diff --git a/ChangeLog b/ChangeLog
index 8786266..14fdfb1 100644
--- a/ChangeLog
+++ b/ChangeLog
@@ -1,7 +1,13 @@
 Changelog
 =========
 
+0.1.6 (2015-03-26)
+------------------
+
+- Update setuptools bootstrap script. [Leo Singer]
+
 0.1.5 (2015-03-26)
+------------------
 
 - Add LIGO/Virgo notice types. [Leo Singer]
 
diff --git a/ez_setup.py b/ez_setup.py
index 23ea9a2..9dc2c87 100644
--- a/ez_setup.py
+++ b/ez_setup.py
@@ -1,14 +1,14 @@
-#!/usr/bin/env python
+#!python
 """Bootstrap setuptools installation
 
-To use setuptools in your package's setup.py, include this
-file in the same directory and add this to the top of your setup.py::
+If you want to use setuptools in your package's setup.py, just include this
+file in the same directory with it, and add this to the top of your setup.py::
 
     from ez_setup import use_setuptools
     use_setuptools()
 
-To require a specific version of setuptools, set a download
-mirror, or use an alternate download directory, simply supply
+If you want to require a specific version of setuptools, set a download
+mirror, or use an alternate download directory, you can do so by supplying
 the appropriate options to ``use_setuptools()``.
 
 This file can also be run as a script to install or upgrade setuptools.
@@ -17,12 +17,10 @@
 import shutil
 import sys
 import tempfile
-import zipfile
+import tarfile
 import optparse
 import subprocess
 import platform
-import textwrap
-import contextlib
 
 from distutils import log
 
@@ -31,19 +29,38 @@
 except ImportError:
     USER_SITE = None
 
-DEFAULT_VERSION = "3.5.1"
+DEFAULT_VERSION = "1.4.2"
 DEFAULT_URL = "https://pypi.python.org/packages/source/s/setuptools/"
 
 def _python_cmd(*args):
-    """
-    Return True if the command succeeded.
-    """
     args = (sys.executable,) + args
     return subprocess.call(args) == 0
 
+def _check_call_py24(cmd, *args, **kwargs):
+    res = subprocess.call(cmd, *args, **kwargs)
+    class CalledProcessError(Exception):
+        pass
+    if not res == 0:
+        msg = "Command '%s' return non-zero exit status %d" % (cmd, res)
+        raise CalledProcessError(msg)
+vars(subprocess).setdefault('check_call', _check_call_py24)
+
+def _install(tarball, install_args=()):
+    # extracting the tarball
+    tmpdir = tempfile.mkdtemp()
+    log.warn('Extracting in %s', tmpdir)
+    old_wd = os.getcwd()
+    try:
+        os.chdir(tmpdir)
+        tar = tarfile.open(tarball)
+        _extractall(tar)
+        tar.close()
+
+        # going in the directory
+        subdir = os.path.join(tmpdir, os.listdir(tmpdir)[0])
+        os.chdir(subdir)
+        log.warn('Now working in %s', subdir)
 
-def _install(archive_filename, install_args=()):
-    with archive_context(archive_filename):
         # installing
         log.warn('Installing Setuptools')
         if not _python_cmd('setup.py', 'install', *install_args):
@@ -51,61 +68,47 @@ def _install(archive_filename, install_args=()):
             log.warn('See the error message above.')
             # exitcode will be 2
             return 2
+    finally:
+        os.chdir(old_wd)
+        shutil.rmtree(tmpdir)
 
 
-def _build_egg(egg, archive_filename, to_dir):
-    with archive_context(archive_filename):
-        # building an egg
-        log.warn('Building a Setuptools egg in %s', to_dir)
-        _python_cmd('setup.py', '-q', 'bdist_egg', '--dist-dir', to_dir)
-    # returning the result
-    log.warn(egg)
-    if not os.path.exists(egg):
-        raise IOError('Could not build the egg.')
-
-
-def get_zip_class():
-    """
-    Supplement ZipFile class to support context manager for Python 2.6
-    """
-    class ContextualZipFile(zipfile.ZipFile):
-        def __enter__(self):
-            return self
-        def __exit__(self, type, value, traceback):
-            self.close
-    return zipfile.ZipFile if hasattr(zipfile.ZipFile, '__exit__') else \
-        ContextualZipFile
-
-
-@contextlib.contextmanager
-def archive_context(filename):
-    # extracting the archive
+def _build_egg(egg, tarball, to_dir):
+    # extracting the tarball
     tmpdir = tempfile.mkdtemp()
     log.warn('Extracting in %s', tmpdir)
     old_wd = os.getcwd()
     try:
         os.chdir(tmpdir)
-        with get_zip_class()(filename) as archive:
-            archive.extractall()
+        tar = tarfile.open(tarball)
+        _extractall(tar)
+        tar.close()
 
         # going in the directory
         subdir = os.path.join(tmpdir, os.listdir(tmpdir)[0])
         os.chdir(subdir)
         log.warn('Now working in %s', subdir)
-        yield
+
+        # building an egg
+        log.warn('Building a Setuptools egg in %s', to_dir)
+        _python_cmd('setup.py', '-q', 'bdist_egg', '--dist-dir', to_dir)
 
     finally:
         os.chdir(old_wd)
         shutil.rmtree(tmpdir)
+    # returning the result
+    log.warn(egg)
+    if not os.path.exists(egg):
+        raise IOError('Could not build the egg.')
 
 
 def _do_download(version, download_base, to_dir, download_delay):
     egg = os.path.join(to_dir, 'setuptools-%s-py%d.%d.egg'
                        % (version, sys.version_info[0], sys.version_info[1]))
     if not os.path.exists(egg):
-        archive = download_setuptools(version, download_base,
+        tarball = download_setuptools(version, download_base,
                                       to_dir, download_delay)
-        _build_egg(egg, archive, to_dir)
+        _build_egg(egg, tarball, to_dir)
     sys.path.insert(0, egg)
 
     # Remove previously-imported pkg_resources if present (see
@@ -118,10 +121,11 @@ def _do_download(version, download_base, to_dir, download_delay):
 
 
 def use_setuptools(version=DEFAULT_VERSION, download_base=DEFAULT_URL,
-        to_dir=os.curdir, download_delay=15):
+                   to_dir=os.curdir, download_delay=15):
+    # making sure we use the absolute path
     to_dir = os.path.abspath(to_dir)
-    rep_modules = 'pkg_resources', 'setuptools'
-    imported = set(sys.modules).intersection(rep_modules)
+    was_imported = 'pkg_resources' in sys.modules or \
+        'setuptools' in sys.modules
     try:
         import pkg_resources
     except ImportError:
@@ -129,24 +133,23 @@ def use_setuptools(version=DEFAULT_VERSION, download_base=DEFAULT_URL,
     try:
         pkg_resources.require("setuptools>=" + version)
         return
-    except pkg_resources.DistributionNotFound:
-        return _do_download(version, download_base, to_dir, download_delay)
-    except pkg_resources.VersionConflict as VC_err:
-        if imported:
-            msg = textwrap.dedent("""
-                The required version of setuptools (>={version}) is not available,
-                and can't be installed while this script is running. Please
-                install a more recent version first, using
-                'easy_install -U setuptools'.
-
-                (Currently using {VC_err.args[0]!r})
-                """).format(VC_err=VC_err, version=version)
-            sys.stderr.write(msg)
+    except pkg_resources.VersionConflict:
+        e = sys.exc_info()[1]
+        if was_imported:
+            sys.stderr.write(
+            "The required version of setuptools (>=%s) is not available,\n"
+            "and can't be installed while this script is running. Please\n"
+            "install a more recent version first, using\n"
+            "'easy_install -U setuptools'."
+            "\n\n(Currently using %r)\n" % (version, e.args[0]))
             sys.exit(2)
-
-        # otherwise, reload ok
-        del pkg_resources, sys.modules['pkg_resources']
-        return _do_download(version, download_base, to_dir, download_delay)
+        else:
+            del pkg_resources, sys.modules['pkg_resources']    # reload ok
+            return _do_download(version, download_base, to_dir,
+                                download_delay)
+    except pkg_resources.DistributionNotFound:
+        return _do_download(version, download_base, to_dir,
+                            download_delay)
 
 def _clean_check(cmd, target):
     """
@@ -181,7 +184,7 @@ def has_powershell():
     try:
         try:
             subprocess.check_call(cmd, stdout=devnull, stderr=devnull)
-        except Exception:
+        except:
             return False
     finally:
         devnull.close()
@@ -199,7 +202,7 @@ def has_curl():
     try:
         try:
             subprocess.check_call(cmd, stdout=devnull, stderr=devnull)
-        except Exception:
+        except:
             return False
     finally:
         devnull.close()
@@ -217,7 +220,7 @@ def has_wget():
     try:
         try:
             subprocess.check_call(cmd, stdout=devnull, stderr=devnull)
-        except Exception:
+        except:
             return False
     finally:
         devnull.close()
@@ -263,9 +266,9 @@ def get_best_downloader():
             return dl
 
 def download_setuptools(version=DEFAULT_VERSION, download_base=DEFAULT_URL,
-        to_dir=os.curdir, delay=15, downloader_factory=get_best_downloader):
-    """
-    Download setuptools from a specified location and return its filename
+                        to_dir=os.curdir, delay=15,
+                        downloader_factory=get_best_downloader):
+    """Download setuptools from a specified location and return its filename
 
     `version` should be a valid setuptools version number that is available
     as an egg for download under the `download_base` URL (which should end
@@ -278,20 +281,74 @@ def download_setuptools(version=DEFAULT_VERSION, download_base=DEFAULT_URL,
     """
     # making sure we use the absolute path
     to_dir = os.path.abspath(to_dir)
-    zip_name = "setuptools-%s.zip" % version
-    url = download_base + zip_name
-    saveto = os.path.join(to_dir, zip_name)
+    tgz_name = "setuptools-%s.tar.gz" % version
+    url = download_base + tgz_name
+    saveto = os.path.join(to_dir, tgz_name)
     if not os.path.exists(saveto):  # Avoid repeated downloads
         log.warn("Downloading %s", url)
         downloader = downloader_factory()
         downloader(url, saveto)
     return os.path.realpath(saveto)
 
+
+def _extractall(self, path=".", members=None):
+    """Extract all members from the archive to the current working
+       directory and set owner, modification time and permissions on
+       directories afterwards. `path' specifies a different directory
+       to extract to. `members' is optional and must be a subset of the
+       list returned by getmembers().
+    """
+    import copy
+    import operator
+    from tarfile import ExtractError
+    directories = []
+
+    if members is None:
+        members = self
+
+    for tarinfo in members:
+        if tarinfo.isdir():
+            # Extract directories with a safe mode.
+            directories.append(tarinfo)
+            tarinfo = copy.copy(tarinfo)
+            tarinfo.mode = 448  # decimal for oct 0700
+        self.extract(tarinfo, path)
+
+    # Reverse sort directories.
+    if sys.version_info < (2, 4):
+        def sorter(dir1, dir2):
+            return cmp(dir1.name, dir2.name)
+        directories.sort(sorter)
+        directories.reverse()
+    else:
+        directories.sort(key=operator.attrgetter('name'), reverse=True)
+
+    # Set correct owner, mtime and filemode on directories.
+    for tarinfo in directories:
+        dirpath = os.path.join(path, tarinfo.name)
+        try:
+            self.chown(tarinfo, dirpath)
+            self.utime(tarinfo, dirpath)
+            self.chmod(tarinfo, dirpath)
+        except ExtractError:
+            e = sys.exc_info()[1]
+            if self.errorlevel > 1:
+                raise
+            else:
+                self._dbg(1, "tarfile: %s" % e)
+
+
 def _build_install_args(options):
     """
     Build the arguments to 'python setup.py install' on the setuptools package
     """
-    return ['--user'] if options.user_install else []
+    install_args = []
+    if options.user_install:
+        if sys.version_info < (2, 6):
+            log.warn("--user requires Python 2.6 or later")
+            raise SystemExit(1)
+        install_args.append('--user')
+    return install_args
 
 def _parse_args():
     """
@@ -310,23 +367,16 @@ def _parse_args():
         const=lambda: download_file_insecure, default=get_best_downloader,
         help='Use internal, non-validating downloader'
     )
-    parser.add_option(
-        '--version', help="Specify which version to download",
-        default=DEFAULT_VERSION,
-    )
     options, args = parser.parse_args()
     # positional arguments are ignored
     return options
 
-def main():
+def main(version=DEFAULT_VERSION):
     """Install or upgrade setuptools and EasyInstall"""
     options = _parse_args()
-    archive = download_setuptools(
-        version=options.version,
-        download_base=options.download_base,
-        downloader_factory=options.downloader_factory,
-    )
-    return _install(archive, _build_install_args(options))
+    tarball = download_setuptools(download_base=options.download_base,
+        downloader_factory=options.downloader_factory)
+    return _install(tarball, _build_install_args(options))
 
 if __name__ == '__main__':
     sys.exit(main())
diff --git a/setup.py b/setup.py
index b6a3237..acb2dae 100644
--- a/setup.py
+++ b/setup.py
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@
 
 setup(
     name='pygcn',
-    version='0.1.5',
+    version='0.1.6',
     author='Leo Singer',
     author_email='leo.singer@ligo.org',
     description=gcn.__doc__.splitlines()[1],