diff --git a/Alien/Package/Rpm.pm b/Alien/Package/Rpm.pm
index 022b71d..3135dff 100644
--- a/Alien/Package/Rpm.pm
+++ b/Alien/Package/Rpm.pm
@@ -176,31 +176,6 @@ sub unpack {
 			or die "error moving unpacked files into the default prefix directory: $!";
 	}
 
-	if ($> == 0) {
-		# rpm files have two sets of permissions; the set in the cpio
-		# archive, and the set in the control data; which override them.
-		# The set in the control data are more correct, so let's use those.
-		open (GETPERMS, 'rpm --queryformat \'[%{FILEMODES} %{FILEUSERNAME} %{FILEGROUPNAME} %{FILENAMES}\n]\' -qp '.$this->filename.' |');
-		while (<GETPERMS>) {
-			chomp;
-			my ($mode, $owner, $group, $file) = split(/ /, $_, 4);
-			$mode = $mode & 07777; # remove filetype
-			my $uid = getpwnam($owner);
-			if (! defined $uid) {
-				print STDERR "WARNING: $file is owned by a user ($owner) not on this system; using root instead";
-				$uid=0;
-			}
-			my $gid = getgrnam($group);
-			if (! defined $gid) {
-				print STDERR "WARNING: $file is owned by a group ($group) not on this system; using group root instead";
-				$gid=0;
-			}
-			next unless -e "$workdir/$file"; # skip broken links
-			chown($uid, $gid, "$workdir/$file") || die "failed chowning $file to $uid\:$gid\: $!";
-			chmod($mode, "$workdir/$file") || die "failed changing mode of $file to $mode\: $!";
-		}
-	}
-
 	# When cpio extracts the file, any child directories that are
 	# present, but whose parent directories are not, end up mode 700.
 	# This next block corrects that to 755, which is more reasonable.
@@ -234,6 +209,31 @@ sub unpack {
 	}
 	chmod 0755, keys %tochmod if %tochmod;
 
+	if ($> == 0) {
+		# rpm files have two sets of permissions; the set in the cpio
+		# archive, and the set in the control data; which override them.
+		# The set in the control data are more correct, so let's use those.
+		open (GETPERMS, 'rpm --queryformat \'[%{FILEMODES} %{FILEUSERNAME} %{FILEGROUPNAME} %{FILENAMES}\n]\' -qp '.$this->filename.' |');
+		while (<GETPERMS>) {
+			chomp;
+			my ($mode, $owner, $group, $file) = split(/ /, $_, 4);
+			$mode = $mode & 07777; # remove filetype
+			my $uid = getpwnam($owner);
+			if (! defined $uid) {
+				print STDERR "WARNING: $file is owned by a user ($owner) not on this system; using root instead\n";
+				$uid=0;
+			}
+			my $gid = getgrnam($group);
+			if (! defined $gid) {
+				print STDERR "WARNING: $file is owned by a group ($group) not on this system; using group root instead\n";
+				$gid=0;
+			}
+			next unless -e "$workdir/$file"; # skip broken links
+			chown($uid, $gid, "$workdir/$file") || die "failed chowning $file to $uid\:$gid\: $!";
+			chmod($mode, "$workdir/$file") || die "failed changing mode of $file to $mode\: $!";
+		}
+	}
+
 	return 1;
 }
 
diff --git a/Makefile.PL b/Makefile.PL
index 22a3500..28f04ad 100755
--- a/Makefile.PL
+++ b/Makefile.PL
@@ -17,6 +17,11 @@ sub MY::postamble {
 
 VER=$(shell perl -e '$$_=<>;print m/\((.*?)\)/'<debian/changelog)
 
+all:: extra_build
+clean:: extra_build
+install:: extra_install
+pure_install:: extra_install
+
 extra_build:
 	perl -i -pe "s/\@version\@/$(VER)/g" <alien.lsm.in >alien.lsm
 	perl -i -pe "s/\@version\@/$(VER)/g" <alien.spec.in >alien.spec
@@ -39,13 +44,5 @@ alien:
 WriteMakefile(
 	'NAME'		=> 'Alien',
 	'EXE_FILES'	=> ['alien'],
-	# Pure evil. Hook into build and install targets
-	'depend'	=> {'all:' => 'extra_build',
-	# Why build on clean? Because I want to ensure the spec file
-	# gets put in the tarball, and so it has to happen in debian/rules
-	# clean
-			    'clean:' => 'extra_build',
-			    'install:' => 'extra_install',
-			    'pure_install:' => 'extra_install'},
 	'clean'		=> {FILES => 'alien'},
 );
diff --git a/README b/README
index 0ea5978..0442e09 100644
--- a/README
+++ b/README
@@ -66,7 +66,8 @@ Programs that use alien:
   package viewer that can convert between package formats by using alien. Its
   homepage is at http://www.momentus.com.br/users/hook/kpackviewer.html
 
-  Corel also appears to have something in Corel linux that uses alien.
+  Corel also appears to have (or had) something in Corel linux that
+  uses alien.
 
 Please report any bugs in alien to the author: 
 
diff --git a/debian/changelog b/debian/changelog
index d7fab25..0eee993 100644
--- a/debian/changelog
+++ b/debian/changelog
@@ -1,3 +1,12 @@
+alien (8.17) unstable; urgency=low
+
+  * When converting from rpm, do parent directory 755 chmods first, then
+    known permissions setting from rpm --queryformat, so that it can override
+    any directories that do indeed have a permission set.
+  * Fixed MakeFile.PL to work with perl 5.8.
+
+ -- Joey Hess <joeyh@debian.org>  Mon, 19 Aug 2002 12:49:04 -0400
+
 alien (8.16) unstable; urgency=low
 
   * Fixed rpm unpacking.