diff --git a/common/source/java/ch/systemsx/cisd/common/exceptions/NotImplementedException.java b/common/source/java/ch/systemsx/cisd/common/exceptions/NotImplementedException.java
index e86ac499a6009f24a685c3cf32bb2cefc701b980..f7252b3359caf1bda8c7f75cb371316edc642a13 100644
--- a/common/source/java/ch/systemsx/cisd/common/exceptions/NotImplementedException.java
+++ b/common/source/java/ch/systemsx/cisd/common/exceptions/NotImplementedException.java
@@ -37,34 +37,31 @@ public final class NotImplementedException extends RuntimeException
     private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
 
     /** The error message for this exception. */
-    private String message;
+    private final String message;
 
     public NotImplementedException()
     {
         super();
         final StackTraceExtractor extractor = new StackTraceExtractor(this);
-        setMessage(String.format(MESSAGE_TEMPLATE, extractor.getMethodName(), extractor.getSimpleClassName()));
+        this.message = String.format(MESSAGE_TEMPLATE, extractor.getMethodName(), extractor.getSimpleClassName());
     }
 
     public NotImplementedException(final String message)
     {
         super(message);
+        this.message = null;
     }
 
     public NotImplementedException(final Throwable cause)
     {
         super(cause);
+        this.message = null;
     }
 
     public NotImplementedException(String message, Throwable cause)
     {
         super(message, cause);
-    }
-
-    /** Sets the error message for this exception. */
-    public final void setMessage(final String message)
-    {
-        this.message = message;
+        this.message = null;
     }
 
     //
diff --git a/common/source/java/ch/systemsx/cisd/common/parser/ColumnSizeMismatchException.java b/common/source/java/ch/systemsx/cisd/common/parser/ColumnSizeMismatchException.java
index a4fb967f89518847a19e8b3a571c3bc3c334b9f4..89a6bb55b3fc9ac499fc7338bfe5b672d82ea5d8 100644
--- a/common/source/java/ch/systemsx/cisd/common/parser/ColumnSizeMismatchException.java
+++ b/common/source/java/ch/systemsx/cisd/common/parser/ColumnSizeMismatchException.java
@@ -28,13 +28,14 @@ public final class ColumnSizeMismatchException extends ParsingException
 
     private final int headerLength;
 
-    private String message;
+    private final String message;
 
     public ColumnSizeMismatchException(final String[] tokens, final int lineNumber, final int headerLength)
     {
         super(tokens, lineNumber);
         assert tokens.length != headerLength : "Tokens length and header length must be different (otherwise no reason to throw this exception).";
         this.headerLength = headerLength;
+        this.message = createMessage();
     }
 
     private final String createMessage()
@@ -67,10 +68,6 @@ public final class ColumnSizeMismatchException extends ParsingException
     @Override
     public final String getMessage()
     {
-        if (message == null)
-        {
-            message = createMessage();
-        }
         return message;
     }
 }
diff --git a/common/source/java/ch/systemsx/cisd/common/utilities/BuildAndEnvironmentInfo.java b/common/source/java/ch/systemsx/cisd/common/utilities/BuildAndEnvironmentInfo.java
index 5262831fdd6414a263e15cb53c70b0e5220a5fa0..117bdc1aabdb29acba325e7602040fc5bbccac0d 100644
--- a/common/source/java/ch/systemsx/cisd/common/utilities/BuildAndEnvironmentInfo.java
+++ b/common/source/java/ch/systemsx/cisd/common/utilities/BuildAndEnvironmentInfo.java
@@ -199,9 +199,10 @@ public final class BuildAndEnvironmentInfo
     @Override
     public final String toString()
     {
-        StringBuilder builder = new StringBuilder();
-        List<String> environmentInfo = getEnvironmentInfo();
-        for (int i = 0, n = environmentInfo.size(); i < n; i++)
+        final StringBuilder builder = new StringBuilder();
+        final List<String> environmentInfo = getEnvironmentInfo();
+        final int n = environmentInfo.size();
+        for (int i = 0; i < n; i++)
         {
             builder.append(environmentInfo.get(i));
             if (i < n - 1)
diff --git a/common/source/java/ch/systemsx/cisd/common/utilities/ClassUtils.java b/common/source/java/ch/systemsx/cisd/common/utilities/ClassUtils.java
index e8ea6f609bbb578cceb23cd75443b3a0b5d4f088..b5e5a156797e22fe8f9b037bf62a043c4ee42905 100644
--- a/common/source/java/ch/systemsx/cisd/common/utilities/ClassUtils.java
+++ b/common/source/java/ch/systemsx/cisd/common/utilities/ClassUtils.java
@@ -286,7 +286,8 @@ public final class ClassUtils
             } catch (final NoSuchFieldException ex)
             {
             }
-        } while (field == null && (clazz = clazz.getSuperclass()) != null);
+            clazz = clazz.getSuperclass();
+        } while (field == null && clazz != null);
         return field;
     }
 }
diff --git a/common/source/java/ch/systemsx/cisd/common/utilities/FileUtilities.java b/common/source/java/ch/systemsx/cisd/common/utilities/FileUtilities.java
index fdc6442caf026acc6032d8b96c3380459b7efded..bc115557a4af211cfd7ed6c9e3aab8bf8e4aa557 100644
--- a/common/source/java/ch/systemsx/cisd/common/utilities/FileUtilities.java
+++ b/common/source/java/ch/systemsx/cisd/common/utilities/FileUtilities.java
@@ -335,8 +335,8 @@ public final class FileUtilities
             lineFilter = lineFilterOrNull;
         }
         final List<String> list = new ArrayList<String>();
-        String line;
-        for (int lineNumber = 0; (line = reader.readLine()) != null; lineNumber++)
+        String line = reader.readLine();
+        for (int lineNumber = 0; line != null; ++lineNumber, line = reader.readLine())
         {
             if (lineFilter.acceptLine(line, lineNumber))
             {
diff --git a/common/source/java/ch/systemsx/cisd/common/utilities/StringUtilities.java b/common/source/java/ch/systemsx/cisd/common/utilities/StringUtilities.java
index 55d74ce589e38c109cc0edf3563acd188ced7f0c..abef1b0b8315cc113f60acc9ac0748414c60e19c 100644
--- a/common/source/java/ch/systemsx/cisd/common/utilities/StringUtilities.java
+++ b/common/source/java/ch/systemsx/cisd/common/utilities/StringUtilities.java
@@ -183,7 +183,7 @@ public final class StringUtilities
      */
     public final static String getOrdinal(final int number)
     {
-        assert number > -1 : "Given number must be >= 0.";
+        assert number >= 0 : "Given number must be >= 0.";
         int modulo = number % 100;
         if (modulo < 11 || modulo > 13)
         {
@@ -196,6 +196,8 @@ public final class StringUtilities
                     return number + "nd";
                 case 3:
                     return number + "rd";
+                default:
+                    // No special treatment needed, "th" appended below.
             }
         }
         return number + "th";
diff --git a/common/source/java/ch/systemsx/cisd/common/utilities/SystemExit.java b/common/source/java/ch/systemsx/cisd/common/utilities/SystemExit.java
index f3a5399099d51fd059ab53fdf4c491aaf7977c0a..8a14f01356245688807761d8191fbed0ab4dd88a 100644
--- a/common/source/java/ch/systemsx/cisd/common/utilities/SystemExit.java
+++ b/common/source/java/ch/systemsx/cisd/common/utilities/SystemExit.java
@@ -28,8 +28,7 @@ public class SystemExit implements IExitHandler
     /** The one and only one instance. */
     public static final IExitHandler SYSTEM_EXIT = new SystemExit();
 
-    // @Private
-    public static boolean throwException;
+    private static boolean throwException;
 
     private SystemExit()
     {
@@ -44,4 +43,10 @@ public class SystemExit implements IExitHandler
         System.exit(exitCode);
     }
 
+    // @Private
+    public static void setThrowException(boolean throwException)
+    {
+        SystemExit.throwException = throwException;
+    }
+
 }
diff --git a/common/source/java/ch/systemsx/cisd/common/utilities/Template.java b/common/source/java/ch/systemsx/cisd/common/utilities/Template.java
index 49e196e023ca63004788dc870407be4fb7ef6565..50191c811eff5104c68f572ba87fff06de0d5829 100644
--- a/common/source/java/ch/systemsx/cisd/common/utilities/Template.java
+++ b/common/source/java/ch/systemsx/cisd/common/utilities/Template.java
@@ -227,7 +227,8 @@ public class Template
         
         TokenBuilder tokenBuilder = new TokenBuilder(variableTokens, tokens);
         State state = State.PLAIN;
-        for (int i = 0, n = template.length(); i < n; i++)
+        final int n = template.length();
+        for (int i = 0; i < n; i++)
         {
             state = state.next(template.charAt(i), tokenBuilder);
         }
diff --git a/common/sourceTest/java/ch/systemsx/cisd/common/test/InterfaceForRMICheckerTest.java b/common/sourceTest/java/ch/systemsx/cisd/common/test/InterfaceForRMICheckerTest.java
index 21b5e97c7bb9b80cee8985f77253a5d9fd7be9a0..4f3690390906b3c04544d9cf8d90f3775e3f9352 100644
--- a/common/sourceTest/java/ch/systemsx/cisd/common/test/InterfaceForRMICheckerTest.java
+++ b/common/sourceTest/java/ch/systemsx/cisd/common/test/InterfaceForRMICheckerTest.java
@@ -31,7 +31,9 @@ import org.testng.annotations.Test;
  */
 public class InterfaceForRMICheckerTest
 {
-    public static class NonSerializableClass {}
+    public static class NonSerializableClass
+    {
+    }
     
     @Test
     public void testRMIReadyInterface()
@@ -103,13 +105,18 @@ public class InterfaceForRMICheckerTest
         private static NonSerializableClass non;
         private int n;
         private transient NonSerializableClass transientNon;
-        public List<String> list;
+        private List<String> list;
         
         @Override
         public String toString()
         {
             return non.toString() + n + transientNon;
         }
+
+        public List<String> getList()
+        {
+            return list;
+        }
     }
     
     @Test
@@ -124,13 +131,18 @@ public class InterfaceForRMICheckerTest
         private static NonSerializableClass non;
         private int n;
         private transient NonSerializableClass transientNon;
-        public List<String> list;
+        private List<String> list;
         
         @Override
         public String toString()
         {
             return non.toString() + n + transientNon;
         }
+
+        public List<String> getList()
+        {
+            return list;
+        }
     }
     
     @Test