--- a/src/mklibs
+++ b/src/mklibs
@@ -57,17 +57,17 @@ debuglevel = DEBUG_NORMAL
 
 def debug(level, *msg):
     if debuglevel >= level:
-        print(string.join(msg))
+        print(' '.join(msg))
 
 # return a list of lines of output of the command
 def command(command, *args):
-    debug(DEBUG_SPAM, "calling", command, string.join(args))
+    debug(DEBUG_SPAM, "calling", command, ' '.join(args))
     pipe = os.popen(command + ' ' + ' '.join(args), 'r')
     output = pipe.read().strip()
     status = pipe.close() 
     if status is not None and os.WEXITSTATUS(status) != 0:
         print("Command failed with status", os.WEXITSTATUS(status),  ":", \
-               command, string.join(args))
+               command, ' '.join(args))
         print("With output:", output)
         sys.exit(1)
     return [i for i in output.split('\n') if i]
@@ -296,7 +296,7 @@ def usage(was_err):
     print("Make a set of minimal libraries for FILE(s, file=outfd) in DEST.", file=outfd)
     print("" , file=outfd)
     print("  -d, --dest-dir DIRECTORY     create libraries in DIRECTORY", file=outfd)
-    print("  -D, --no-default-lib         omit default libpath (", ':'.join(default_lib_path, file=outfd), ", file=outfd)", file=outfd)
+    print("  -D, --no-default-lib         omit default libpath (", ':'.join(default_lib_path), ")", file=outfd)
     print("  -L DIRECTORY[:DIRECTORY]...  add DIRECTORY(s, file=outfd) to the library search path", file=outfd)
     print("  -l LIBRARY                   add LIBRARY always", file=outfd)
     print("      --ldlib LDLIB            use LDLIB for the dynamic linker", file=outfd)
@@ -372,7 +372,7 @@ for opt, arg in optlist:
         if debuglevel < DEBUG_SPAM:
             debuglevel = debuglevel + 1
     elif opt == "-L":
-        lib_path.extend(string.split(arg, ":"))
+        lib_path.extend(arg.split(":"))
     elif opt in ("-d", "--dest-dir"):
         dest_path = arg
     elif opt in ("-D", "--no-default-lib"):
@@ -391,7 +391,7 @@ for opt, arg in optlist:
     elif opt in ("-l",):
         force_libs.append(arg)
     elif opt == "--gcc-options":
-        gcc_options.extend(string.split(arg, " "))
+        gcc_options.extend(arg.split(" "))
     elif opt == "--libdir":
         libdir = arg
     elif opt in ("--help", "-h"):
@@ -419,17 +419,17 @@ if ldlib == "LDLIB":
 objects = {}  # map from inode to filename
 for prog in proglist:
     inode = os.stat(prog)[ST_INO]
-    if objects.has_key(inode):
+    if inode in objects:
         debug(DEBUG_SPAM, prog, "is a hardlink to", objects[inode])
     elif so_pattern.match(prog):
         debug(DEBUG_SPAM, prog, "is a library")
-    elif script_pattern.match(open(prog).read(256)):
+    elif script_pattern.match(open(prog, 'r', encoding='iso-8859-1').read(256)):
         debug(DEBUG_SPAM, prog, "is a script")
     else:
         objects[inode] = prog
 
 if not ldlib:
-    for obj in objects.values():
+    for obj in list(objects.values()):
         output = command("mklibs-readelf", "--print-interp", obj)
         if output:
             ldlib = output.pop()
@@ -462,9 +462,9 @@ previous_pass_unresolved = set()
 while 1:
     debug(DEBUG_NORMAL, "I: library reduction pass", str(passnr))
     if debuglevel >= DEBUG_VERBOSE:
-        print("Objects:",)
-        for obj in sorted([x[string.rfind(x, '/') + 1:] for x in objects.values()]):
-            print(obj,)
+        print("Objects:", end=' ')
+        for obj in sorted([x[x.rfind('/') + 1:] for x in list(objects.values())]):
+            print(obj, end=' ')
         print()
 
     passnr = passnr + 1
@@ -474,7 +474,7 @@ while 1:
         obj = dest_path + "/" + lib
         small_libs.append(obj)
         inode = os.stat(obj)[ST_INO]
-        if objects.has_key(inode):
+        if inode in objects:
             debug(DEBUG_SPAM, obj, "is hardlink to", objects[inode])
         else:
             objects[inode] = obj
@@ -504,7 +504,7 @@ while 1:
     present_symbols = {}
     checked_libs = small_libs
     checked_libs.extend(available_libs)
-    checked_libs.append(ldlib)
+    checked_libs.append(sysroot + "/" + ldlib)
     for lib in checked_libs:
         for symbol in provided_symbols(lib):
             debug(DEBUG_SPAM, "present_symbols adding %s" % symbol)
--- a/src/mklibs-copy
+++ b/src/mklibs-copy
@@ -159,7 +159,7 @@ if include_default_lib_path:
 objects = {}  # map from inode to filename
 for prog in proglist:
     inode = os.stat(prog)[ST_INO]
-    if objects.has_key(inode):
+    if inode in objects:
         logger.debug("%s is a hardlink to %s", prog, objects[inode])
     elif so_pattern.match(prog):
         logger.debug("%s is a library", prog)
@@ -169,7 +169,7 @@ for prog in proglist:
         logger.debug("%s is no ELF", prog)
 
 if not ldlib:
-    for obj in objects.values():
+    for obj in list(objects.values()):
         output = command("mklibs-readelf", "-i", obj)
         for x in output:
                 ldlib = x
@@ -182,7 +182,7 @@ if not ldlib:
 logger.info('Using %s as dynamic linker', ldlib)
 
 # Check for rpaths
-for obj in objects.values():
+for obj in list(objects.values()):
     rpath_val = rpath(obj)
     if rpath_val:
         if root:
@@ -208,18 +208,18 @@ while 1:
         obj = dest_path + "/" + lib
         small_libs.append(obj)
         inode = os.stat(obj)[ST_INO]
-        if objects.has_key(inode):
+        if inode in objects:
             logger.debug("%s is hardlink to %s", obj, objects[inode])
         else:
             objects[inode] = obj
 
-    for obj in objects.values():
+    for obj in list(objects.values()):
         small_libs.append(obj)
 
-    logger.verbose('Objects: %r', ' '.join([i[i.rfind('/') + 1:] for i in objects.itervalues()]))
+    logger.verbose('Objects: %r', ' '.join([i[i.rfind('/') + 1:] for i in objects.values()]))
 
     libraries = set()
-    for obj in objects.values():
+    for obj in list(objects.values()):
         libraries.update(library_depends(obj))
 
     if libraries == previous_pass_libraries: