diff --git a/build.subr b/build.subr
index c79872f..401dd82 100644
--- a/build.subr
+++ b/build.subr
@@ -251,7 +251,13 @@ parse_with_pkg_name() {
 			if [ -n "$(get_var_unsafe PKG_LVL${PKG_LVL}_${_pwpn_vname})" ]; then
 				export "PKG_${_pwpn_vname}=$(get_var_unsafe PKG_LVL${PKG_LVL}_${_pwpn_vname})";
 			fi;
-			if [ -n "$(get_var_unsafe PKG_${_pwpn_pkg_NAME}_${_pwpn_vname})" ]; then
+			if [ "${BUILD}" = "debug" ]	\
+			&& [ -n "$(get_var_unsafe PKG_${_pwpn_pkg_NAME}_${_pwpn_vname}_DEBUG)" ]; then
+				export "PKG_${_pwpn_vname}=$(get_var_unsafe PKG_${_pwpn_pkg_NAME}_${_pwpn_vname}_DEBUG)";
+			elif [ "${BUILD}" = "release" ]	\
+			&& [ -n "$(get_var_unsafe PKG_${_pwpn_pkg_NAME}_${_pwpn_vname}_RELEASE)" ]; then
+				export "PKG_${_pwpn_vname}=$(get_var_unsafe PKG_${_pwpn_pkg_NAME}_${_pwpn_vname}_RELEASE)";
+			elif [ -n "$(get_var_unsafe PKG_${_pwpn_pkg_NAME}_${_pwpn_vname})" ]; then
 				export "PKG_${_pwpn_vname}=$(get_var_unsafe PKG_${_pwpn_pkg_NAME}_${_pwpn_vname})";
 			fi;
 		done; unset _pwpn_vname;
diff --git a/build.vars b/build.vars
index f4c62e1..ff6f6fd 100644
--- a/build.vars
+++ b/build.vars
@@ -381,6 +381,7 @@ PKG_LVL3_MAKEFLAGS_INSTALL="DESTDIR=${PREFIX_NATIVE}";
 : ${PKG_CRON_BUILD_DIR:=pkg-cron.git};
 : ${PKG_CRON_ENV_VARS_EXTRA:="CC=${TARGET}-gcc:CFLAGS=${PKG_LVL3_CFLAGS_CONFIGURE} -D__GNU__"};
 : ${PKG_CRON_GIT_BRANCH:=debian/3.0pl1-128};
+: ${PKG_CRON_MAKEFLAGS_INSTALL_EXTRA_RELEASE:="INSTALLFLAGS=-s"};
 : ${PKG_CURL_VERSION:=7.47.1};
 : ${PKG_CURL_SHA256SUM:=ddc643ab9382e24bbe4747d43df189a0a6ce38fcb33df041b9cb0b3cd47ae98f};
 : ${PKG_CURL_URL:=https://curl.haxx.se/download/curl-${PKG_CURL_VERSION}.tar.bz2};
@@ -437,7 +438,8 @@ PKG_LVL3_MAKEFLAGS_INSTALL="DESTDIR=${PREFIX_NATIVE}";
 : ${PKG_JOHN_URL:=http://www.openwall.com/john/j/john-${PKG_JOHN_VERSION}.tar.xz};
 : ${PKG_JOHN_BUILD_DIR:=john-${PKG_JOHN_VERSION}};
 : ${PKG_JOHN_INSTALL_FILES:="run/john=bin/ run/mailer=bin/ run/makechr=bin/ run/relbench=bin/ run/unafs=bin/ run/unique=bin/ run/unshadow=bin/ /=share/john run/ascii.chr=share/john/ run/digits.chr=share/john/ run/john.conf=share/john/ run/lm_ascii.chr=share/john/ run/password.lst=share/john/"};
-: ${PKG_JOHN_MAKEFLAGS_BUILD_EXTRA:="-C src midipix-x86-64"};
+: ${PKG_JOHN_MAKEFLAGS_BUILD_EXTRA_DEBUG:="-C src midipix-x86-64"};
+: ${PKG_JOHN_MAKEFLAGS_BUILD_EXTRA_RELEASE:="-C src midipix-x86-64 LDFLAGS_DEBUG=-s"};
 : ${PKG_JOHN_MAKEFLAGS_INSTALL_EXTRA:="-C src"};
 : ${PKG_JOHN_NO_MAKE_INSTALL:=1};
 : ${PKG_JOHN_SUBDIR:=john-${PKG_JOHN_VERSION}};
@@ -484,7 +486,8 @@ PKG_LVL3_MAKEFLAGS_INSTALL="DESTDIR=${PREFIX_NATIVE}";
 : ${PKG_NETCAT_SHA256SUM:=5b3fda14e972d908896a605293f4634a72e2968278117410e12d8b3faf9a3976};
 : ${PKG_NETCAT_URL:=https://dl.packetstormsecurity.net/UNIX/netcat/nc110.tgz};
 : ${PKG_NETCAT_BUILD_DIR:=nc110};
-: ${PKG_NETCAT_MAKEFLAGS_BUILD_EXTRA:="midipix CC=${TARGET}-gcc"};
+: ${PKG_NETCAT_MAKEFLAGS_BUILD_EXTRA_DEBUG:="midipix CC=${TARGET}-gcc"};
+: ${PKG_NETCAT_MAKEFLAGS_BUILD_EXTRA_RELEASE:="midipix CC=${TARGET}-gcc LDFLAGS_DEBUG=-s"};
 : ${PKG_NETCAT_ENV_VARS_EXTRA:="CFLAGS_EXTRA=${PKG_LVL3_CFLAGS_CONFIGURE}:LDFLAGS=${PKG_LVL3_LDFLAGS_CONFIGURE}"};
 : ${PKG_NETCAT_INSTALL_FILES:=nc=bin/};
 : ${PKG_NETCAT_NO_MAKE_INSTALL:=1};
@@ -493,6 +496,7 @@ PKG_LVL3_MAKEFLAGS_INSTALL="DESTDIR=${PREFIX_NATIVE}";
 : ${PKG_OPENSSH_VERSION:=7.1p2};
 : ${PKG_OPENSSH_SHA256SUM:=dd75f024dcf21e06a0d6421d582690bf987a1f6323e32ad6619392f3bfde6bbd};
 : ${PKG_OPENSSH_URL:=http://artfiles.org/openbsd/OpenSSH/portable/openssh-${PKG_OPENSSH_VERSION}.tar.gz};
+: ${PKG_OPENSSH_CONFIGURE_ARGS_EXTRA_DEBUG:=--disable-strip};
 : ${PKG_OPENSSH_INSTALL_TARGET:=install-nokeys};
 : ${PKG_PACMAN_VERSION:=5.0.1};
 : ${PKG_PACMAN_SHA256SUM:=84599e2ee2158134fd704f1cd681ea46e021165bed4df5f002aa1748caef9e7b};
diff --git a/john-1.8.0.local.patch b/john-1.8.0.local.patch
index 8ffcc91..c3d9dff 100644
--- a/john-1.8.0.local.patch
+++ b/john-1.8.0.local.patch
@@ -63,9 +63,17 @@ diff -ru a/src/DES_bs.h b/src/DES_bs.h
  
  /*
   * Another special-case version: a non-zero IV, no salts, no iterations.
-diff -ru a/src/Makefile b/src/Makefile
---- a/src/Makefile	2013-05-29 19:21:25.000000000 -0400
-+++ b/src/Makefile	2016-08-07 16:23:07.246422700 -0400
+--- john-1.8.0/src/Makefile.orig	2013-05-29 23:21:25.000000000 +0000
++++ john-1.8.0/src/Makefile	2016-09-11 21:19:18.930129331 +0000
+@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@
+ # CFLAGS for use on the main john.c file only
+ CFLAGS_MAIN = $(CFLAGS)
+ ASFLAGS = -c $(OMPFLAGS)
+-LDFLAGS = -s $(OMPFLAGS)
++LDFLAGS = $(LDFLAGS_DEBUG) $(OMPFLAGS)
+ OPT_NORMAL = -funroll-loops
+ # Remove the "-Os" if you're using an ancient version of gcc
+ OPT_INLINE = -Os -funroll-loops -finline-functions
 @@ -104,6 +104,8 @@
  #	@echo "linux-ppc64-altivec      Linux, PowerPC 64-bit w/AltiVec"
  	@echo "linux-ppc64              Linux, PowerPC 64-bit"
@@ -98,4 +106,3 @@ diff -ru a/src/Makefile b/src/Makefile
  freebsd-x86-64:
  	$(LN) x86-64.h arch.h
  	$(MAKE) $(PROJ) \
-
diff --git a/nc110.local.patch b/nc110.local.patch
index 5c07fe2..fcf6353 100644
--- a/nc110.local.patch
+++ b/nc110.local.patch
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 --- nc110/Makefile.orig	1996-03-20 03:16:06.000000000 +0000
-+++ nc110/Makefile	2016-06-28 17:26:50.985424240 +0000
-@@ -9,12 +9,12 @@
++++ nc110/Makefile	2016-09-11 20:44:21.896119203 +0000
+@@ -9,13 +9,13 @@
  # pick gcc if you'd rather , and/or do -g instead of -O if debugging
  # debugging
  # DFLAGS = -DTEST -DDEBUG
@@ -11,10 +11,12 @@
  # -Bstatic for sunos,  -static for gcc, etc.  You want this, trust me.
  STATIC =
 -CC = cc $(CFLAGS)
+-LD = $(CC) -s	# linker; defaults to stripped executables
 +CC = cc ${CFLAGS}
- LD = $(CC) -s	# linker; defaults to stripped executables
++LD = $(CC) $(LDFLAGS_DEBUG)	# linker; defaults to stripped executables
  o = o		# object extension
  
+ ALL = nc
 @@ -28,7 +28,7 @@
  ### HARD TARGETS
  
diff --git a/pkg-cron.git.local.patch b/pkg-cron.git.local.patch
index adb254e..4d6bc53 100644
--- a/pkg-cron.git.local.patch
+++ b/pkg-cron.git.local.patch
@@ -1,5 +1,14 @@
---- pkg-cron.git/Makefile.orig	2016-07-04 15:39:29.482061697 +0000
-+++ pkg-cron.git/Makefile	2016-07-04 15:41:34.770058916 +0000
+--- pkg-cron.git/Makefile.orig	2016-07-11 19:06:33.212362869 +0000
++++ pkg-cron.git/Makefile	2016-09-11 20:37:42.714987721 +0000
+@@ -79,7 +79,7 @@
+ #DEFS		=	-D_BSD_SIGNALS -Dconst=
+ #<<the name of the BSD-like install program>>
+ #INSTALL = installbsd
+-INSTALL = install -s
++INSTALL = install $(INSTALLFLAGS)
+ #<<any special load flags>>
+ # LDFLAGS		=	-s
+ # Let install do the strip
 @@ -118,8 +118,8 @@
  			$(CC) $(LDFLAGS) -o crontab $(CRONTAB_OBJ) $(LIBS)
  
diff --git a/pkg.build b/pkg.build
index 99d6f65..50cd17a 100644
--- a/pkg.build
+++ b/pkg.build
@@ -135,7 +135,7 @@ if [ -x ../${PKG_SUBDIR}/configure ]\
 	CFLAGS="${PKG_CFLAGS_CONFIGURE}${PKG_CFLAGS_CONFIGURE_EXTRA:+ ${PKG_CFLAGS_CONFIGURE_EXTRA}}"\
 	LDFLAGS="${PKG_LDFLAGS_CONFIGURE}${PKG_LDFLAGS_CONFIGURE_EXTRA:+ ${PKG_LDFLAGS_CONFIGURE_EXTRA}}"\
 	../${PKG_SUBDIR}/configure							\
-		${PKG_CONFIGURE_ARGS} ${PKG_CONFIGURE_ARGS_EXTRA};
+		${PKG_CONFIGURE_ARGS} ${PKG_CONFIGURE_ARGS_EXTRA} ${PKG_CONFIGURE_ARGS_EXTRA_DEBUG};
 	set_build_script_done configure clean -build;
 else
 	__no_autoconf=1;