diff --git a/n/ncurses/ncurses-6.0.eb b/n/ncurses/ncurses-6.0.eb
index 51d2a6f5..340fd702 100644
--- a/n/ncurses/ncurses-6.0.eb
+++ b/n/ncurses/ncurses-6.0.eb
@@ -8,12 +8,14 @@ description = """The Ncurses (new curses) library is a free software emulation o
  and more. It uses Terminfo format, supports pads and color and multiple highlights and forms characters and
  function-key mapping, and has all the other SYSV-curses enhancements over BSD Curses."""
 
-toolchain = {'name': 'dummy', 'version': 'dummy'}
+toolchain = {'name': 'dummy', 'version': ''}
 toolchainopts = {'optarch': True, 'pic': True}
 
 source_urls = [GNU_SOURCE]
 sources = [SOURCE_TAR_GZ]
 
+buildopts = 'CFLAGS="-O3 -fPIC"'
+
 configopts = [
     # default build
     '--with-shared --enable-overwrite',
diff --git a/p/Python/Python-2.7.13.eb b/p/Python/Python-2.7.13.eb
index 8f06a0d5..106a4092 100644
--- a/p/Python/Python-2.7.13.eb
+++ b/p/Python/Python-2.7.13.eb
@@ -15,10 +15,10 @@ sources = [SOURCE_TGZ]
 # python needs bzip2 to build the bz2 package
 dependencies = [
     ('bzip2', '1.0.6'),
-    ('zlib', '1.2.8'),
+    ('zlib', '1.2.11'),
     ('libreadline', '6.3'),
-    ('ncurses', '5.9'),
-    ('SQLite', '3.8.8.1'),
+    ('ncurses', '6.0'),
+    ('SQLite', '3.13.0'),
 #   ('OpenSSL', '1.0.1k'),  # OS dependency should be preferred if the os version is more recent then this version, it's
 #   nice to have an up to date openssl for security reasons
 ]
diff --git a/p/Python/Python-3.6.1.eb b/p/Python/Python-3.6.1.eb
index ea9aaf20..325bfb45 100644
--- a/p/Python/Python-3.6.1.eb
+++ b/p/Python/Python-3.6.1.eb
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 name = 'Python'
 version = '3.6.1'
+versionsuffix = '-test'
 
 homepage = 'http://python.org/'
 description = "Python is a programming language that lets you work more quickly and integrate your systems more effectively."
@@ -13,13 +14,13 @@ sources = [SOURCE_TGZ]
 # python needs bzip2 to build the bz2 package
 dependencies = [
     ('bzip2', '1.0.6'),
-    ('zlib', '1.2.8'),
     ('libreadline', '6.3'),
-    ('ncurses', '5.9'),
-    ('SQLite', '3.8.8.1'),
-    ('Tk', '8.6.3'),
-    ('GMP', '6.0.0a'),
+    ('SQLite', '3.13.0'),
+    ('Tk', '8.6.5'),
+    ('GMP', '6.1.1'),
     ('XZ', '5.2.2'),
+    ('zlib', '1.2.11'),
+    ('ncurses', '6.0'),
 #   ('OpenSSL', '1.0.1q'),  # OS dependency should be preferred if the os version is more recent then this version, it's
 #   nice to have an up to date openssl for security reasons
 ]
diff --git a/s/Szip/Szip-2.1.eb b/s/Szip/Szip-2.1.eb
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..2dfe1125
--- /dev/null
+++ b/s/Szip/Szip-2.1.eb
@@ -0,0 +1,24 @@
+easyblock = 'ConfigureMake'
+
+name = 'Szip'
+version = '2.1'
+
+homepage = 'http://www.hdfgroup.org/doc_resource/SZIP/'
+description = "Szip compression software, providing lossless compression of scientific data"
+
+toolchain = {'name': 'dummy', 'version': ''}
+toolchainopts = {'optarch': True, 'pic': True}
+
+source_urls = ['http://www.hdfgroup.org/ftp/lib-external/szip/%(version)s/src']
+sources = [SOURCELOWER_TAR_GZ]
+
+configopts = "--with-pic"
+
+sanity_check_paths = {
+    'files': ["lib/libsz.a", "lib/libsz.so"] +
+             ["include/%s" % x for x in ["ricehdf.h", "szip_adpt.h", "szlib.h"]],
+    'dirs': [],
+}
+
+moduleclass = 'tools'
+