diff --git a/packaging/build_deb.sh b/packaging/build_deb.sh
index 3bc10122..06804ac2 100755
--- a/packaging/build_deb.sh
+++ b/packaging/build_deb.sh
@@ -2,98 +2,95 @@
 
 set -e
 
-export DEBFULLNAME="Daniel Pavel"
-export DEBMAIL=${DEBMAIL:-daniel.pavel+debian@gmail.com}
-export DEBSIGN_KEYID=${DEBSIGN_KEYID:-0B34B1A7}
+if test "$DEBSIGN_KEYID"; then
+	test "$DEBEMAIL"
+	test "$DEBFULLNAME"
+else
+	export DEBFULLNAME="$(/usr/bin/getent passwd "$USER" | \
+				/usr/bin/cut --delimiter=: --fields=5 | /usr/bin/cut --delimiter=, --fields=1)"
+	export DEBEMAIL="${EMAIL:-$USER@$(/bin/hostname --long)}"
+fi
+export DEBMAIL="$DEBEMAIL"
 
-DISTRIBUTION=${DISTRIBUTION:-debian}
-DIST_RELEASE=${DIST_RELEASE:-unstable}
+export DEBCHANGE_VENDOR=${DEBCHANGE_VENDOR:-$(/usr/bin/dpkg-vendor --query vendor | /usr/bin/tr 'A-Z' 'a-z')}
+DISTRIBUTION=${DISTRIBUTION:-UNRELEASED}
 
 cd "$(dirname "$0")/.."
-UDEV_RULES="$PWD/rules.d"
 DEBIAN_FILES="$PWD/packaging/debian"
-DIST_TARGET="$PWD/dist/$DISTRIBUTION"
+DEBIAN_FILES_VENDOR="$PWD/packaging/$DEBCHANGE_VENDOR"
+DIST_TARGET="$PWD/dist/$DEBCHANGE_VENDOR"
 
 #
-# build a python sdist package
+# build a python sdist package, then unpack and create .orig and source dir
 #
 
-export TMPDIR=${TMPDIR:-/tmp}/solaar-build-$USER
-/bin/mkdir --parents --mode=0700 "$TMPDIR"
-BUILD_DIR="$TMPDIR/build-$DISTRIBUTION"
-/bin/rm --recursive --force "$BUILD_DIR"
+VERSION="$(python2.7 setup.py --version)"
+FULLNAME="$(python2.7 setup.py --fullname)"
+
+export TMPDIR="${TMPDIR:-/tmp}/debbuild-$FULLNAME-$USER"
+BUILD_DIR="$TMPDIR/$DEBCHANGE_VENDOR-$DISTRIBUTION"
+/bin/rm --force --recursive "$BUILD_DIR"
 /bin/mkdir --parents --mode=0700 "$BUILD_DIR"
-python "setup.py" sdist --dist-dir="$BUILD_DIR" --formats=gztar
+python2.7 setup.py sdist --dist-dir="$BUILD_DIR" --formats=gztar --quiet
 
-cd "$BUILD_DIR"
+ORIG_FILE="$BUILD_DIR/solaar_$VERSION.orig.tar.gz"
+/bin/mv "$BUILD_DIR/$FULLNAME.tar.gz" "$ORIG_FILE"
+/bin/tar --extract --gunzip --file "$ORIG_FILE" --directory "$BUILD_DIR"
 
-# guess the version of the built sdist
-S=$(ls -1t solaar-*.tar.gz | tail -n 1)
-test -r "$S"
-VERSION=${S#solaar-}
-VERSION=${VERSION%.tar.gz}
-
-# check the last version built
-LAST=$(head -n 1 "$DEBIAN_FILES/changelog" | grep -o ' ([0-9.-]*) ')
-LAST=${LAST# (}
-LAST=${LAST%) }
-LAST_VERSION=$(echo "$LAST" | cut -d- -f 1)
-LAST_BUILD=$(echo "$LAST" | cut -d- -f 2)
-
-if test "$BUILD_EXTRA"; then
-	# when building for a distro other than Debian, keep the same build number,
-	# just append the BUILD_EXTRA to it
-	BUILD_NUMBER=$LAST_BUILD
-elif dpkg --compare-versions "$VERSION" gt "$LAST_VERSION"; then
-	# the version increased, this is the first build for this version
-	BUILD_NUMBER=1
-else
-	# increase the build number
-	BUILD_NUMBER=$(($LAST_BUILD + 1))
-fi
-
-tar xfz "$S"
-mv "$S" solaar_$VERSION.orig.tar.gz
+cd "$BUILD_DIR/$FULLNAME"
+unset BUILD_DIR VERSION FULLNAME ORIG_FILE
 
 #
 # preparing to build the package
 #
 
-cd solaar-$VERSION
-cp -a "$DEBIAN_FILES" .
+/bin/cp --archive --target-directory=. "$DEBIAN_FILES"
 
-# udev rules, if not already set
-test -s debian/solaar.udev || cp -a "$UDEV_RULES"/??-*.rules debian/solaar.udev
+if test "$DEBSIGN_KEYID"; then
+	BUILDER_MAIL="$(echo "$DEBEMAIL" | /bin/sed --expression='s/+[a-z]*@/@/')"
+	MAINT_MAIL="$(/bin/grep '^Maintainer: ' debian/control | /usr/bin/cut --delimiter=' ' --fields=2)"
+	echo "maintainer $MAINT_MAIL, builder $BUILDER_MAIL"
+	# test "$MAINT_MAIL" = "$BUILDER_MAIL" &&
+	# 	/bin/sed --in-place --expression="s/^Maintainer: .*$/Maintainer: $DEBFULLNAME <$DEBEMAIL>/" debian/control
+else
+	/bin/sed --in-place --file=- debian/control <<-CONTROL
+		/^Maintainer:/ a\
+		Changed-By: $DEBFULLNAME <$DEBEMAIL>
+		CONTROL
+fi
 
-# generate the changelog with the right version number and release
-cat >debian/changelog <<_CHANGELOG
-solaar ($VERSION-$BUILD_NUMBER$BUILD_EXTRA) $DIST_RELEASE; urgency=low
+/usr/bin/debchange \
+	--vendor "$DEBCHANGE_VENDOR" \
+	--distribution "$DISTRIBUTION" \
+	--force-save-on-release \
+	--auto-nmu \
+	$@
 
-  * Debian packaging scripts, supports ubuntu ppa as well.
+if test "$DEBCHANGE_VENDOR" = debian; then
+	# if this is the main (Debian) build, update the source changelog
+	/bin/cp --archive --no-target-directory debian/changelog "$DEBIAN_FILES"/changelog
+else
+	# else copy any additional files
+	/bin/cp --archive --target-directory=debian/ "$DEBIAN_FILES_VENDOR"/* || true
+fi
 
- -- $DEBFULLNAME <$DEBMAIL>  $(date -R)
-
-_CHANGELOG
-
-# if this is the main (Debian) build, update the changelog
-test "$BUILD_EXTRA" || cp -a debian/changelog "$DEBIAN_FILES"/changelog
-
-# other distros may have extra files to place in debian/
-test "$DEBIAN_FILES_EXTRA" && cp -a $DEBIAN_FILES_EXTRA/* debian/
-
-# set the right maintainer email address
-sed -i -e "s/^Maintainer: .*$/Maintainer: $DEBFULLNAME <$DEBMAIL>/" debian/control
-
-export DEBUILD_LINTIAN_OPTS="--profile $DISTRIBUTION"
-export DEBUILD_DPKG_BUILDPACKAGE_OPTS="-sa"
-export DEBUILD_PRESERVE_ENVVARS='GPG_AGENT_INFO,DISPLAY'
-/usr/bin/debuild $@
+if test "$DEBSIGN_KEYID"; then
+	# only build a source package, and sign it
+	DPKG_BUILPACKAGE_OPTS="-sa -S -k$DEBSIGN_KEYID"
+else
+	# build an unsigned binary package
+	DPKG_BUILPACKAGE_OPTS="-b -us -uc"
+fi
+/usr/bin/debuild \
+	--lintian --tgz-check \
+	--preserve-envvar=DISPLAY \
+	$DPKG_BUILPACKAGE_OPTS \
+	--lintian-opts --profile "$DEBCHANGE_VENDOR"
 
 #
-# place the resulting files in dist/$DISTRIBUTION/
+# place the resulting files in $DIST_TARGET
 #
 
-/bin/rm --force "$DIST_TARGET"/*
 /bin/mkdir --parents "$DIST_TARGET"
-cp -a -t "$DIST_TARGET" ../solaar_$VERSION*
-cp -a -t "$DIST_TARGET" ../solaar-*_$VERSION* || true
+/bin/cp --archive --backup=numbered --target-directory="$DIST_TARGET" ../solaar_$VERSION*
+/bin/cp --archive --backup=numbered --target-directory="$DIST_TARGET" ../solaar-*_$VERSION* || true
diff --git a/packaging/upload_launchpad.sh b/packaging/upload_launchpad.sh
index eacff231..2e3f08ed 100755
--- a/packaging/upload_launchpad.sh
+++ b/packaging/upload_launchpad.sh
@@ -2,16 +2,15 @@
 
 set -e
 
-export DEBSIGN_KEYID=07D8904B
-export DEBMAIL="daniel.pavel+launchpad@gmail.com"
+export DEBCHANGE_VENDOR=ubuntu
+export DISTRIBUTION=precise
 
-export DISTRIBUTION=ubuntu
-export DIST_RELEASE=precise
-export DEBIAN_FILES_EXTRA="$PWD/packaging/ubuntu"
-export BUILD_EXTRA=ppa1
+export DEBFULLNAME='Daniel Pavel'
+export DEBEMAIL='daniel.pavel+launchpad@gmail.com'
+export DEBSIGN_KEYID=07D8904B
 
 Z="$(readlink -f "$(dirname "$0")")"
-"$Z"/build_deb.sh -S
+"$Z"/build_deb.sh --rebuild "$@"
 
-cd "$Z/../dist/ubuntu/"
-/usr/bin/dput --config="$Z/dput.cf" solaar-snapshots-ppa solaar_*_source.changes
+/usr/bin/dput --config="$Z/dput.cf" solaar-snapshots-ppa \
+	"$Z/../dist/ubuntu"/solaar_*_source.changes
diff --git a/packaging/upload_mentors.sh b/packaging/upload_mentors.sh
index f2932223..4c1abe80 100755
--- a/packaging/upload_mentors.sh
+++ b/packaging/upload_mentors.sh
@@ -2,8 +2,15 @@
 
 set -e
 
-Z="$(readlink -f "$(dirname "$0")")"
-"$Z"/build_deb.sh -S
+export DEBCHANGE_VENDOR=debian
+export DISTRIBUTION=unstable
 
-cd "$Z/../dist/debian/"
-/usr/bin/dput --config="$Z/dput.cf" mentors solaar_*_source.changes
+export DEBFULLNAME='Daniel Pavel'
+export DEBEMAIL='daniel.pavel+debian@gmail.com'
+export DEBSIGN_KEYID=0B34B1A7
+
+Z="$(readlink -f "$(dirname "$0")")"
+"$Z"/build_deb.sh --release "$@"
+
+/usr/bin/dput --config="$Z/dput.cf" mentors \
+	"$Z/../dist/debian"/solaar_*_source.changes