diff --git a/CDL.java b/CDL.java
index 5f907bf..1c7df32 100644
--- a/CDL.java
+++ b/CDL.java
@@ -224,7 +224,7 @@ public class CDL {
      */
     public static JSONArray toJSONArray(JSONArray names, JSONTokener x)
             throws JSONException {
-        if (names == null || names.isEmpty()) {
+        if (names == null || names.length() == 0) {
             return null;
         }
         JSONArray ja = new JSONArray();
@@ -235,7 +235,7 @@ public class CDL {
             }
             ja.put(jo);
         }
-        if (ja.isEmpty()) {
+        if (ja.length() == 0) {
             return null;
         }
         return ja;
@@ -272,7 +272,7 @@ public class CDL {
      */
     public static String toString(JSONArray names, JSONArray ja)
             throws JSONException {
-        if (names == null || names.isEmpty()) {
+        if (names == null || names.length() == 0) {
             return null;
         }
         StringBuffer sb = new StringBuffer();
diff --git a/JSONML.java b/JSONML.java
index f639050..acec7b8 100644
--- a/JSONML.java
+++ b/JSONML.java
@@ -178,7 +178,7 @@ public class JSONML {
                             newjo.accumulate(attribute, "");
                         }
                     }
-                    if (arrayForm && !newjo.isEmpty()) {
+                    if (arrayForm && newjo.length() > 0) {
                         newja.put(newjo);
                     }
 
@@ -208,7 +208,7 @@ public class JSONML {
                                         "' and '" + closeTag + "'");
                             }
                             tagName = null;
-                            if (!arrayForm && !newja.isEmpty()) {
+                            if (!arrayForm && newja.length() > 0) {
                                 newjo.put("childNodes", newja);
                             }
                             if (ja == null) {
diff --git a/XML.java b/XML.java
index f3eaa15..55362b2 100644
--- a/XML.java
+++ b/XML.java
@@ -277,7 +277,7 @@ public class XML {
                 if ("CDATA".equals(token)) {
                     if (x.next() == '[') {
                         string = x.nextCDATA();
-                        if (!string.isEmpty()) {
+                        if (string.length() > 0) {
                             context.accumulate("content", string);
                         }
                         return false;
@@ -353,7 +353,7 @@ public class XML {
                     if (x.nextToken() != GT) {
                         throw x.syntaxError("Misshaped tag");
                     }
-                    if (!jsonobject.isEmpty()) {
+                    if (jsonobject.length() > 0) {
                         context.accumulate(tagName, jsonobject);
                     } else {
                         context.accumulate(tagName, "");
@@ -371,7 +371,7 @@ public class XML {
                             return false;
                         } else if (token instanceof String) {
                             string = (String) token;
-                            if (!string.isEmpty()) {
+                            if (string.length() > 0) {
                                 jsonobject.accumulate("content",
                                         keepStrings ? string : stringToValue(string));
                             }
@@ -379,7 +379,7 @@ public class XML {
                         } else if (token == LT) {
                             // Nested element
                             if (parse(x, jsonobject, tagName,keepStrings)) {
-                                if (jsonobject.isEmpty()) {
+                                if (jsonobject.length() == 0) {
                                     context.accumulate(tagName, "");
                                 } else if (jsonobject.length() == 1
                                         && jsonobject.opt("content") != null) {
@@ -676,7 +676,7 @@ public class XML {
 
         string = (object == null) ? "null" : escape(object.toString());
         return (tagName == null) ? "\"" + string + "\""
-                : (string.isEmpty()) ? "<" + tagName + "/>" : "<" + tagName
+                : (string.length() == 0) ? "<" + tagName + "/>" : "<" + tagName
                         + ">" + string + "</" + tagName + ">";
 
     }