diff --git a/apps/sam/java/src/net/i2p/sam/SAMHandlerFactory.java b/apps/sam/java/src/net/i2p/sam/SAMHandlerFactory.java
index 56757acde..8fb040076 100644
--- a/apps/sam/java/src/net/i2p/sam/SAMHandlerFactory.java
+++ b/apps/sam/java/src/net/i2p/sam/SAMHandlerFactory.java
@@ -17,12 +17,14 @@ import java.util.StringTokenizer;
 
 import net.i2p.data.DataHelper;
 import net.i2p.util.Log;
+import net.i2p.util.VersionComparator;
 
 /**
  * SAM handler factory class.
  */
 class SAMHandlerFactory {
 
+    private static final String VERSION = "3.0";
 
     /**
      * Return the right SAM handler depending on the protocol version
@@ -66,9 +68,8 @@ class SAMHandlerFactory {
             }
         }
 
-        Properties props;
-        props = SAMUtils.parseParams(tok);
-        if (props == null) {
+        Properties props = SAMUtils.parseParams(tok);
+        if (props.isEmpty()) {
             throw new SAMException("No parameters in HELLO VERSION message");
         }
 
@@ -79,7 +80,9 @@ class SAMHandlerFactory {
 
         String maxVer = props.getProperty("MAX");
         if (maxVer == null) {
-            throw new SAMException("Missing MAX parameter in HELLO VERSION message");
+            //throw new SAMException("Missing MAX parameter in HELLO VERSION message");
+            // MAX optional as of 0.9.14
+            maxVer = "99.99";
         }
 
         String ver = chooseBestVersion(minVer, maxVer);
@@ -119,30 +122,28 @@ class SAMHandlerFactory {
         return handler;
     }
 
-    /* Return the best version we can use, or null on failure */
+    /*
+     * @return "x.y" the best version we can use, or null on failure
+     */
     private static String chooseBestVersion(String minVer, String maxVer) {
-    	
-        int minMajor = getMajor(minVer), minMinor = getMinor(minVer);
-        int maxMajor = getMajor(maxVer), maxMinor = getMinor(maxVer);
-
-        // Consistency checks
-        if ((minMajor == -1) || (minMinor == -1)
-            || (maxMajor == -1) || (maxMinor == -1)) {
-            return null;
+        // in VersionComparator, "3" < "3.0" so
+        // use comparisons carefully
+        if (VersionComparator.comp("3.0", minVer) >= 0) {
+            // Documentation said:
+            // In order to force protocol version 3.0, the values of $min and $max
+            // must be "3.0".
+            int maxcomp = VersionComparator.comp("3", maxVer);
+            if (maxcomp == 0 || maxVer.equals("3.0"))
+                return "3.0";  // spoof version
+            if (maxcomp < 0)
+                return VERSION;
         }
-
-	if ((minMinor >= 10) || (maxMinor >= 10)) return null ;
-	
-	float fminVer = minMajor + (float) minMinor / 10 ;
-	float fmaxVer = maxMajor + (float) maxMinor / 10 ;
-	
-
-	if ( ( fminVer <=  3.0 ) && ( fmaxVer >= 3.0 ) ) return "3.0" ;
-
-	if ( ( fminVer <=  2.0 ) && ( fmaxVer >= 2.0 ) ) return "2.0" ;
-	
-	if ( ( fminVer <=  1.0 ) && ( fmaxVer >= 1.0 ) ) return "1.0" ;
-        
+        if (VersionComparator.comp("2.0", minVer) >= 0 &&
+            VersionComparator.comp("2", maxVer) <= 0)
+            return "2.0";
+        if (VersionComparator.comp("1.0", minVer) >= 0 &&
+            VersionComparator.comp("1", maxVer) <= 0)
+            return "1.0";
         return null;
     }
 
diff --git a/apps/sam/java/src/net/i2p/sam/SAMUtils.java b/apps/sam/java/src/net/i2p/sam/SAMUtils.java
index d08af7d03..f80948232 100644
--- a/apps/sam/java/src/net/i2p/sam/SAMUtils.java
+++ b/apps/sam/java/src/net/i2p/sam/SAMUtils.java
@@ -159,26 +159,34 @@ class SAMUtils {
      * @param tok A StringTokenizer pointing to the SAM parameters
      *
      * @throws SAMException if the data was formatted incorrectly
-     * @return Properties with the parsed SAM params
+     * @return Properties with the parsed SAM params, never null
      */
     public static Properties parseParams(StringTokenizer tok) throws SAMException {
-        int pos, ntoks = tok.countTokens();
-        String token, param;
+        int ntoks = tok.countTokens();
         Properties props = new Properties();
         
         StringBuilder value = new StringBuilder();
         for (int i = 0; i < ntoks; ++i) {
-            token = tok.nextToken();
+            String token = tok.nextToken();
 
-            pos = token.indexOf("=");
-            if (pos == -1) {
+            int pos = token.indexOf("=");
+            if (pos <= 0) {
                 //_log.debug("Error in params format");
-                throw new SAMException("Bad formatting for param [" + token + "]");
+                if (pos == 0) {
+                    throw new SAMException("No param specified [" + token + "]");
+                } else {
+                    throw new SAMException("Bad formatting for param [" + token + "]");
+                }
             }
-            param = token.substring(0, pos);
+            
+            String param = token.substring(0, pos);
             value.append(token.substring(pos+1));
             if (value.length() == 0)
-                throw new SAMException("Empty value for param "+param);
+                throw new SAMException("Empty value for param " + param);
+            
+            // FIXME: The following code does not take into account that there
+            // may have been multiple subsequent space chars in the input that
+            // StringTokenizer treates as one.
             if (value.charAt(0) == '"') {
                 while ( (i < ntoks) && (value.lastIndexOf("\"") <= 0) ) {
                     value.append(' ').append(tok.nextToken());
diff --git a/apps/sam/java/src/net/i2p/sam/SAMv1Handler.java b/apps/sam/java/src/net/i2p/sam/SAMv1Handler.java
index eab3740f7..9b4bc1184 100644
--- a/apps/sam/java/src/net/i2p/sam/SAMv1Handler.java
+++ b/apps/sam/java/src/net/i2p/sam/SAMv1Handler.java
@@ -85,9 +85,9 @@ class SAMv1Handler extends SAMHandler implements SAMRawReceiver, SAMDatagramRece
         }
     }
 
-  public boolean verifVersion() {
-    return ( verMajor == 1 && verMinor == 0 ) ;
-  }
+    public boolean verifVersion() {
+        return (verMajor == 1);
+    }
 
     public void handle() {
         String msg = null;
diff --git a/apps/sam/java/src/net/i2p/sam/SAMv2Handler.java b/apps/sam/java/src/net/i2p/sam/SAMv2Handler.java
index 2a76b9da3..3b4c21680 100644
--- a/apps/sam/java/src/net/i2p/sam/SAMv2Handler.java
+++ b/apps/sam/java/src/net/i2p/sam/SAMv2Handler.java
@@ -55,9 +55,10 @@ class SAMv2Handler extends SAMv1Handler implements SAMRawReceiver, SAMDatagramRe
 			super ( s, verMajor, verMinor, i2cpProps );
 		}
 		
+		@Override
 		public boolean verifVersion()
 		{
-			return (verMajor == 2 && verMinor == 0) ;
+			return (verMajor == 2);
 		}
 
 		SAMStreamSession newSAMStreamSession(String destKeystream, String direction, Properties props )
diff --git a/apps/sam/java/src/net/i2p/sam/SAMv3Handler.java b/apps/sam/java/src/net/i2p/sam/SAMv3Handler.java
index 9020e55af..b56a164e3 100644
--- a/apps/sam/java/src/net/i2p/sam/SAMv3Handler.java
+++ b/apps/sam/java/src/net/i2p/sam/SAMv3Handler.java
@@ -88,9 +88,10 @@ class SAMv3Handler extends SAMv1Handler
 			_log.debug("SAM version 3 handler instantiated");
 	}
 
+	@Override
 	public boolean verifVersion()
 	{
-		return (verMajor == 3 && verMinor == 0) ;
+		return (verMajor == 3);
 	}
 
 	public static class DatagramServer  {