diff --git a/build.py b/build.py
index 593d804bfa8..db7ed527937 100755
--- a/build.py
+++ b/build.py
@@ -136,5 +136,6 @@ def execute(args):
     except KeyboardInterrupt:
         sys.stderr.write("\nCancelled by user\n")
         sys.exit(2)
-    except SystemExit:
-            notification(""" Failed: %s """ % " ".join(args), 100)
+    except SystemExit, se:
+        notification(""" Failed: %s """ % " ".join(args), 100)
+        sys.exit(se.code)
diff --git a/build.xml b/build.xml
index 04df69679db..014f7eb6b4d 100644
--- a/build.xml
+++ b/build.xml
@@ -131,7 +131,7 @@ java component.
         <iterate buildpathref="OmeroWeb.buildpath" target="tools-dist"/>
         <iterate buildpathref="licenses.buildpath" target="tools-dist"/>
         <iterate buildpathref="tools.buildpath" target="dist"/>
-        <prepareDist/>
+        <antcall target="build-dist" inheritRefs="true" inheritAll="true"/>
     </target>
 
     <!-- includes C++ -->
@@ -139,7 +139,7 @@ java component.
         <iterate buildpathref="all.buildpath" target="dist"/>
         <iterate buildpathref="tools.buildpath" target="build"/>
         <iterate buildpathref="tools.buildpath" target="dist"/>
-        <prepareDist/>
+        <antcall target="build-dist" inheritRefs="true" inheritAll="true"/>
     </target>
 
     <target name="build-blitz" description="Build blitz and copy to dist/blitz" depends="init">
@@ -148,7 +148,7 @@ java component.
         <iterate buildpathref="OmeroPy.buildpath" target="tools-dist"/>
         <iterate buildpathref="OmeroFs.buildpath" target="tools-dist"/>
         <iterate buildpathref="tools.buildpath" target="dist"/>
-        <prepareDist/>
+        <antcall target="build-dist" inheritRefs="true" inheritAll="true"/>
     </target>
 
     <target name="build-importer" description="Build importer and copy to dist/lib and dist/bin" depends="init">
@@ -536,9 +536,7 @@ java component.
     Top-level helpers (shared helpers are in components/antlib/resources)
     =====================================================================
     -->
-    <target name="_dist" depends="init"><prepareDist/></target>
-    <macrodef name="prepareDist">
-        <sequential>
+    <target name="build-dist" depends="init" description="Copy all components to dist/; called at the end of build-* targets">
             <copy file="${omero.home}/LICENSE.txt" todir="${dist.dir}/"/>
             <copy todir="${dist.dir}/etc">
                 <fileset dir="${omero.home}/etc">
@@ -587,8 +585,7 @@ omero.version=${omero.version}
                 </jar>
             </then>
             </if>
-       </sequential>
-    </macrodef>
+    </target>
 
     <target name="version">
       <echo>${omero.version}</echo>
diff --git a/components/blitz/build.xml b/components/blitz/build.xml
index 635a5c58d37..a71d34ab088 100644
--- a/components/blitz/build.xml
+++ b/components/blitz/build.xml
@@ -14,7 +14,8 @@
             <delete file="${basedir}/.sconsign.dblite"/>
         </target>
 
-	<target name="compile" depends="generate" unless="skip.compile">
+	<target name="compile" depends="generate,_compile" unless="skip.compile"/>
+	<target name="_compile" description="Internal develop target which doesn't run codegen">
             <if>
                 <uptodate targetfile="${target.dir}/blitz.jar">
                     <srcfiles dir="${basedir}" includes="**/*.java,**/*.ice,**/*.vm"/>
diff --git a/components/dsl/ivy.xml b/components/dsl/ivy.xml
index e52cf9ad337..5b9566a4099 100644
--- a/components/dsl/ivy.xml
+++ b/components/dsl/ivy.xml
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@
     <dependency org="slf4j" name="slf4j-log4j12" rev="${versions.slf4j}" conf="runtime->default"/>
     <dependency org="slf4j" name="jul-to-slf4j" rev="${versions.slf4j}" conf="runtime->default"/>
     <dependency org="log4j" name="log4j" rev="${versions.log4j}" conf="runtime->default"/>
-    <dependency org="perf4j" name="perf4j" rev="${versions.perf4j}" conf="runtime->default"/>
+    <dependency org="perf4j" name="perf4j" rev="${versions.perf4j}" conf="build,runtime->default"/>
     <dependency org="commons-logging" name="commons-logging" rev="${versions.commons-logging}" conf="build,runtime->default"/>
     <dependency org="commons-collections" name="commons-collections" rev="${versions.commons-collections}" conf="build,runtime->default"/>
     <!-- build requirements -->
diff --git a/components/model/build.xml b/components/model/build.xml
index 4c35243c068..e244b863ffe 100644
--- a/components/model/build.xml
+++ b/components/model/build.xml
@@ -68,8 +68,10 @@
 		</copy>
 	</target>
 
-	<target name="generate-schema" depends="generate" description="Generates SQL based on Hibernate mappings">
+	<target name="generate-schema" depends="generate,_generate-schema" description="Generates SQL based on Hibernate mappings">
+        </target>
 
+	<target name="_generate-schema" depends="generate" description="Internal developer target which doesn't run codegen">
 		<taskdef name="hibernatetool" classname="org.hibernate.tool.ant.HibernateToolTask" classpathref="omero.classpath" />
 		<hibernatetool destdir="${target.dir}/generated/ant">
 			<annotationconfiguration configurationfile="${resrc.dest}/hibernate.cfg.xml" propertyfile="${resrc.dest}/local.properties">
diff --git a/components/tools/OmeroPy/src/omero/plugins/db.py b/components/tools/OmeroPy/src/omero/plugins/db.py
index b3ec0587db8..0ab4c38d55d 100644
--- a/components/tools/OmeroPy/src/omero/plugins/db.py
+++ b/components/tools/OmeroPy/src/omero/plugins/db.py
@@ -91,7 +91,7 @@ def _create(self, sql_directory, db_vers, db_patch, password_hash, location = No
             location = path().getcwd() / script
 
         output = open(location, 'w')
-        print "Saving to " + location
+        self.ctx.out("Saving to " + location)
 
         try:
             output.write("""
@@ -151,11 +151,11 @@ def script(self, *args):
                 if len(db_patch) == 0:
                     db_patch = data2.properties.getProperty("omero.db.patch")
             data.properties.setProperty("omero.db.version", db_vers)
-            self.ctx.out("Using %s for version" % db_vers)
+            self.ctx.err("Using %s for version" % db_vers)
             data.properties.setProperty("omero.db.patch", db_patch)
-            self.ctx.out("Using %s for patch" % db_patch)
+            self.ctx.err("Using %s for patch" % db_patch)
             root_pass = args.args[2]
-            self.ctx.out("Using password from commandline")
+            self.ctx.err("Using password from commandline")
         except Exception, e:
             self.ctx.dbg("While getting arguments:"+str(e))
         self._lookup(data, data2, "version", map)