diff -ru a/ext/sqlite-api.c b/ext/sqlite-api.c
--- a/ext/sqlite-api.c	1970-01-01 01:00:00.000000000 +0100
+++ b/ext/sqlite-api.c	2008-10-01 14:23:25.000000000 +0200
@@ -67,6 +67,12 @@
 /* special macro for helping RDoc to ignore "section"-level comments. */
 #define NO_RDOC
 
+/* Ruby 1.9 compatiblity */
+#ifndef RSTRING_LEN
+#define RSTRING_LEN(str)	RSTRING(str)->len
+#define RSTRING_PTR(str)	RSTRING(str)->ptr
+#endif
+
 /*>=-----------------------------------------------------------------------=<*
  * CONSTANTS
  * ------------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -780,8 +786,8 @@
   {
     case T_STRING:
       sqlite_set_result_string( func_ptr,
-        RSTRING(result)->ptr,
-        RSTRING(result)->len );
+        RSTRING_PTR(result),
+        RSTRING_LEN(result) );
       break;
 
     case T_FIXNUM:
@@ -817,8 +823,8 @@
   GetFunc( func_ptr, func );
   Check_Type( string, T_STRING );
 
-  sqlite_set_result_error( func_ptr, RSTRING(string)->ptr,
-    RSTRING(string)->len );
+  sqlite_set_result_error( func_ptr, RSTRING_PTR(string),
+    RSTRING_LEN(string) );
 
   return string;
 }
diff -ru a/lib/sqlite/database.rb b/lib/sqlite/database.rb
--- a/lib/sqlite/database.rb	1970-01-01 01:00:00.000000000 +0100
+++ b/lib/sqlite/database.rb	2008-10-01 16:42:34.000000000 +0200
@@ -30,7 +30,6 @@
 # =============================================================================
 #++
 
-require 'base64'
 require 'sqlite_api'
 require 'sqlite/pragmas'
 require 'sqlite/statement'
@@ -85,13 +84,13 @@
     # Returns a string that represents the serialization of the given object.
     # The string may safely be used in an SQL statement.
     def self.encode( object )
-      Base64.encode64( Marshal.dump( object ) ).strip
+      [Marshal.dump(object)].pack('m').strip
     end
 
     # Unserializes the object contained in the given string. The string must be
     # one that was returned by #encode.
     def self.decode( string )
-      Marshal.load( Base64.decode64( string ) )
+      Marshal.load( string.unpack('m').first )
     end
 
     # Return +true+ if the string is a valid (ie, parsable) SQL statement, and
diff -ru a/lib/sqlite/pragmas.rb b/lib/sqlite/pragmas.rb
--- a/lib/sqlite/pragmas.rb	1970-01-01 01:00:00.000000000 +0100
+++ b/lib/sqlite/pragmas.rb	2008-10-01 16:46:45.000000000 +0200
@@ -60,8 +60,8 @@
       case mode
         when String
           case mode.downcase
-            when "on", "yes", "true", "y", "t": mode = "'ON'"
-            when "off", "no", "false", "n", "f": mode = "'OFF'"
+            when "on", "yes", "true", "y", "t" then mode = "'ON'"
+            when "off", "no", "false", "n", "f" then mode = "'OFF'"
             else
               raise Exceptions::DatabaseException,
                 "unrecognized pragma parameter #{mode.inspect}"