diff --git a/COPYING b/COPYING
index 694d4547f..dc63b35dc 100644
--- a/COPYING
+++ b/COPYING
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-# License to Copy Plinth 
+# License to Copy Plinth
 
 Plinth is Copyright 2011-2013 James Vasile (<james@hackervisions.org>).  It
 is distributed under the GNU Affero General Public License, Version 3
@@ -16,10 +16,6 @@ The documentation to this software is also distributed under the [GNU
 Free Documentation License](http://www.gnu.org/licenses/fdl.html),
 version 1.3 or later.
 
-In default form, Plinth incorporates FileDict, a Python module
-released under a "MIT/BSD/Python" license, as per [its blog
-page](https://erezsh.wordpress.com/2009/05/31/filedict-bug-fixes-and-updates/).
-
 ## GNU Affero General Public License, Version 3
 
                     GNU AFFERO GENERAL PUBLIC LICENSE
diff --git a/LICENSES b/LICENSES
index 188f3f132..06d7d8122 100644
--- a/LICENSES
+++ b/LICENSES
@@ -9,7 +9,6 @@ specified and linked otherwise.
 - COPYING :: N/A
 - COPYRIGHTS :: N/A
 - fabfile.py :: -
-- filedict.py :: [[http://erez.wikidot.com/filedict-0-1-code][CC-BY-SA 3.0]]
 - INSTALL :: -
 - logger.py :: -
 - Makefile :: -
diff --git a/filedict.py b/filedict.py
deleted file mode 100644
index 955e0e09f..000000000
--- a/filedict.py
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,152 +0,0 @@
-"""filedict.py
-a Persistent Dictionary in Python
- 
-Author: Erez Shinan
-Date  : 31-May-2009
-"""
-
-import json
- 
-import UserDict
- 
-import sqlite3
-
- 
-class DefaultArg(object):
-    pass
- 
-
-class Solutions(object):
-    Sqlite3 = 0
-
- 
-class FileDict(UserDict.DictMixin):
-    "A dictionary that stores its data persistantly in a file"
- 
-    def __init__(self, solution=Solutions.Sqlite3, **options):
-        assert solution == Solutions.Sqlite3
-        try:
-            self.__conn = options.pop('connection')
-        except KeyError:
-            filename = options.pop('filename')
-            self.__conn = sqlite3.connect(filename)
- 
-        self.__tablename = options.pop('table', 'dict')
- 
-        self._nocommit = False
- 
-        assert not options, "Unrecognized options: %s" % options
- 
-        self.__conn.execute('create table if not exists %s (id integer primary key, hash integer, key blob, value blob);'%self.__tablename)
-        self.__conn.execute('create index if not exists %s_index ON %s(hash);' % (self.__tablename, self.__tablename))
-        self.__conn.commit()
- 
-    def _commit(self):
-        if self._nocommit:
-            return
- 
-        self.__conn.commit()
- 
-    def __pack(self, value):
-        return sqlite3.Binary(json.dumps(value))
-        ##return sqlite3.Binary(pickle.dumps(value, -1))
-    def __unpack(self, value):
-        return json.loads(str(value))
-        ##return pickle.loads(str(value))
- 
-    def __get_id(self, key):
-        cursor = self.__conn.execute('select key,id from %s where hash=?;'%self.__tablename, (hash(key),))
-        for k,id in cursor:
-            if self.__unpack(k) == key:
-                return id
- 
-        raise KeyError(key)
- 
-    def __getitem__(self, key):
-        cursor = self.__conn.execute('select key,value from %s where hash=?;'%self.__tablename, (hash(key),))
-        for k,v in cursor:
-            if self.__unpack(k) == key:
-                return self.__unpack(v)
- 
-        raise KeyError(key)
- 
-    def __setitem(self, key, value):
-        value_pickle = self.__pack(value)
- 
-        try:
-            id = self.__get_id(key)
-            cursor = self.__conn.execute('update %s set value=? where id=?;'%self.__tablename, (value_pickle, id) )
-        except KeyError:
-            key_pickle = self.__pack(key)
-            cursor = self.__conn.execute('insert into %s (hash, key, value) values (?, ?, ?);'
-                    %self.__tablename, (hash(key), key_pickle, value_pickle) )
- 
-        assert cursor.rowcount == 1
- 
-    def __setitem__(self, key, value):
-        self.__setitem(key, value)
-        self._commit()
- 
-    def __delitem__(self, key):
-        id = self.__get_id(key)
-        cursor = self.__conn.execute('delete from %s where id=?;'%self.__tablename, (id,))
-        if cursor.rowcount <= 0:
-            raise KeyError(key)
- 
-        self._commit()
- 
-    def update(self, d):
-        for k,v in d.iteritems():
-            self.__setitem(k, v)
-        self._commit()
- 
-    def __iter__(self):
-        return (self.__unpack(x[0]) for x in self.__conn.execute('select key from %s;'%self.__tablename) )
-    def keys(self):
-        return iter(self)
-    def values(self):
-        return (self.__unpack(x[0]) for x in self.__conn.execute('select value from %s;'%self.__tablename) )
-    def items(self):
-        return (map(self.__unpack, x) for x in self.__conn.execute('select key,value from %s;'%self.__tablename) )
-    def iterkeys(self):
-        return self.keys()
-    def itervalues(self):
-        return self.values()
-    def iteritems(self):
-        return self.items()
- 
-    def __contains__(self, key):
-        try:
-            self.__get_id(key)
-            return True
-        except KeyError:
-            return False
- 
-    def __len__(self):
-        return self.__conn.execute('select count(*) from %s;' % self.__tablename).fetchone()[0]
- 
-    def __del__(self):
-        try:
-            self.__conn
-        except AttributeError:
-            pass
-        else:
-            self.__conn.commit()
- 
-    @property
-    def batch(self):
-        return self._Batch(self)
- 
-    class _Batch(object):
-        def __init__(self, d):
-            self.__d = d
- 
-        def __enter__(self):
-            self.__old_nocommit = self.__d._nocommit
-            self.__d._nocommit = True
-            return self.__d
- 
-        def __exit__(self, type, value, traceback):
-            self.__d._nocommit = self.__old_nocommit
-            self.__d._commit()
-            return True
diff --git a/modules/config/config.py b/modules/config/config.py
index 6e969eb63..7095414cf 100644
--- a/modules/config/config.py
+++ b/modules/config/config.py
@@ -160,9 +160,6 @@ def set_hostname(hostname):
         actions.superuser_run("xmpp-pre-hostname-change")
         actions.superuser_run("hostname-change", hostname)
         actions.superuser_run("xmpp-hostname-change", hostname, async=True)
-        # don't persist/cache change unless it was saved successfuly
-        sys_store = util.filedict_con(cfg.store_file, 'sys')
-        sys_store['hostname'] = hostname
     except OSError:
         return False
 
diff --git a/util.py b/util.py
index 1841700cc..f922fa51f 100644
--- a/util.py
+++ b/util.py
@@ -1,9 +1,4 @@
 import os
-import sys
-import cfg
-import sqlite3
-
-from filedict import FileDict
 
 
 def mkdir(newdir):
@@ -34,12 +29,3 @@ def slurp(filespec):
 def unslurp(filespec, msg):
     with open(filespec, 'w') as x:
         x.write(msg)
-
-
-def filedict_con(filespec=None, table='dict'):
-    """TODO: better error handling in filedict_con"""
-    try:
-        return FileDict(connection=sqlite3.connect(filespec), table=table)
-    except IOError as (errno, strerror):
-        cfg.log.critical("I/O error({0}): {1}".format(errno, strerror))
-        sys.exit(-1)