diff --git a/Makefile.header b/Makefile.header
index 53cc18c9..c2846c5b 100644
--- a/Makefile.header
+++ b/Makefile.header
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 ####################################
 # ARABICA CONFIG
 # edit for your parser choice - may include more than one USE_*
-PARSER_CONFIG = -DUSE_EXPAT 
+PARSER_CONFIG = -DUSE_EXPAT -DARABICA_NO_WCHAR_T
 #PARSER_CONFIG = -DUSE_EXPAT -DUSE_LIBXML2 -DUSE_XERCES -DUSE_GARDEN
 
 ####################################
@@ -42,8 +42,8 @@ DYNAMIC_LIBS =  -lexpat -lstdc++
 # link flag to create a shared library
 LINK_SHARED = -shared
 
-EXESUFFIX = 
-LIBSUFFIX = .so
+EXESUFFIX = .exe
+LIBSUFFIX = .dll
 
 
 
diff --git a/XPath/impl/xpath_object.hpp b/XPath/impl/xpath_object.hpp
index cfeca589..dfed9186 100644
--- a/XPath/impl/xpath_object.hpp
+++ b/XPath/impl/xpath_object.hpp
@@ -329,25 +329,21 @@ string_type nodeStringValue(const DOM::Node<string_type>& node)
 
 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
+
+namespace impl {
+template<typename RT, typename string_type> struct value_of_node {
+  RT operator()(const DOM::Node<string_type>& node) { return nodeStringValue(node); }
+};
+template<typename string_type> struct value_of_node<double, string_type> {
+  double operator()(const DOM::Node<string_type>& node) { return nodeNumberValue(node); }
+}; 
+} // namespace impl
+
 template<class Op, class string_type>
 class compareNodeWith
 {
   typedef typename Op::first_argument_type T;
 
-  // this is all far more complicated that I'd hoped.  I wanted a template function, specialised on 
-  // string_type and double.  Instead I have finished up using a class with an operator() which is partially
-  // specialised on string_type and double with an unused template parameter.
-  // ho hum - see http://lists.debian.org/debian-gcc/2004/09/msg00015.html or 
-  // google for "explicit specialization in non-namespace scope"
-  template<typename RT, typename dummy = void> struct value_of_node {
-    RT operator()(const DOM::Node<string_type>& node);
-  };
-  template<typename dummy> struct value_of_node<string_type, dummy> {
-    string_type operator()(const DOM::Node<string_type>& node) { return nodeStringValue(node); }
-  };
-  template<typename dummy> struct value_of_node<double, dummy> {
-    double operator()(const DOM::Node<string_type>& node) { return nodeNumberValue(node); }
-  }; 
 
 public:
   compareNodeWith(const T& value) : value_(value) { }
@@ -355,7 +351,7 @@ public:
 
   bool operator()(const DOM::Node<string_type>& node) 
   {
-    value_of_node<T, void> nv;
+    impl::value_of_node<T, string_type> nv;
     return Op()(nv(node), value_);
   } // operator()