diff --git a/benchmarks/Crystal/build.sh b/benchmarks/Crystal/build.sh
index 4ecc739b..8a9f2c81 100755
--- a/benchmarks/Crystal/build.sh
+++ b/benchmarks/Crystal/build.sh
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 #!/bin/bash
 set -e # make script fail on first error
-SCRIPT_PATH=$(dirname $0)
-source $SCRIPT_PATH/../script.inc
+SCRIPT_PATH="$(dirname "$0")"
+source "$SCRIPT_PATH/../script.inc"
 
 if [[ "$1" = "style" ]]
 then
@@ -9,5 +9,5 @@ then
 fi
 
 INFO Build Crystal Benchmarks
-pushd $SCRIPT_PATH
+pushd "$SCRIPT_PATH"
 crystal build --release --no-debug harness.cr
diff --git a/benchmarks/Java/build.sh b/benchmarks/Java/build.sh
index d137c833..aa5375e3 100755
--- a/benchmarks/Java/build.sh
+++ b/benchmarks/Java/build.sh
@@ -1,8 +1,8 @@
 #!/bin/bash
 set -e # make script fail on first error
-SCRIPT_PATH=$(dirname $0)
-source $SCRIPT_PATH/../script.inc
-pushd $SCRIPT_PATH
+SCRIPT_PATH="$(dirname "$0")"
+source "$SCRIPT_PATH/../script.inc"
+pushd "$SCRIPT_PATH"
 
 if [[ "$1" = "style" ]]
 then
diff --git a/benchmarks/JavaScript/build.sh b/benchmarks/JavaScript/build.sh
index ac7a0655..e06860d8 100755
--- a/benchmarks/JavaScript/build.sh
+++ b/benchmarks/JavaScript/build.sh
@@ -1,13 +1,13 @@
 #!/bin/bash
 set -e # make script fail on first error
-SCRIPT_PATH=$(dirname $0)
-source $SCRIPT_PATH/../script.inc
+SCRIPT_PATH="$(dirname "$0")"
+source "$SCRIPT_PATH/../script.inc"
 
 INFO Build Node.js Benchmarks
 if [[ "$1" = "style" ]]
 then
   INFO Check style of JavaScript benchmarks
-  pushd $SCRIPT_PATH
+  pushd "$SCRIPT_PATH"
   npx eslint .
 else
   exit 0
diff --git a/benchmarks/Lua/build.sh b/benchmarks/Lua/build.sh
index 3d399dd9..6a8b50ae 100755
--- a/benchmarks/Lua/build.sh
+++ b/benchmarks/Lua/build.sh
@@ -1,13 +1,13 @@
 #!/bin/bash
 set -e # make script fail on first error
-SCRIPT_PATH=$(dirname $0)
+SCRIPT_PATH="$(dirname "$0")"
 source $SCRIPT_PATH/../script.inc
 
 if [[ "$1" = "style" ]]
 then
   INFO Check style of Lua benchmarks
-  pushd $SCRIPT_PATH
-  luacheck *.lua
+  pushd "$SCRIPT_PATH"
+  luacheck ./*.lua
 else
   exit 0
 fi
diff --git a/benchmarks/Python/build.sh b/benchmarks/Python/build.sh
index 123d4d92..aaccec13 100755
--- a/benchmarks/Python/build.sh
+++ b/benchmarks/Python/build.sh
@@ -1,16 +1,16 @@
 #!/bin/bash
 set -e # make script fail on first error
-SCRIPT_PATH=$(dirname $0)
-source $SCRIPT_PATH/../script.inc
+SCRIPT_PATH="$(dirname "$0")"
+source "$SCRIPT_PATH/../script.inc"
 
 if [[ "$1" = "style" ]]
 then
   INFO Check style of Python benchmarks
-  pushd $SCRIPT_PATH
+  pushd "$SCRIPT_PATH"
   if [[ "$2" != "skip-black-for-python" ]]; then
     python -m black --check --diff .
   fi
-  python -m pylint *.py som
+  python -m pylint ./*.py som
 else
   exit 0
 fi
diff --git a/benchmarks/Ruby/build.sh b/benchmarks/Ruby/build.sh
index a8b5e839..11f77863 100755
--- a/benchmarks/Ruby/build.sh
+++ b/benchmarks/Ruby/build.sh
@@ -1,12 +1,12 @@
 #!/bin/bash
 set -e # make script fail on first error
-SCRIPT_PATH=$(dirname $0)
-source $SCRIPT_PATH/../script.inc
+SCRIPT_PATH="$(dirname "$0")"
+source "$SCRIPT_PATH/../script.inc"
 
 if [[ "$1" = "style" ]]
 then
   INFO Check style of Ruby benchmarks
-  pushd $SCRIPT_PATH
+  pushd "$SCRIPT_PATH"
   rubocop
 else
   exit 0
diff --git a/benchmarks/SOM/build.sh b/benchmarks/SOM/build.sh
index f81465da..7b265223 100755
--- a/benchmarks/SOM/build.sh
+++ b/benchmarks/SOM/build.sh
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 #!/bin/bash
 set -e # make script fail on first error
-SCRIPT_PATH=$(dirname $0)
-source $SCRIPT_PATH/../script.inc
+SCRIPT_PATH="$(dirname "$0")"
+source "$SCRIPT_PATH/../script.inc"
 
 if [[ "$1" = "style" ]]
 then
diff --git a/benchmarks/SOMns/build.sh b/benchmarks/SOMns/build.sh
index f81465da..7b265223 100755
--- a/benchmarks/SOMns/build.sh
+++ b/benchmarks/SOMns/build.sh
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 #!/bin/bash
 set -e # make script fail on first error
-SCRIPT_PATH=$(dirname $0)
-source $SCRIPT_PATH/../script.inc
+SCRIPT_PATH="$(dirname "$0")"
+source "$SCRIPT_PATH/../script.inc"
 
 if [[ "$1" = "style" ]]
 then
diff --git a/benchmarks/Smalltalk/build.sh b/benchmarks/Smalltalk/build.sh
index 49b75f60..21c00506 100755
--- a/benchmarks/Smalltalk/build.sh
+++ b/benchmarks/Smalltalk/build.sh
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 #!/bin/bash
 set -e # make script fail on first error
-SCRIPT_PATH="$(dirname $0)"
+SCRIPT_PATH="$(dirname "$0")"
 source "$SCRIPT_PATH/../script.inc"
 
 if [[ "$1" = "style" ]]
diff --git a/benchmarks/script.inc b/benchmarks/script.inc
index c943707a..52022429 100755
--- a/benchmarks/script.inc
+++ b/benchmarks/script.inc
@@ -1,13 +1,13 @@
 #!/bin/bash
 
 # make SCRIPT_PATH absolute
-pushd $(dirname $0) > /dev/null
-SCRIPT_PATH=`pwd`
-popd > /dev/null
+pushd "$(dirname "$0")" > /dev/null || exit 1
+export SCRIPT_PATH="$(pwd)"
+popd > /dev/null || exit 1
 
 # set up color commands
-if [ -t 1 -a -t 2 -a \( `type -t tput` = "file" \) ]; then
-  _colors=`tput colors`
+if [ -t 1 ] && [ -t 2 ] && [ \( "$(type -t tput)" = "file" \) ]; then
+  _colors=$(tput colors)
   if [ "$_colors" -ge 256 ]; then
     INFO () { tput setaf 33;  /bin/echo "$@"; tput sgr0; }
     OK   () { tput setaf 28;  /bin/echo "$@"; tput sgr0; }
@@ -26,64 +26,6 @@ else
   ERR  () { /bin/echo "$@"; }
 fi
 
-
-function get_web_getter() {
-  # get a getter
-  if [ \! -z `type -t curl` ]; then
-    GET="curl --silent --location --compressed -O"
-  elif [ \! -z `type -t wget` ]; then
-    GET="wget --quiet"
-  else
-    ERR "No getter (curl/wget)"
-    exit 1
-  fi
-  OK Getter is \"$GET\"
-}
-
-function check_for_tools() {
-  INFO -n 'Tools: '
-  for tool in $@; do
-    if [ -x `type -t $tool` ]; then
-      WARN -n No $tool
-    else
-      INFO -n "$tool "
-    fi
-  done
-  OK ok.
-}
-
-function get_pypy() {
-  if [ \! -d pypy ]; then
-    get_web_getter
-
-    INFO Get PyPy Source
-    PYPY_VERSION="5.8.0"
-    PYPY_DIR="pypy2-v${PYPY_VERSION}-src"
-    PYPY_TAR="${PYPY_DIR}.tar.bz2"
-    DOWNLOAD_URL="https://bitbucket.org/pypy/pypy/downloads/${PYPY_TAR}"
-    $GET $DOWNLOAD_URL || $GET $DOWNLOAD_URL
-    tar -xjf $PYPY_TAR
-    mv $PYPY_DIR pypy
-  else
-    OK Got PyPy Source
-  fi
-}
-
-function get_jdk9ea() {
-  JDK_ARCHIVE=jdk-9-ea+96_linux-x64_bin.tar.gz
-  JDK_URL=http://www.java.net/download/jdk9/archive/96/binaries/$JDK_ARCHIVE
-  JDK_DIR=jdk-9
-
-  INFO Get JDK9 Early Access from $JDK_URL
-  if [ \! -d "$JDK_DIR" ]; then
-    $GET $JDK_URL || $GET $JDK_URL
-    tar -xzf $JDK_ARCHIVE
-    OK Got JDK Early Access
-  else
-    OK Have JDK Early Access
-  fi
-}
-
 function load_git_repo() {
   INFO Cloning "$1" into "$2"
   if [[ -z "$3" ]]
@@ -100,10 +42,10 @@ function load_submodule() {
 }
 
 function check_for() {
-  if [ ! -x `which $1` ]
+  if [ ! -x "$(which "$1")" ]
   then
     ERR "$1 binary not found. $2"
-    if [ "non-fatal" -ne "$3" ]
+    if [ "non-fatal" != "$3" ]
     then
       exit 1
     fi