diff --git a/scm-core/src/main/java/sonia/scm/repository/RepositoryDAO.java b/scm-core/src/main/java/sonia/scm/repository/RepositoryDAO.java
index 53a03ab8d2..ce309ecee6 100644
--- a/scm-core/src/main/java/sonia/scm/repository/RepositoryDAO.java
+++ b/scm-core/src/main/java/sonia/scm/repository/RepositoryDAO.java
@@ -36,8 +36,6 @@ package sonia.scm.repository;
 
 import sonia.scm.GenericDAO;
 
-import java.io.File;
-
 /**
  * Data access object for repositories. This class should only used by the
  * {@link RepositoryManager}. Plugins and other classes should use the
diff --git a/scm-dao-xml/src/main/java/sonia/scm/repository/xml/PathDatabase.java b/scm-dao-xml/src/main/java/sonia/scm/repository/xml/PathDatabase.java
index bddcdec570..70698aed59 100644
--- a/scm-dao-xml/src/main/java/sonia/scm/repository/xml/PathDatabase.java
+++ b/scm-dao-xml/src/main/java/sonia/scm/repository/xml/PathDatabase.java
@@ -61,7 +61,8 @@ class PathDatabase {
 
   private void ensureParentDirectoryExists() {
     Path parent = storePath.getParent();
-    if (!Files.exists(parent)) {
+    // Files.exists is slow on java 8
+    if (!parent.toFile().exists()) {
       try {
         Files.createDirectories(parent);
       } catch (IOException ex) {
diff --git a/scm-dao-xml/src/main/java/sonia/scm/repository/xml/XmlRepositoryDAO.java b/scm-dao-xml/src/main/java/sonia/scm/repository/xml/XmlRepositoryDAO.java
index de51ebdef7..c571532c00 100644
--- a/scm-dao-xml/src/main/java/sonia/scm/repository/xml/XmlRepositoryDAO.java
+++ b/scm-dao-xml/src/main/java/sonia/scm/repository/xml/XmlRepositoryDAO.java
@@ -47,7 +47,6 @@ import sonia.scm.store.StoreConstants;
 
 import javax.inject.Inject;
 import java.io.IOException;
-import java.nio.file.Files;
 import java.nio.file.Path;
 import java.time.Clock;
 import java.util.Collection;
@@ -98,7 +97,8 @@ public class XmlRepositoryDAO implements PathBasedRepositoryDAO {
   private void read() {
     Path storePath = createStorePath();
 
-    if (!Files.exists(storePath)) {
+    // Files.exists is slow on java 8
+    if (!storePath.toFile().exists()) {
       return;
     }
 
diff --git a/scm-dao-xml/src/main/java/sonia/scm/xml/XmlStreams.java b/scm-dao-xml/src/main/java/sonia/scm/xml/XmlStreams.java
index 30972210fb..d812eedc35 100644
--- a/scm-dao-xml/src/main/java/sonia/scm/xml/XmlStreams.java
+++ b/scm-dao-xml/src/main/java/sonia/scm/xml/XmlStreams.java
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ import java.io.File;
 import java.io.IOException;
 import java.io.Reader;
 import java.io.Writer;
+import java.nio.charset.StandardCharsets;
 import java.nio.file.Files;
 import java.nio.file.Path;
 
@@ -44,7 +45,7 @@ public final class XmlStreams {
   }
 
   public static XMLStreamReader createReader(Path path) throws IOException, XMLStreamException {
-    return createReader(Files.newBufferedReader(path, Charsets.UTF_8));
+    return createReader(Files.newBufferedReader(path, StandardCharsets.UTF_8));
   }
 
   public static XMLStreamReader createReader(File file) throws IOException, XMLStreamException {
@@ -57,7 +58,7 @@ public final class XmlStreams {
 
 
   public static IndentXMLStreamWriter createWriter(Path path) throws IOException, XMLStreamException {
-    return createWriter(Files.newBufferedWriter(path, Charsets.UTF_8));
+    return createWriter(Files.newBufferedWriter(path, StandardCharsets.UTF_8));
   }
 
   public static IndentXMLStreamWriter createWriter(File file) throws IOException, XMLStreamException {
diff --git a/scm-plugins/scm-hg-plugin/src/main/java/sonia/scm/repository/HgRepositoryHandler.java b/scm-plugins/scm-hg-plugin/src/main/java/sonia/scm/repository/HgRepositoryHandler.java
index 533adbac82..c2c0439fc1 100644
--- a/scm-plugins/scm-hg-plugin/src/main/java/sonia/scm/repository/HgRepositoryHandler.java
+++ b/scm-plugins/scm-hg-plugin/src/main/java/sonia/scm/repository/HgRepositoryHandler.java
@@ -367,27 +367,6 @@ public class HgRepositoryHandler
 
   //~--- methods --------------------------------------------------------------
 
-  /**
-   * Method description
-   *
-   *
-   * @param file
-   */
-  private void createNewFile(File file)
-  {
-    try
-    {
-      if (!file.createNewFile() && logger.isErrorEnabled())
-      {
-        logger.error("could not create file {}", file);
-      }
-    }
-    catch (IOException ex)
-    {
-      logger.error("could not create file {}".concat(file.getPath()), ex);
-    }
-  }
-
   /**
    * Method description
    *
diff --git a/scm-plugins/scm-hg-plugin/src/main/java/sonia/scm/repository/spi/HgHookContextProvider.java b/scm-plugins/scm-hg-plugin/src/main/java/sonia/scm/repository/spi/HgHookContextProvider.java
index b2674e7e95..414cfe27b8 100644
--- a/scm-plugins/scm-hg-plugin/src/main/java/sonia/scm/repository/spi/HgHookContextProvider.java
+++ b/scm-plugins/scm-hg-plugin/src/main/java/sonia/scm/repository/spi/HgHookContextProvider.java
@@ -35,7 +35,6 @@ package sonia.scm.repository.spi;
 
 import sonia.scm.repository.HgHookManager;
 import sonia.scm.repository.HgRepositoryHandler;
-import sonia.scm.repository.Repository;
 import sonia.scm.repository.RepositoryHookType;
 import sonia.scm.repository.api.HgHookBranchProvider;
 import sonia.scm.repository.api.HgHookMessageProvider;
diff --git a/scm-test/src/main/java/sonia/scm/repository/RepositoryTestData.java b/scm-test/src/main/java/sonia/scm/repository/RepositoryTestData.java
index 5dbd672b98..82c6e24108 100644
--- a/scm-test/src/main/java/sonia/scm/repository/RepositoryTestData.java
+++ b/scm-test/src/main/java/sonia/scm/repository/RepositoryTestData.java
@@ -33,6 +33,9 @@ package sonia.scm.repository;
 
 public final class RepositoryTestData {
 
+  public static final String NAMESPACE = "hitchhiker";
+  public static final String MAIL_DOMAIN = "@hitchhiker.com";
+
   private RepositoryTestData() {
   }
 
@@ -43,9 +46,9 @@ public final class RepositoryTestData {
   public static Repository create42Puzzle(String type) {
     return new RepositoryBuilder()
       .type(type)
-      .contact("douglas.adams@hitchhiker.com")
+      .contact("douglas.adams" + MAIL_DOMAIN)
       .name("42Puzzle")
-      .namespace("hitchhiker")
+      .namespace(NAMESPACE)
       .description("The 42 Puzzle")
       .build();
   }
@@ -58,9 +61,9 @@ public final class RepositoryTestData {
   public static Repository createHappyVerticalPeopleTransporter(String type) {
     return new RepositoryBuilder()
       .type(type)
-      .contact("zaphod.beeblebrox@hitchhiker.com")
+      .contact("zaphod.beeblebrox" + MAIL_DOMAIN)
       .name("happyVerticalPeopleTransporter")
-      .namespace("hitchhiker")
+      .namespace(NAMESPACE)
       .description("Happy Vertical People Transporter")
       .build();
   }
@@ -72,9 +75,9 @@ public final class RepositoryTestData {
   public static Repository createHeartOfGold(String type) {
     return new RepositoryBuilder()
       .type(type)
-      .contact("zaphod.beeblebrox@hitchhiker.com")
+      .contact("zaphod.beeblebrox" + MAIL_DOMAIN)
       .name("HeartOfGold")
-      .namespace("hitchhiker")
+      .namespace(NAMESPACE)
       .description(
         "Heart of Gold is the first prototype ship to successfully utilise the revolutionary Infinite Improbability Drive")
       .build();
@@ -88,9 +91,9 @@ public final class RepositoryTestData {
   public static Repository createRestaurantAtTheEndOfTheUniverse(String type) {
     return new RepositoryBuilder()
       .type(type)
-      .contact("douglas.adams@hitchhiker.com")
+      .contact("douglas.adams" + MAIL_DOMAIN)
       .name("RestaurantAtTheEndOfTheUniverse")
-      .namespace("hitchhiker")
+      .namespace(NAMESPACE)
       .description("The Restaurant at the End of the Universe")
       .build();
   }
diff --git a/scm-webapp/src/test/java/sonia/scm/repository/DefaultRepositoryManagerTest.java b/scm-webapp/src/test/java/sonia/scm/repository/DefaultRepositoryManagerTest.java
index 141a7f8527..6b81f4b328 100644
--- a/scm-webapp/src/test/java/sonia/scm/repository/DefaultRepositoryManagerTest.java
+++ b/scm-webapp/src/test/java/sonia/scm/repository/DefaultRepositoryManagerTest.java
@@ -43,7 +43,6 @@ import org.junit.Before;
 import org.junit.Rule;
 import org.junit.Test;
 import org.junit.rules.ExpectedException;
-import org.junit.rules.TemporaryFolder;
 import org.mockito.Mockito;
 import org.mockito.invocation.InvocationOnMock;
 import sonia.scm.AlreadyExistsException;
@@ -70,20 +69,9 @@ import java.util.HashSet;
 import java.util.Set;
 import java.util.Stack;
 
-import static org.hamcrest.Matchers.containsInAnyOrder;
-import static org.hamcrest.Matchers.hasProperty;
-import static org.hamcrest.Matchers.is;
-import static org.junit.Assert.assertEquals;
-import static org.junit.Assert.assertFalse;
-import static org.junit.Assert.assertNotNull;
-import static org.junit.Assert.assertNotSame;
-import static org.junit.Assert.assertNull;
-import static org.junit.Assert.assertSame;
-import static org.junit.Assert.assertThat;
-import static org.junit.Assert.assertTrue;
-import static org.mockito.Mockito.mock;
-import static org.mockito.Mockito.spy;
-import static org.mockito.Mockito.when;
+import static org.hamcrest.Matchers.*;
+import static org.junit.Assert.*;
+import static org.mockito.Mockito.*;
 
 //~--- JDK imports ------------------------------------------------------------
 
@@ -109,9 +97,6 @@ public class DefaultRepositoryManagerTest extends ManagerTestBase<Repository> {
   @Rule
   public ExpectedException thrown = ExpectedException.none();
 
-  @Rule
-  public TemporaryFolder temporaryFolder = new TemporaryFolder();
-
   private ScmConfiguration configuration;
 
   private String mockedNamespace = "default_namespace";