diff --git a/bootstrap/_deb_common.sh b/bootstrap/_deb_common.sh
index 687f30d09..2f44c4e91 100755
--- a/bootstrap/_deb_common.sh
+++ b/bootstrap/_deb_common.sh
@@ -1,57 +1,50 @@
 #!/bin/sh
 
-# Tested with:
-#   - Ubuntu:
-#     - 12.04 (x64, Travis)
-#     - 14.04 (x64, Vagrant)
-#     - 14.10 (x64)
-#   - Debian:
-#     - 6.0.10 "squeeze" (x64)
-#     - 7.8 "wheezy" (x64)
-#     - 8.0 "jessie" (x64)
-#   - Raspbian:
-#     - 7.8 (armhf)
+# Current version tested with:
+#
+# - Ubuntu
+#     - 14.04 (x64)
+#     - 15.04 (x64)
+# - Debian
+#     - 7.9 "wheezy" (x64)
+#     - sid (2015-10-21) (x64)
 
+# Past versions tested with:
+#
+# - Debian 8.0 "jessie" (x64)
+# - Raspbian 7.8 (armhf)
 
-# virtualenv binary can be found in different packages depending on
-# distro version (#346)
-newer () {
-  apt-get install -y lsb-release --no-install-recommends
-  distro=$(lsb_release -si)
-  # 6.0.10 => 60, 14.04 => 1404
-  # TODO: in sid version==unstable
-  version=$(lsb_release -sr | awk -F '.' '{print $1 $2}')
-  if [ "$distro" = "Ubuntu" -a "$version" -ge 1410 ]
-  then
-    return 0;
-  elif [ "$distro" = "Debian" -a "$version" -ge 80 ]
-  then
-    return 0;
-  else
-    return 1;
-  fi
-}
+# Believed not to work:
+#
+# - Debian 6.0.10 "squeeze" (x64)
 
 apt-get update
 
-# you can force newer if lsb_release is not available (e.g. Docker
-# debian:jessie base image)
-if [ "$1" = "newer" ] || newer
-then
+# virtualenv binary can be found in different packages depending on
+# distro version (#346)
+
+virtualenv=
+if apt-cache show virtualenv > /dev/null ; then
   virtualenv="virtualenv"
-else
-  virtualenv="python-virtualenv"
 fi
 
+if apt-cache show python-virtualenv > /dev/null ; then
+  virtualenv="$virtualenv python-virtualenv"
+fi
 
 apt-get install -y --no-install-recommends \
   git-core \
   python \
   python-dev \
-  "$virtualenv" \
+  $virtualenv \
   gcc \
   dialog \
   libaugeas0 \
   libssl-dev \
   libffi-dev \
   ca-certificates \
+
+if ! which virtualenv > /dev/null ; then
+  echo Failed to install a working \"virtualenv\" command, exiting
+  exit 1
+fi