
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-#! /usr/bin/python
+#!/usr/bin/env python
 import sys
 import os
 import time
diff --git a/setup.py b/setup.py
index 432c37a84..43cfca138 100644
--- a/setup.py
+++ b/setup.py
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-#! /usr/bin/python
+#!/usr/bin/env python
 from distutils.core import setup
 import py2exe