diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index d40aa6a7d8..648469e625 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -419,6 +419,7 @@ $(patsubst %.sh,%,$(SCRIPT_SH)) : % : %.sh
 	rm -f $@
 	sed -e '1s|#!.*/sh|#!$(call shq,$(SHELL_PATH))|' \
 	    -e 's/@@GIT_VERSION@@/$(GIT_VERSION)/g' \
+	    -e 's/@@NO_CURL@@/$(NO_CURL)/g' \
 	    $@.sh >$@
 	chmod +x $@
 
diff --git a/cache.h b/cache.h
index d7f5bdef07..6542214c1e 100644
--- a/cache.h
+++ b/cache.h
@@ -324,7 +324,7 @@ extern int num_packed_objects(const struct packed_git *p);
 extern int nth_packed_object_sha1(const struct packed_git *, int, unsigned char*);
 extern int find_pack_entry_one(const unsigned char *, struct pack_entry *, struct packed_git *);
 extern void *unpack_entry_gently(struct pack_entry *, char *, unsigned long *);
-extern void packed_object_info_detail(struct pack_entry *, char *, unsigned long *, unsigned long *, int *, unsigned char *);
+extern void packed_object_info_detail(struct pack_entry *, char *, unsigned long *, unsigned long *, unsigned int *, unsigned char *);
 
 /* Dumb servers support */
 extern int update_server_info(int);
diff --git a/git-checkout.sh b/git-checkout.sh
index 76e7f55226..463ed2eaff 100755
--- a/git-checkout.sh
+++ b/git-checkout.sh
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ while [ "$#" != "0" ]; do
 		[ -e "$GIT_DIR/refs/heads/$newbranch" ] &&
 			die "git checkout: branch $newbranch already exists"
 		git-check-ref-format "heads/$newbranch" ||
-			die "we do not like '$newbranch' as a branch name."
+			die "git checkout: we do not like '$newbranch' as a branch name."
 		;;
 	"-f")
 		force=1
@@ -75,9 +75,15 @@ done
 
 if test "$#" -ge 1
 then
+	hint=
+	if test "$#" -eq 1
+	then
+		hint="
+Did you intend to checkout '$@' which can not be resolved as commit?"
+	fi
 	if test '' != "$newbranch$force$merge"
 	then
-		die "updating paths and switching branches or forcing are incompatible."
+		die "git checkout: updating paths is incompatible with switching branches/forcing$hint"
 	fi
 	if test '' != "$new"
 	then
@@ -117,7 +123,8 @@ fi
 
 [ -z "$branch$newbranch" ] &&
 	[ "$new" != "$old" ] &&
-	die "git checkout: you need to specify a new branch name"
+	die "git checkout: to checkout the requested commit you need to specify 
+              a name for a new branch which is created and switched to"
 
 if [ "$force" ]
 then
diff --git a/git-clone.sh b/git-clone.sh
index 47f3ec9761..e192b08c0d 100755
--- a/git-clone.sh
+++ b/git-clone.sh
@@ -206,7 +206,13 @@ yes,yes)
 		fi
 		;;
 	http://*)
-		clone_dumb_http "$repo" "$D"
+		if test -z "@@NO_CURL@@"
+		then
+			clone_dumb_http "$repo" "$D"
+		else
+			echo >&2 "http transport not supported, rebuild Git with curl support"
+			exit 1
+		fi
 		;;
 	*)
 		cd "$D" && case "$upload_pack" in
diff --git a/pack-check.c b/pack-check.c
index 67a7ecdf16..eca32b6cab 100644
--- a/pack-check.c
+++ b/pack-check.c
@@ -84,7 +84,7 @@ static void show_pack_info(struct packed_git *p)
 		char type[20];
 		unsigned long size;
 		unsigned long store_size;
-		int delta_chain_length;
+		unsigned int delta_chain_length;
 
 		if (nth_packed_object_sha1(p, i, sha1))
 			die("internal error pack-check nth-packed-object");
@@ -98,7 +98,7 @@ static void show_pack_info(struct packed_git *p)
 		if (!delta_chain_length)
 			printf("%-6s %lu %u\n", type, size, e.offset);
 		else
-			printf("%-6s %lu %u %d %s\n", type, size, e.offset,
+			printf("%-6s %lu %u %u %s\n", type, size, e.offset,
 			       delta_chain_length, sha1_to_hex(base_sha1));
 	}
 
diff --git a/sha1_file.c b/sha1_file.c
index 3d11a9bfdc..64cf245418 100644
--- a/sha1_file.c
+++ b/sha1_file.c
@@ -830,7 +830,7 @@ void packed_object_info_detail(struct pack_entry *e,
 			       char *type,
 			       unsigned long *size,
 			       unsigned long *store_size,
-			       int *delta_chain_length,
+			       unsigned int *delta_chain_length,
 			       unsigned char *base_sha1)
 {
 	struct packed_git *p = e->p;
@@ -844,7 +844,7 @@ void packed_object_info_detail(struct pack_entry *e,
 	if (kind != OBJ_DELTA)
 		*delta_chain_length = 0;
 	else {
-		int chain_length = 0;
+		unsigned int chain_length = 0;
 		memcpy(base_sha1, pack, 20);
 		do {
 			struct pack_entry base_ent;