diff --git a/pkgs/applications/networking/browsers/firefox-wrapper/default.nix b/pkgs/applications/networking/browsers/firefox-wrapper/default.nix
index c806d88c80a..909a52d0a41 100644
--- a/pkgs/applications/networking/browsers/firefox-wrapper/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/applications/networking/browsers/firefox-wrapper/default.nix
@@ -11,4 +11,8 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation {
   # Let each plugin tell us (through its `mozillaPlugin') attribute
   # where to find the plugin in its tree.
   plugins = map (x: x ~ x.mozillaPlugin) plugins;
+
+  meta = {
+    description = firefox.meta.description + " (with various plugins)";
+  };
 }
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/networking/browsers/firefox/default.nix b/pkgs/applications/networking/browsers/firefox/default.nix
index d06e065d9c5..4905ed29826 100644
--- a/pkgs/applications/networking/browsers/firefox/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/applications/networking/browsers/firefox/default.nix
@@ -41,4 +41,7 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation {
   ]
   ++ (if enableOfficialBranding then ["--enable-official-branding"] else []);
 
+  meta = {
+    description = "Mozilla Firefox - the browser, reloaded";
+  };
 }
diff --git a/pkgs/build-support/gcc-cross-wrapper/default.nix b/pkgs/build-support/gcc-cross-wrapper/default.nix
index 0ceab44ee27..09f7f006928 100644
--- a/pkgs/build-support/gcc-cross-wrapper/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/build-support/gcc-cross-wrapper/default.nix
@@ -27,4 +27,7 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation {
   langCC = if nativeTools then true else gcc.langCC;
   langF77 = if nativeTools then false else gcc.langF77;
   shell = if shell == "" then stdenv.shell else shell;
+  meta = if gcc != null then gcc.meta else
+    { description = "System C compiler wrapper";
+    };
 }
diff --git a/pkgs/build-support/gcc-wrapper/default.nix b/pkgs/build-support/gcc-wrapper/default.nix
index 4296aef67c8..22d02395129 100644
--- a/pkgs/build-support/gcc-wrapper/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/build-support/gcc-wrapper/default.nix
@@ -27,4 +27,7 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation {
   langCC = if nativeTools then true else gcc.langCC;
   langF77 = if nativeTools then false else gcc.langF77;
   shell = if shell == "" then stdenv.shell else shell;
+  meta = if gcc != null then gcc.meta else
+    { description = "System C compiler wrapper";
+    };
 }
diff --git a/pkgs/development/compilers/blackdown/default.nix b/pkgs/development/compilers/blackdown/default.nix
index 43ed19a1098..b83c3124e8a 100644
--- a/pkgs/development/compilers/blackdown/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/development/compilers/blackdown/default.nix
@@ -6,4 +6,4 @@ if stdenv.system == "i686-linux"
       inherit stdenv fetchurl;
     }
   else
-    false
+    null
diff --git a/pkgs/development/compilers/gcc-4.0-cross/default.nix b/pkgs/development/compilers/gcc-4.0-cross/default.nix
index a31353e2d23..ecae99ceeee 100644
--- a/pkgs/development/compilers/gcc-4.0-cross/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/development/compilers/gcc-4.0-cross/default.nix
@@ -26,4 +26,10 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation {
   buildInputs = [binutilsCross];
   inherit kernelHeadersCross binutilsCross;
   platform = cross;
+
+  meta = {
+    homepage = "http://gcc.gnu.org/";
+    license = "GPL/LGPL";
+    description = "GNU Compiler Collection, 4.0.x (cross-compiler for " + cross + ")";
+  };
 }
diff --git a/pkgs/development/compilers/gcc-4.0/default.nix b/pkgs/development/compilers/gcc-4.0/default.nix
index bed212e964b..8363c10edb4 100644
--- a/pkgs/development/compilers/gcc-4.0/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/development/compilers/gcc-4.0/default.nix
@@ -15,4 +15,10 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation {
   # !!! apply only if noSysDirs is set
   patches = [./no-sys-dirs.patch];
   inherit noSysDirs langC langCC langF77 profiledCompiler;
+
+  meta = {
+    homepage = "http://gcc.gnu.org/";
+    license = "GPL/LGPL";
+    description = "GNU Compiler Collection, 4.0.x";
+  };
 }
diff --git a/pkgs/development/libraries/aterm/aterm-2.4.nix b/pkgs/development/libraries/aterm/aterm-2.4.nix
index a4a802471fe..c367b4b9054 100644
--- a/pkgs/development/libraries/aterm/aterm-2.4.nix
+++ b/pkgs/development/libraries/aterm/aterm-2.4.nix
@@ -6,4 +6,9 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation {
     url = http://nix.cs.uu.nl/dist/tarballs/aterm-2.4.2.tar.gz;
     md5 = "18617081dd112d85e6c4b1b552628114";
   };
+  meta = {
+    homepage = http://www.cwi.nl/htbin/sen1/twiki/bin/view/SEN1/ATerm;
+    license = "LGPL";
+    description = "Library for manipulation of term data structures in C";
+  };
 }
diff --git a/pkgs/stdenv/darwin/default.nix b/pkgs/stdenv/darwin/default.nix
index b07a694276e..772b8973e6c 100644
--- a/pkgs/stdenv/darwin/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/stdenv/darwin/default.nix
@@ -16,4 +16,9 @@ genericStdenv {
   };
 
   shell = "/bin/sh";
+
+  extraAttrs = {
+    # Curl should be in /usr/bin or so.
+    curl = null;
+  };
 }
diff --git a/pkgs/system/stdenvs.nix b/pkgs/stdenv/default.nix
similarity index 70%
rename from pkgs/system/stdenvs.nix
rename to pkgs/stdenv/default.nix
index b96c3d17674..b66d770782c 100644
--- a/pkgs/system/stdenvs.nix
+++ b/pkgs/stdenv/default.nix
@@ -5,14 +5,16 @@
 # Posix utilities, the GNU C compiler, and so on.  On other systems,
 # we use the native C library.
 
-{system, allPackages}: rec {
+{system, allPackages}:
+
+rec {
 
   gccWrapper = import ../build-support/gcc-wrapper;
-  genericStdenv = import ../stdenv/generic;
+  genericStdenv = import ./generic;
 
 
   # Trivial environment used for building other environments.
-  stdenvInitial = (import ../stdenv/initial) {
+  stdenvInitial = (import ./initial) {
     name = "stdenv-initial";
     inherit system;
   };
@@ -23,47 +25,44 @@
   # i.e., the stuff in /bin, /usr/bin, etc.  This environment should
   # be used with care, since many Nix packages will not build properly
   # with it (e.g., because they require GNU Make).
-  stdenvNative = (import ../stdenv/native) {
+  stdenvNative = (import ./native) {
     stdenv = stdenvInitial;
     inherit genericStdenv gccWrapper;
   };
 
   stdenvNativePkgs = allPackages {
-    stdenv = stdenvNative;
-    bootCurl = null;
+    bootStdenv = stdenvNative;
     noSysDirs = false;
   };
 
 
   # The Nix build environment.
-  stdenvNix = (import ../stdenv/nix) {
+  stdenvNix = (import ./nix) {
     stdenv = stdenvNative;
     pkgs = stdenvNativePkgs;
     inherit genericStdenv gccWrapper;
   };
 
   stdenvNixPkgs = allPackages {
-    stdenv = stdenvNix;
-    bootCurl = stdenvNativePkgs.curl;
+    bootStdenv = stdenvNix;
     noSysDirs = false;
   };
 
 
   # Linux standard environment.
-  inherit (import ../stdenv/linux {inherit allPackages;})
+  inherit (import ./linux {inherit allPackages;})
     stdenvLinux stdenvLinuxPkgs;
 
     
   # Darwin (Mac OS X) standard environment.  Very simple for now
   # (essentially it's just the native environment).
-  stdenvDarwin = (import ../stdenv/darwin) {
+  stdenvDarwin = (import ./darwin) {
     stdenv = stdenvInitial;
     inherit genericStdenv gccWrapper;
   };
 
   stdenvDarwinPkgs = allPackages {
-    stdenv = stdenvDarwin;
-    bootCurl = null;
+    bootStdenv = stdenvDarwin;
     noSysDirs = false;
   };
 
@@ -71,21 +70,21 @@
   # FreeBSD standard environment.  Right now this is more or less the
   # same as the native environemnt.  Eventually we'll want a pure
   # environment similar to stdenvLinux.
-  stdenvFreeBSD = (import ../stdenv/freebsd) {
+  stdenvFreeBSD = (import ./freebsd) {
     stdenv = stdenvInitial;
     inherit genericStdenv gccWrapper;
   };
 
   stdenvFreeBSDPkgs = allPackages {
-    stdenv = stdenvFreeBSD;
-    bootCurl = null;
+    bootStdenv = stdenvFreeBSD;
     noSysDirs = false;
   };
 
 
-  stdenvTestPkgs = allPackages {
-    stdenv = (import ../stdenv/nix-linux-static).stdenvInitial;
-    bootCurl = (import ../stdenv/nix-linux-static).curl;
-    noSysDirs = true;
-  };
+  # Select the appropriate stdenv for the platform `system'.
+  stdenv =
+    if system == "i686-linux" then stdenvLinux
+    else if system == "i686-freebsd" then stdenvFreeBSD
+    else if system == "powerpc-darwin" then stdenvDarwin
+    else stdenvNative;
 }
diff --git a/pkgs/stdenv/freebsd/default.nix b/pkgs/stdenv/freebsd/default.nix
index 2fa92f7d95b..a94533edfaf 100644
--- a/pkgs/stdenv/freebsd/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/stdenv/freebsd/default.nix
@@ -16,4 +16,9 @@ genericStdenv {
   };
 
   shell = "/bin/bash";
+
+  extraAttrs = {
+    # Curl should be in /usr/bin or so.
+    curl = null;
+  };
 }
diff --git a/pkgs/stdenv/generic/default.nix b/pkgs/stdenv/generic/default.nix
index b25703eb9af..90770e9dddc 100644
--- a/pkgs/stdenv/generic/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/stdenv/generic/default.nix
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 { stdenv, name, preHook ? null, postHook ? null, initialPath, gcc, shell
 , param1 ? "", param2 ? "", param3 ? "", param4 ? "", param5 ? ""
+, extraAttrs ? {}
 }:
 
 let {
@@ -24,13 +25,33 @@ let {
     # Add a utility function to produce derivations that use this
     # stdenv and its shell.
     // {
-      mkDerivation = attrs: derivation (attrs // {
-        builder = if attrs ? realBuilder then attrs.realBuilder else shell;
-        args = if attrs ? args then attrs.args else
-          ["-e" (if attrs ? builder then attrs.builder else ./default-builder.sh)];
-        stdenv = body;
-        system = body.system;
-      });
-    };
+    
+      mkDerivation = attrs:
+        (derivation (
+          (removeAttrs attrs ["meta"])
+          //
+          {
+            builder = if attrs ? realBuilder then attrs.realBuilder else shell;
+            args = if attrs ? args then attrs.args else
+              ["-e" (if attrs ? builder then attrs.builder else ./default-builder.sh)];
+            stdenv = body;
+            system = body.system;
+          })
+        )
+        //
+        # The meta attribute is passed in the resulting attribute set,
+        # but it's not part of the actual derivation, i.e., it's not
+        # passed to the builder and is not a dependency.  But since we
+        # include it in the result, it *is* available to nix-env for
+        # queries.
+        { meta = if attrs ? meta then attrs.meta else {}; };
+
+    }
+
+    # Propagate any extra attributes.  For instance, we use this to
+    # "lift" packages like curl from the final stdenv for Linux to
+    # all-packages.nix for that platform (meaning that it has a line
+    # like curl = if stdenv ? curl then stdenv.curl else ...).
+    // extraAttrs;
 
 }
diff --git a/pkgs/stdenv/linux/default.nix b/pkgs/stdenv/linux/default.nix
index 6c369c65841..3fc3c16e01f 100644
--- a/pkgs/stdenv/linux/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/stdenv/linux/default.nix
@@ -114,22 +114,26 @@ rec {
 
   # This function builds the various standard environments used during
   # the bootstrap.
-  stdenvBootFun = {glibc, gcc, binutils, staticGlibc}: (import ../generic) {
-    name = "stdenv-linux-boot";
-    param1 = if staticGlibc then "static" else "dynamic";
-    preHook = ./prehook.sh;
-    stdenv = stdenvInitial;
-    shell = ./tools/bash;
-    gcc = (import ../../build-support/gcc-wrapper) {
+  stdenvBootFun =
+    {glibc, gcc, binutils, staticGlibc, extraAttrs ? {}}:
+    
+    import ../generic {
+      name = "stdenv-linux-boot";
+      param1 = if staticGlibc then "static" else "dynamic";
+      preHook = ./prehook.sh;
       stdenv = stdenvInitial;
-      nativeTools = false;
-      nativeGlibc = false;
-      inherit gcc glibc binutils;
+      shell = ./tools/bash;
+      gcc = (import ../../build-support/gcc-wrapper) {
+        stdenv = stdenvInitial;
+        nativeTools = false;
+        nativeGlibc = false;
+        inherit gcc glibc binutils;
+      };
+      initialPath = [
+        staticTools
+      ];
+      inherit extraAttrs;
     };
-    initialPath = [
-      staticTools
-    ];
-  };
 
 
   # Create the first "real" standard environment.  This one consists
@@ -139,13 +143,13 @@ rec {
     # Use the statically linked, downloaded glibc/gcc/binutils.
     inherit glibc gcc binutils;
     staticGlibc = true;
+    extraAttrs = {inherit curl;};
   };
 
   # 2) These are the packages that we can build with the first
   #    stdenv.  We only need Glibc (in step 3).
   stdenvLinuxBoot1Pkgs = allPackages {
-    stdenv = stdenvLinuxBoot1;
-    bootCurl = curl;
+    bootStdenv = stdenvLinuxBoot1;
   };
 
   # 3) Build Glibc with the statically linked tools.  The result is the
@@ -159,12 +163,12 @@ rec {
     glibc = stdenvLinuxGlibc;
     staticGlibc = false;
     inherit gcc binutils;
+    extraAttrs = {inherit curl;};
   };
 
   # 5) The packages that can be built using the second stdenv.
   stdenvLinuxBoot2Pkgs = allPackages {
-    stdenv = stdenvLinuxBoot2;
-    bootCurl = curl;
+    bootStdenv = stdenvLinuxBoot2;
   };
 
   # 6) Construct a third stdenv identical to the second, except that
@@ -174,12 +178,12 @@ rec {
     glibc = stdenvLinuxGlibc;
     staticGlibc = false;
     inherit (stdenvLinuxBoot2Pkgs) gcc binutils;
+    extraAttrs = {inherit curl;};
   };
 
   # 7) The packages that can be built using the third stdenv.
   stdenvLinuxBoot3Pkgs = allPackages {
-    stdenv = stdenvLinuxBoot3;
-    bootCurl = curl;
+    bootStdenv = stdenvLinuxBoot3;
   };
 
   # 8) Construct the final stdenv.  It uses the Glibc, GCC and
@@ -205,20 +209,14 @@ rec {
     };
 
     shell = stdenvLinuxBoot3Pkgs.bash ~ /bin/sh;
+    
+    extraAttrs = {
+      curl = stdenvLinuxBoot3Pkgs.realCurl;
+      inherit (stdenvLinuxBoot2Pkgs) binutils /* gcc */;
+      inherit (stdenvLinuxBoot3Pkgs)
+        gzip bzip2 bash coreutils diffutils findutils gawk
+        gnumake gnused gnutar gnugrep patch patchelf;
+    };
   };
 
-  # 8) Finally, the set of components built using the Linux stdenv.
-  #    Reuse the tools built in the previous steps.
-  stdenvLinuxPkgs =
-    allPackages {
-      stdenv = stdenvLinux;
-      bootCurl = stdenvLinuxBoot3Pkgs.curl;
-    } //
-    {inherit (stdenvLinuxBoot2Pkgs) binutils gcc;} //
-    {inherit (stdenvLinuxBoot3Pkgs)
-      gzip bzip2 bash coreutils diffutils findutils gawk
-      gnumake gnused gnutar gnugrep curl patch patchelf;
-    } //
-    {glibc = stdenvLinuxGlibc;};
-    
 }
diff --git a/pkgs/system/all-packages.nix b/pkgs/system/all-packages.nix
deleted file mode 100644
index 55f705ebd43..00000000000
--- a/pkgs/system/all-packages.nix
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,18 +0,0 @@
-# This file evaluates to a function that, when supplied with a system
-# identifier, returns the set of all packages provided by the Nix
-# Package Collection.  It does this by supplying
-# `all-packages-generic.nix' with one of the standard build
-# environments defined in `stdenvs.nix'.
-
-{system ? __currentSystem}: let {
-  allPackages = import ./all-packages-generic.nix;
-
-  stdenvs = import ./stdenvs.nix {inherit system allPackages;};
-
-  # Select the right instantiation.
-  body =
-    if system == "i686-linux" then stdenvs.stdenvLinuxPkgs
-    else if system == "i686-freebsd" then stdenvs.stdenvFreeBSDPkgs
-    else if system == "powerpc-darwin" then stdenvs.stdenvDarwinPkgs
-    else stdenvs.stdenvNativePkgs;
-}
diff --git a/pkgs/system/i686-linux.nix b/pkgs/system/i686-linux.nix
deleted file mode 100644
index 4ff2a8cda12..00000000000
--- a/pkgs/system/i686-linux.nix
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1 +0,0 @@
-(import ./all-packages.nix) {system = "i686-linux";}
diff --git a/pkgs/system/powerpc-darwin.nix b/pkgs/system/powerpc-darwin.nix
deleted file mode 100644
index 48c9164b14b..00000000000
--- a/pkgs/system/powerpc-darwin.nix
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1 +0,0 @@
-(import ./all-packages.nix) {system = "powerpc-darwin";}
diff --git a/pkgs/system/all-packages-generic.nix b/pkgs/top-level/all-packages.nix
similarity index 94%
rename from pkgs/system/all-packages-generic.nix
rename to pkgs/top-level/all-packages.nix
index 8c255d21560..1e6b158af4b 100644
--- a/pkgs/system/all-packages-generic.nix
+++ b/pkgs/top-level/all-packages.nix
@@ -1,17 +1,27 @@
-# This file evaluates to a function that, when supplied with a system
-# identifier and a standard build environment, returns the set of all
-# packages provided by the Nix Package Collection.
+/* This file composes the Nix Packages collection.  That is, it
+   imports the functions that build the various packages, and calls
+   them with appropriate arguments.  The result is a set of all the
+   packages in the Nix Packages collection for some particular
+   platform. */
+   
 
-{ stdenv, bootCurl, noSysDirs ? true
+{ # The system for which to build the packages.
+  system ? __currentSystem
+
+, # The standard environment to use.  Only used for bootstrapping.  If
+  # null, the default standard environment is used.
+  bootStdenv ? null
+
+  # More flags for the bootstrapping of stdenv.
+, noSysDirs ? true
 , gccWithCC ? true
 , gccWithProfiling ? true
+
 }:
 
+
 rec {
 
-  inherit stdenv;
-
-
   ### Symbolic names.
 
   useOldXLibs = false;
@@ -25,13 +35,31 @@ rec {
   # `xlibs.xlibs' is a wrapper packages that combines libX11 and a bunch
   # of other basic X client libraries.
   x11 = if useOldXLibs then xlibsOld.xlibs else xlibsWrapper;
-  
+
+
+  ### Helper functions.
+  useFromStdenv = hasIt: it: alternative: if hasIt then it else alternative;
+
+  # Applying this to an attribute set will cause nix-env to look
+  # inside the set for derivations.
+  recurseIntoAttrs = attrs: attrs // {recurseForDerivations = true;};
+
+
+  ### STANDARD ENVIRONMENT
+
+  stdenv = if bootStdenv == null then defaultStdenv else bootStdenv;
+
+  defaultStdenv =
+    (import ../stdenv {
+      inherit system;
+      allPackages = import ./all-packages.nix;
+    }).stdenv;
+
 
   ### BUILD SUPPORT
 
   fetchurl = (import ../build-support/fetchurl) {
-    inherit stdenv;
-    curl = bootCurl;
+    inherit stdenv curl;
   };
 
   fetchsvn = (import ../build-support/fetchsvn) {
@@ -53,17 +81,19 @@ rec {
     inherit fetchurl stdenv flex;
   };
 
-  coreutils = (import ../tools/misc/coreutils) {
-    inherit fetchurl stdenv;
-  };
+  coreutils = useFromStdenv (stdenv ? coreutils) stdenv.coreutils
+    (import ../tools/misc/coreutils {
+      inherit fetchurl stdenv;
+    });
 
   coreutilsDiet = (import ../tools/misc/coreutils-diet) {
     inherit fetchurl stdenv dietgcc perl;
   };
 
-  findutils = (import ../tools/misc/findutils) {
-    inherit fetchurl stdenv coreutils;
-  };
+  findutils = useFromStdenv (stdenv ? findutils) stdenv.findutils
+    (import ../tools/misc/findutils {
+      inherit fetchurl stdenv coreutils;
+    });
 
   findutilsWrapper = (import ../tools/misc/findutils-wrapper) {
     inherit stdenv findutils;
@@ -98,27 +128,32 @@ rec {
     inherit fetchurl stdenv unzip jdk;
   };
 
-  diffutils = (import ../tools/text/diffutils) {
-    inherit fetchurl stdenv coreutils;
-  };
+  diffutils = useFromStdenv (stdenv ? diffutils) stdenv.diffutils
+    (import ../tools/text/diffutils {
+      inherit fetchurl stdenv coreutils;
+    });
 
   gnupatch = (import ../tools/text/gnupatch) {
     inherit fetchurl stdenv;
   };
 
-  patch = if stdenv.system == "powerpc-darwin" then null else gnupatch;
+  patch = useFromStdenv (stdenv ? patch) stdenv.patch
+    (if stdenv.system == "powerpc-darwin" then null else gnupatch);
 
-  gnused = (import ../tools/text/gnused) {
-    inherit fetchurl stdenv;
-  };
+  gnused = useFromStdenv (stdenv ? gnused) stdenv.gnused
+    (import ../tools/text/gnused {
+      inherit fetchurl stdenv;
+    });
 
-  gnugrep = (import ../tools/text/gnugrep) {
-    inherit fetchurl stdenv pcre;
-  };
+  gnugrep = useFromStdenv (stdenv ? gnugrep) stdenv.gnugrep
+    (import ../tools/text/gnugrep {
+      inherit fetchurl stdenv pcre;
+    });
 
-  gawk = (import ../tools/text/gawk) {
-    inherit fetchurl stdenv;
-  };
+  gawk = useFromStdenv (stdenv ? gawk) stdenv.gawk
+    (import ../tools/text/gawk {
+      inherit fetchurl stdenv;
+    });
 
   groff = (import ../tools/text/groff) {
     inherit fetchurl stdenv;
@@ -158,9 +193,10 @@ rec {
     inherit fetchurl stdenv;
   };
 
-  gnutar = (import ../tools/archivers/gnutar) {
-    inherit fetchurl stdenv;
-  };
+  gnutar = useFromStdenv (stdenv ? gnutar) stdenv.gnutar
+    (import ../tools/archivers/gnutar {
+      inherit fetchurl stdenv;
+    });
 
   gnutarDiet = (import ../tools/archivers/gnutar-diet) {
     inherit fetchurl stdenv dietgcc;
@@ -174,13 +210,15 @@ rec {
     inherit fetchurl stdenv;
   };
 
-  gzip = (import ../tools/compression/gzip) {
-    inherit fetchurl stdenv;
-  };
+  gzip = useFromStdenv (stdenv ? gzip) stdenv.gzip
+    (import ../tools/compression/gzip {
+      inherit fetchurl stdenv;
+    });
 
-  bzip2 = (import ../tools/compression/bzip2) {
-    inherit fetchurl stdenv;
-  };
+  bzip2 = useFromStdenv (stdenv ? bzip2) stdenv.bzip2
+    (import ../tools/compression/bzip2 {
+      inherit fetchurl stdenv;
+    });
 
   zdelta = (import ../tools/compression/zdelta) {
     inherit fetchurl stdenv;
@@ -198,7 +236,9 @@ rec {
     inherit fetchurl stdenv;
   };
 
-  curl = (import ../tools/networking/curl) {
+  curl = if stdenv ? curl then stdenv.curl else (assert false; null);
+
+  realCurl = (import ../tools/networking/curl) {
     inherit fetchurl stdenv zlib;
   };
 
@@ -308,9 +348,10 @@ rec {
    
   ### SHELLS
 
-  bash = (import ../shells/bash) {
-    inherit fetchurl stdenv;
-  };
+  bash = useFromStdenv (stdenv ? bash) stdenv.bash
+    (import ../shells/bash {
+      inherit fetchurl stdenv;
+    });
 
   tcsh = (import ../shells/tcsh) {
     inherit fetchurl stdenv ncurses;
@@ -323,9 +364,10 @@ rec {
 
   ### DEVELOPMENT
 
-  binutils = (import ../development/tools/misc/binutils) {
-    inherit fetchurl stdenv noSysDirs;
-  };
+  binutils = useFromStdenv (stdenv ? binutils) stdenv.binutils
+    (import ../development/tools/misc/binutils {
+      inherit fetchurl stdenv noSysDirs;
+    });
 
   binutilsMips = (import ../development/tools/misc/binutils-cross) {
     inherit fetchurl stdenv noSysDirs;
@@ -342,9 +384,10 @@ rec {
     cross = "sparc-linux";
   };
 
-  patchelf = (import ../development/tools/misc/patchelf) {
-    inherit fetchurl stdenv;
-  };
+  patchelf = useFromStdenv (stdenv ? patchelf) stdenv.patchelf
+    (import ../development/tools/misc/patchelf {
+      inherit fetchurl stdenv;
+    });
 
   patchelfNew = (import ../development/tools/misc/patchelf/new.nix) {
     inherit fetchurl stdenv;
@@ -439,9 +482,10 @@ rec {
     inherit fetchurl stdenv readline ncurses g77 perl flex;
   };
 
-  gnumake = (import ../development/tools/build-managers/gnumake) {
-    inherit fetchurl stdenv;
-  };
+  gnumake = useFromStdenv (stdenv ? gnumake) stdenv.gnumake
+    (import ../development/tools/build-managers/gnumake {
+      inherit fetchurl stdenv;
+    });
 
   mk = (import ../development/tools/build-managers/mk) {
     inherit fetchurl stdenv;
@@ -1023,7 +1067,7 @@ rec {
     inherit fetchurl stdenv pkgconfig x11 fontconfig freetype zlib libpng;
   };
 
-  gtkLibs = gtkLibs28;
+  gtkLibs = recurseIntoAttrs gtkLibs28;
 
   gtkLibs28 = import ../development/libraries/gtk-libs-2.8 {
     inherit fetchurl stdenv pkgconfig gettext perl x11
@@ -1114,13 +1158,13 @@ rec {
     inherit fetchurl stdenv;
   };
 
-  gnome = import ../development/libraries/gnome {
+  gnome = recurseIntoAttrs (import ../development/libraries/gnome {
     inherit fetchurl stdenv pkgconfig audiofile
             flex bison popt zlib libxml2 libxslt
             perl perlXMLParser docbook_xml_dtd_42 gettext x11
             libtiff libjpeg libpng gtkLibs;
     inherit (xlibs) libXmu;
-  };
+  });
 
   wxGTK = wxGTK26;
 
@@ -1570,10 +1614,10 @@ rec {
     inherit fetchurl stdenv apacheHttpd python;
   };
 
-  xorg = import ../servers/x11/xorg {
+  xorg = recurseIntoAttrs (import ../servers/x11/xorg {
     inherit fetchurl stdenv pkgconfig freetype fontconfig
       expat libdrm libpng zlib perl mesa;
-  };
+  });
 
   postgresql = (import ../servers/sql/postgresql) {
     inherit fetchurl stdenv readline ncurses zlib;
@@ -1911,9 +1955,8 @@ rec {
     plugins = [
       MPlayerPlugin
       flashplayer
-      blackdown
 #      RealPlayer  # disabled by default for legal reasons
-    ];
+    ] ++ (if blackdown != null then [blackdown] else []);
   };
 
   firefoxWrapper = wrapFirefox firefox;
@@ -2289,14 +2332,12 @@ rec {
   };
 
   #nixStatic = (import ../misc/nix-static) {
-  # inherit fetchurl stdenv aterm perl;
-  #  curl = bootCurl; /* !!! ugly */
+  # inherit fetchurl stdenv aterm perl curl;
   #  bdb = db4;
   #};
 
   nix = (import ../misc/nix) {
-    inherit fetchurl stdenv aterm perl;
-    curl = bootCurl; /* !!! ugly */
+    inherit fetchurl stdenv aterm perl curl;
     bdb = db4;
   };
 
diff --git a/pkgs/system/populate-cache.nix b/pkgs/top-level/build-for-release.nix
similarity index 98%
rename from pkgs/system/populate-cache.nix
rename to pkgs/top-level/build-for-release.nix
index 405117dd83f..9cc9e76919e 100644
--- a/pkgs/system/populate-cache.nix
+++ b/pkgs/top-level/build-for-release.nix
@@ -21,7 +21,6 @@ let {
     bsdiff
     bzip2
     callgrind
-    chatzilla
     cksfv
     coreutils
     darcs
@@ -115,7 +114,6 @@ let {
     xmms
     xorg_sys_opengl
     xsel
-    xulrunner
     zapping
     zdelta
     zip
@@ -160,7 +158,6 @@ let {
     libxml2
     libxslt
     nxml
-    pkgconfig
     subversion
     tetex
     unzip