diff --git a/CHANGELOG b/CHANGELOG
index 57089eb..514f1b3 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG
+++ b/CHANGELOG
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-1.9.dev
+1.9
 -------------------------
 
 - changed LICENSE to MIT
diff --git a/MANIFEST.in b/MANIFEST.in
index e3ff469..cde85f9 100644
--- a/MANIFEST.in
+++ b/MANIFEST.in
@@ -2,5 +2,6 @@ include CHANGELOG
 include LICENSE 
 include README.txt
 include setup.py
+include tox.ini
 graft testing
 prune .hg 
diff --git a/setup.py b/setup.py
index fb5cadc..42ca34d 100644
--- a/setup.py
+++ b/setup.py
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ from setuptools import setup
 
 setup(
     name="pytest-xdist",
-    version='1.9dev2',
+    version='1.9',
     description='py.test xdist plugin for distributed testing and loop-on-failing modes',
     long_description=open('README.txt').read(),
     license='MIT',
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ setup(
     packages = ['xdist'],
     entry_points = {'pytest11': ['xdist = xdist.plugin'],},
     zip_safe=False,
-    install_requires = ['execnet>=1.0.8', 'pytest>=2.2.1'],
+    install_requires = ['execnet>=1.1', 'pytest>=2.3.5'],
     classifiers=[
     'Development Status :: 5 - Production/Stable',
     'Intended Audience :: Developers',
diff --git a/testing/test_dsession.py b/testing/test_dsession.py
index ac686fb..3abb862 100644
--- a/testing/test_dsession.py
+++ b/testing/test_dsession.py
@@ -17,9 +17,16 @@ def run(item, node, excinfo=None):
     rep.node = node
     return rep
 
+class MockGateway:
+    _count = 0
+    def __init__(self):
+        self.id = str(self._count)
+        self._count += 1
+
 class MockNode:
     def __init__(self):
         self.sent = []
+        self.gateway = MockGateway()
 
     def send_runtest(self, nodeid):
         self.sent.append(nodeid)
@@ -183,22 +190,22 @@ def test_report_collection_diff_different():
     from_collection = ['aaa', 'bbb', 'ccc', 'YYY']
     to_collection = ['aZa', 'bbb', 'XXX', 'ccc']
     error_message = (
-        u'Different tests were collected between 1 and 2. The difference is:\n'
-        u'--- 1 \n'
-        u'\n'
-        u'+++ 2 \n'
-        u'\n'
-        u'@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@\n'
-        u'\n'
-        u'-aaa\n'
-        u'+aZa\n'
-        u' bbb\n'
-        u'+XXX\n'
-        u' ccc\n'
-        u'-YYY'
+        'Different tests were collected between 1 and 2. The difference is:\n'
+        '--- 1\n'
+        '\n'
+        '+++ 2\n'
+        '\n'
+        '@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@\n'
+        '\n'
+        '-aaa\n'
+        '+aZa\n'
+        ' bbb\n'
+        '+XXX\n'
+        ' ccc\n'
+        '-YYY'
     )
 
     try:
         report_collection_diff(from_collection, to_collection, 1, 2)
     except AssertionError as e:
-        assert unicode(e) == error_message
+        assert py.builtin._totext(e) == error_message
diff --git a/tox.ini b/tox.ini
index 2d10573..4b3c0fe 100644
--- a/tox.ini
+++ b/tox.ini
@@ -1,16 +1,26 @@
 [tox]
-envlist=py26,py32,py33,py27,py25
+envlist=py26,py32,py33,py27,py26,py26-old,py33-old
 
 [testenv]
 changedir=testing
-deps=pytest>=2.3.5
+deps=pytest>=2.4.2
 commands= py.test --junitxml={envlogdir}/junit-{envname}.xml []
 
 [testenv:py27]
 deps=
-    pytest
+    pytest>=2.4.2
     pexpect
 
+[testenv:py26-old]
+deps=
+    pytest==2.3.5
+    pexpect
+
+[testenv:py33-old]
+basepython = python3.3
+deps=
+    pytest==2.3.5
+
 [pytest]
 addopts = -rsfxX
 ;; hello
diff --git a/xdist/__init__.py b/xdist/__init__.py
index 74ead2d..4f3014a 100644
--- a/xdist/__init__.py
+++ b/xdist/__init__.py
@@ -1,2 +1,2 @@
 #
-__version__ = '1.9dev2'
+__version__ = '1.9'
diff --git a/xdist/dsession.py b/xdist/dsession.py
index e6ca9c8..61940cf 100644
--- a/xdist/dsession.py
+++ b/xdist/dsession.py
@@ -177,13 +177,13 @@ def report_collection_diff(from_collection, to_collection, from_id, to_id):
         fromfile=from_id,
         tofile=to_id,
     )
-    error_message = (
-        u'Different tests were collected between {from_id} and {to_id}. '
-        u'The difference is:\n'
-        u'{diff}'
+    error_message = py.builtin._totext(
+        'Different tests were collected between {from_id} and {to_id}. '
+        'The difference is:\n'
+        '{diff}'
     ).format(from_id=from_id, to_id=to_id, diff='\n'.join(diff))
-
-    raise AssertionError(error_message)
+    msg = "\n".join([x.rstrip() for x in error_message.split("\n")])
+    raise AssertionError(msg)
 
 
 class Interrupted(KeyboardInterrupt):
diff --git a/xdist/remote.py b/xdist/remote.py
index 9e64430..dbcc175 100644
--- a/xdist/remote.py
+++ b/xdist/remote.py
@@ -128,7 +128,7 @@ if __name__ == '__channelexec__':
     # python3.2 is not concurrent import safe, so let's play it safe
     # https://bitbucket.org/hpk42/pytest/issue/347/pytest-xdist-and-python-32
     if sys.version_info[:2] == (3,2):
-        os.environ["PYTHONDONTWRITEBYTECODE"] = 1
+        os.environ["PYTHONDONTWRITEBYTECODE"] = "1"
     slaveinput,args,option_dict = channel.receive()
     importpath = os.getcwd()
     sys.path.insert(0, importpath) # XXX only for remote situations