@@ -120,7 +120,7 @@ def wait(self):
             :raise GitCommandError: if the return status is not 0"""
             status = self.proc.wait()
             if status != 0:
-                raise GitCommandError(self.args, status, self.proc.stderr.read())
+                raise GitCommandError(self.args, status, self.proc.stderr.read().decode(defenc))
             # END status handling
             return status
     # END auto interrupt
 
@@ -29,10 +29,12 @@ def __init__(self, command, status, stderr=None, stdout=None):
         self.command = command
 
     def __str__(self):
-        ret = "'%s' returned exit status %i: %s" % \
-              (' '.join(str(i) for i in self.command), self.status, self.stderr)
-        if self.stdout is not None:
-            ret += "\nstdout: %s" % self.stdout
+        ret = "'%s' returned with exit code %i" % \
+              (' '.join(str(i) for i in self.command), self.status)
+        if self.stderr:
+            ret += "\nstderr: '%s'" % self.stderr
+        if self.stdout:
+            ret += "\nstdout: '%s'" % self.stdout
         return ret
 
 
 
@@ -138,7 +138,7 @@ def remote_ref(self):
     @classmethod
     def _from_line(cls, remote, line):
         """Create a new PushInfo instance as parsed from line which is expected to be like
-            refs/heads/master:refs/heads/master 05d2687..1d0568e"""
+            refs/heads/master:refs/heads/master 05d2687..1d0568e as bytes"""
         control_character, from_to, summary = line.split('\t', 3)
         flags = 0
 
@@ -522,6 +522,7 @@ def update(self, **kwargs):
 
     def _get_fetch_info_from_stderr(self, proc, progress):
         # skip first line as it is some remote info we are not interested in
+        # TODO: Use poll() to process stdout and stderr at same time
         output = IterableList('name')
 
         # lines which are no progress are fetch info lines
@@ -544,8 +545,8 @@ def _get_fetch_info_from_stderr(self, proc, progress):
         # END for each line
 
         # read head information
-        fp = open(join(self.repo.git_dir, 'FETCH_HEAD'), 'r')
-        fetch_head_info = fp.readlines()
+        fp = open(join(self.repo.git_dir, 'FETCH_HEAD'), 'rb')
+        fetch_head_info = [l.decode(defenc) for l in fp.readlines()]
         fp.close()
 
         # NOTE: We assume to fetch at least enough progress lines to allow matching each fetch head line with it.
@@ -562,18 +563,19 @@ def _get_push_info(self, proc, progress):
         # we hope stdout can hold all the data, it should ...
         # read the lines manually as it will use carriage returns between the messages
         # to override the previous one. This is why we read the bytes manually
+        # TODO: poll() on file descriptors to know what to read next, process streams concurrently
         digest_process_messages(proc.stderr, progress)
 
         output = IterableList('name')
         for line in proc.stdout.readlines():
+            line = line.decode(defenc)
             try:
                 output.append(PushInfo._from_line(self, line))
             except ValueError:
                 # if an error happens, additional info is given which we cannot parse
                 pass
             # END exception handling
         # END for each line
-
         finalize_process(proc)
         return output
 
 
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@
 
 
 def touch(filename):
-    fp = open(filename, "a")
+    fp = open(filename, "ab")
     fp.close()
 
 
 
@@ -193,7 +193,7 @@ def remote_repo_creator(self):
             temp_dir = os.path.dirname(_mktemp())
             # On windows, this will fail ... we deal with failures anyway and default to telling the user to do it
             try:
-                gd = Git().daemon(temp_dir, as_process=True)
+                gd = Git().daemon(temp_dir, enable='receive-pack', as_process=True)
                 # yes, I know ... fortunately, this is always going to work if sleep time is just large enough
                 time.sleep(0.5)
             except Exception:
@@ -215,7 +215,8 @@ def remote_repo_creator(self):
                     msg += 'Otherwise, run: git-daemon "%s"' % temp_dir
                     raise AssertionError(msg)
                 else:
-                    msg = 'Please start a git-daemon to run this test, execute: git-daemon "%s"' % temp_dir
+                    msg = 'Please start a git-daemon to run this test, execute: git daemon --enable=receive-pack "%s"'
+                    msg %= temp_dir
                     raise AssertionError(msg)
                 # END make assertion
             # END catch ls remote error
@@ -227,15 +228,17 @@ def remote_repo_creator(self):
                 return func(self, rw_repo, rw_remote_repo)
             finally:
                 # gd.proc.kill() ... no idea why that doesn't work
-                os.kill(gd.proc.pid, 15)
+                if gd is not None:
+                    os.kill(gd.proc.pid, 15)
 
                 os.chdir(prev_cwd)
                 rw_repo.git.clear_cache()
                 rw_remote_repo.git.clear_cache()
                 shutil.rmtree(repo_dir, onerror=_rmtree_onerror)
                 shutil.rmtree(remote_repo_dir, onerror=_rmtree_onerror)
 
-                gd.proc.wait()
+                if gd is not None:
+                    gd.proc.wait()
             # END cleanup
         # END bare repo creator
         remote_repo_creator.__name__ = func.__name__