diff --git a/collects/planet/private/planet-shared.ss b/collects/planet/private/planet-shared.ss
index 7964e706e3..c5ed56f516 100644
--- a/collects/planet/private/planet-shared.ss
+++ b/collects/planet/private/planet-shared.ss
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ Various common pieces of code that both the client and server need to access
            scheme/path
            scheme/port
            scheme/list
+           version/utils
            "../config.ss"
            "data.ss")
   
@@ -254,49 +255,11 @@ Various common pieces of code that both the client and server need to access
   ;; Converts a string into mz-version.  We need to account
   ;; for the change in numbering style from the 372 era to the 4.0 era.
   (define (string->mz-version str)
-    (define (minor+maint-chunks->minor chunks)
-      (+ (* (string->number (car chunks)) 1000)
-         (if (> (length chunks) 1)
-             (string->number (cadr chunks))
-             0)))
-    
-    (cond
-      ;; Old style numbering with three digits in front.  The first digit
-      ;; goes up to three.
-      [(regexp-match #rx"^([0-3][0-9][0-9])\\.?([.0-9]*)$" str)
-       =>
-       (lambda (ver)
-         (let ([major (string->number (list-ref ver 1))])
-           (cond
-             [(= (string-length (list-ref ver 2)) 0)
-              (make-mz-version major 0)]
-             [else
-              (let* ([minor+maint (regexp-split #rx"\\." (list-ref ver 2))]
-                     [minor (minor+maint-chunks->minor minor+maint)])
-                (make-mz-version major minor))])))]
-      ;; New style numbering
-      [(regexp-match #rx"^([0-9]+)(\\.([.0-9]+))?$" str)
-       =>
-       (lambda (ver)
-         (cond [(list-ref ver 3)
-                (let* ([chunks (regexp-split #rx"\\." (list-ref ver 3))])
-                  (and (andmap (λ (x) (not (equal? x ""))) chunks)
-                       (make-mz-version (+ (* (string->number (list-ref ver 1))
-                                              100)
-                                           (if (> (length chunks) 0)
-                                               (begin
-                                                 (string->number (car chunks)))
-                                               0))
-                                        (if (> (length (cdr chunks)) 0)
-                                            (minor+maint-chunks->minor (cdr chunks))
-                                            0))))]
-               [else
-                (make-mz-version (* (string->number (list-ref ver 1))
-                                    100)
-                                 0)]))]
-      [else #f]))
-  
-  
+    (cond [(version->integer str)
+           => (lambda (v)
+                (let-values ([(q r) (quotient/remainder v 1000000)])
+                  (make-mz-version q r)))]
+          [else #f]))
   
   ;; version<= : mz-version mz-version -> boolean
   ;; determines if a is the version string of an earlier mzscheme release than b
diff --git a/collects/planet/private/test.ss b/collects/planet/private/test.ss
deleted file mode 100644
index 8d5f08fec5..0000000000
--- a/collects/planet/private/test.ss
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,38 +0,0 @@
-#lang scheme
-
-(require "planet-shared.ss")
-
-(define-syntax (test stx)
-  (syntax-case stx ()
-    [(_ a b)
-     (with-syntax ([line (syntax-line stx)]
-                   [file (let ([s (syntax-source stx)])
-                           (if (string? s)
-                               s
-                               "<<unknown file>>"))])
-       #`(test/proc file line a b))]))
-
-(define (test/proc file line got expected)
-  (unless (equal? got expected)
-    (error 'test.ss "FAILED ~a: ~s\n     got ~s\nexpected ~s" file line got expected)))
-
-
-(test (string->mz-version "372")
-      (make-mz-version 372 0))
-
-(test (string->mz-version "372.2")
-      (make-mz-version 372 2000))
-
-(test (string->mz-version "4.0")
-      (make-mz-version 400 0))
-
-(test (string->mz-version "4.1")
-      (make-mz-version 401 0))
-
-(test (string->mz-version "4.0.1")
-      (make-mz-version 400 1000))
-
-(test (string->mz-version "4..1")
-      #f)
-
-(printf "tests passed\n")
diff --git a/collects/planet/util.ss b/collects/planet/util.ss
index 9d30ff7c69..1968fe2f16 100644
--- a/collects/planet/util.ss
+++ b/collects/planet/util.ss
@@ -22,6 +22,8 @@
          setup/getinfo
          setup/unpack
          
+         version/utils
+         
          (prefix-in srfi1: srfi/1)
 
          (for-syntax scheme/base))
@@ -664,8 +666,7 @@
 ;; core-version : string -> boolean
 ;; determines if the given string is something that (version) could've produced
 (define (core-version? s)
-  (and (string? s)
-       (string->mz-version s)))
+  (and (version->integer s) #t))
 
 ;; checkinfo: syntax
 ;; given an info.ss function, a failure function, and a bunch of fields to check,
diff --git a/collects/scribble/html-render.ss b/collects/scribble/html-render.ss
index 77b6f15a8a..aaaf6a2d30 100644
--- a/collects/scribble/html-render.ss
+++ b/collects/scribble/html-render.ss
@@ -1011,8 +1011,16 @@
                       `(span ([class "mywbr"]) " "))
                     (render-other (substring i (cdar m)) part ri))
              (ascii-ize i)))]
-        [(eq? i 'mdash) `(" " ndash " ")]
-        [(symbol? i) (list i)]
+        [(symbol? i)
+         (case i
+           [(mdash) '(" " ndash " ")]
+           ;; use "single left/right-pointing angle quotation mark"
+           ;; -- it's not a correct choice, but works best for now
+           ;;    (see the "Fonts with proper angle brackets"
+           ;;    discussion on the mailing list from June 2008)
+           [(lang) '(8249)]
+           [(rang) '(8250)]
+           [else (list i)])]
         [else (list (format "~s" i))]))
 
     (define/private (ascii-ize s)