diff --git a/src/gl-system-install b/src/gl-system-install
index 2a82527..b1f88f8 100755
--- a/src/gl-system-install
+++ b/src/gl-system-install
@@ -5,25 +5,32 @@
 
 usage() { echo "
     Usage:
-        $0 shared-bin-dir shared-conf-dir shared-hooks-dir
+        $0 [shared-bin-dir shared-conf-dir shared-hooks-dir]
 
-    Example:
+    Examples:
+        # as root
+        $0
+        # this defaults to:
         $0 /usr/local/bin /var/gitolite/conf /var/gitolite/hooks
 
+        # as a normal user
+        $0
+        # this defaults to:
+        $0 $HOME/bin $HOME/share/gitolite/conf $HOME/share/gitolite/hooks
+
     In this example, all the binaries go to /usr/local/bin, and the shared
     conf and hooks files/directories go to the other 2 directories given.  All
     the 3 paths supplied MUST be absolute.
 
     [RPM packagers: you can supply a 4th argument to specify a 'buildroot'
-    directory.  DEB folks would call this a 'DESTDIR', I believe.]
+    directory.  DEB folks would call this a 'DESTDIR', I believe.  In this
+    usage the first 3 arguments are NOT optional]
 "
     exit 1;
 }
 
 die() { echo "$@"; echo; usage; exit 1; } >&2
 
-[ -z "$3" ] && usage
-
 validate_dir() {
     echo $1 | grep ^/ >/dev/null || die "$1 should be an absolute path"
     [ -d $1 ] || mkdir -p $1 || die "$1 does not exist and could not be created"
@@ -33,6 +40,22 @@ validate_dir() {
 buildroot=$4;
 [ -n "$buildroot" ] && validate_dir $buildroot
 [ -n "$buildroot" ] && buildroot=$buildroot/
+
+# either all 3 args must be supplied or none at all
+[ -n "$1" ] && [ -z "$3" ] && die "I need all 3 directories or none at all"
+# supply default values to args 1, 2, and 3 if not provided
+[ -z "$1" ] && {
+    euid=$(perl -e 'print $>')
+    if [ "$euid" = "0" ]
+    then
+        set /usr/local/bin /var/gitolite/conf /var/gitolite/hooks
+    else
+        set $HOME/bin $HOME/share/gitolite/conf $HOME/share/gitolite/hooks
+    fi
+    echo "using default value for EUID=$euid:" >&2
+    echo "$@" >&2
+}
+
 gl_bin_dir=$1; validate_dir $buildroot$gl_bin_dir
 gl_conf_dir=$2; validate_dir $buildroot$gl_conf_dir
 gl_hooks_dir=$3; validate_dir $buildroot$gl_hooks_dir
diff --git a/t/install-gitolite b/t/install-gitolite
index 973685a..d1e8938 100755
--- a/t/install-gitolite
+++ b/t/install-gitolite
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 #!/bin/bash
 
+
 export TESTDIR=$PWD
 
 # prepare local ssh
@@ -16,15 +17,31 @@ chmod 600 ~/.ssh/u?
 
 # blank out the server side
 echo the next command MAY ask for a password
-ssh gitolite-test@localhost rm -rf .ssh .gitolite .gitolite.rc repositories gitolite-install /tmp/glrb
+ssh gitolite-test@localhost rm -rf .ssh .gitolite .gitolite.rc repositories /tmp/glrb bin share
 echo the next command SHOULD ask for a password
 ssh-copy-id -i ~/.ssh/id_rsa gitolite-test@localhost
 echo the next command should NOT ask for a password
+scp ~/.ssh/tester.pub gitolite-test@localhost:
 
 # install it
-../src/gl-easy-install -q gitolite-test localhost tester
+echo installing whatever is here now...
+# ../src/gl-easy-install -q gitolite-test localhost tester
+cat <<EOF | ssh gitolite-test@localhost
+cd gitolite
+git describe --tags --long HEAD > conf/VERSION
+src/gl-system-install
+cd
+gl-setup -q tester.pub
+EOF
+echo =============================
+echo
+echo
+echo
 
 # add 6 keys
+rm -rf ~/gitolite-admin
+cd
+git clone gitolite:gitolite-admin
 cd ~/gitolite-admin
 cp $TESTDIR/keys/u*pub keydir
 git add keydir; git commit -m 'added 6 keys'
@@ -34,5 +51,5 @@ git push
 cd
 tar cf rollback.tar gitolite-admin
 ssh gitolite-test@localhost mkdir -p repositories /tmp/glrb
-ssh gitolite-test@localhost tar cf rollback.tar .ssh .gitolite .gitolite.rc repositories gitolite-install
+ssh gitolite-test@localhost tar cf rollback.tar .ssh .gitolite .gitolite.rc repositories bin share
 ssh gitolite-test@localhost tar -C /tmp -cf \$HOME/rollback2.tar glrb
diff --git a/t/keys/config b/t/keys/config
index 7330f7b..4dea0a2 100644
--- a/t/keys/config
+++ b/t/keys/config
@@ -1,4 +1,7 @@
-host u?
+host gitolite
+        identityfile ~/.ssh/tester
+
+host u? gitolite
 	user gitolite-test
 	hostname localhost
 host u1
diff --git a/t/rollback.server b/t/rollback.server
index ce26d80..17b2694 100755
--- a/t/rollback.server
+++ b/t/rollback.server
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 #!/bin/bash
 
 cd
-rm -rf .ssh .gitolite .gitolite.rc repositories gitolite-install /tmp/glrb
+rm -rf .ssh .gitolite .gitolite.rc repositories gitolite-install /tmp/glrb bin share
 tar xf rollback.tar
 ( cd /tmp; tar xf ~/rollback2.tar )