diff --git a/.travis.yml b/.travis.yml
index 2550a73..36a7874 100644
--- a/.travis.yml
+++ b/.travis.yml
@@ -9,8 +9,6 @@ notifications:
     email: false
 sudo: false
 script:
-    - if [[ -a .git/shallow ]]; then git fetch --unshallow; fi
-    - julia -e 'Pkg.clone(pwd()); Pkg.build("JSON"); Pkg.test("JSON"; coverage=true)';
-    - julia -e 'using JSON' # loading after precompiled, but without DataStructures present
+    - julia -e 'import Pkg; Pkg.clone(pwd()); Pkg.build("JSON"); Pkg.test("JSON"; coverage=true)';
 after_success:
     - julia -e 'cd(Pkg.dir("JSON")); Pkg.add("Coverage"); using Coverage; Codecov.submit(process_folder())';
diff --git a/appveyor.yml b/appveyor.yml
index de914ec..831beb7 100644
--- a/appveyor.yml
+++ b/appveyor.yml
@@ -1,9 +1,17 @@
 environment:
   matrix:
-  - JULIA_URL: "https://julialang-s3.julialang.org/bin/winnt/x86/0.7/julia-0.7-latest-win32.exe"
-  - JULIA_URL: "https://julialang-s3.julialang.org/bin/winnt/x64/0.7/julia-0.7-latest-win64.exe"
-  - JULIA_URL: "https://julialangnightlies-s3.julialang.org/bin/winnt/x86/julia-latest-win32.exe"
-  - JULIA_URL: "https://julialangnightlies-s3.julialang.org/bin/winnt/x64/julia-latest-win64.exe"
+  - julia_version: 0.7
+  - julia_version: latest
+
+platform:
+  - x86 # 32-bit
+  - x64 # 64-bit
+
+## uncomment the following lines to allow failures on nightly julia
+## (tests will run but not make your overall status red)
+#matrix:
+#  allow_failures:
+#  - julia_version: latest
 
 branches:
   only:
@@ -17,23 +25,12 @@ notifications:
     on_build_status_changed: false
 
 install:
-  - ps: "[System.Net.ServicePointManager]::SecurityProtocol = [System.Net.SecurityProtocolType]::Tls12"
-# if there's a newer build queued for the same PR, cancel this one
-  - ps: if ($env:APPVEYOR_PULL_REQUEST_NUMBER -and $env:APPVEYOR_BUILD_NUMBER -ne ((Invoke-RestMethod `
-        https://ci.appveyor.com/api/projects/$env:APPVEYOR_ACCOUNT_NAME/$env:APPVEYOR_PROJECT_SLUG/history?recordsNumber=50).builds | `
-        Where-Object pullRequestId -eq $env:APPVEYOR_PULL_REQUEST_NUMBER)[0].buildNumber) { `
-        throw "There are newer queued builds for this pull request, failing early." }
-# Download most recent Julia Windows binary
-  - ps: (new-object net.webclient).DownloadFile(
-        $env:JULIA_URL,
-        "C:\projects\julia-binary.exe")
-# Run installer silently, output to C:\projects\julia
-  - C:\projects\julia-binary.exe /S /D=C:\projects\julia
+  - ps: iex ((new-object net.webclient).DownloadString("https://raw.githubusercontent.com/JuliaCI/Appveyor.jl/version-1/bin/install.ps1"))
 
 build_script:
-# Need to convert from shallow to complete for Pkg.clone to work
-  - IF EXIST .git\shallow (git fetch --unshallow)
-  - C:\projects\julia\bin\julia -e "versioninfo(); Pkg.clone(pwd(), \"JSON\")"
+  - echo "%JL_BUILD_SCRIPT%"
+  - C:\julia\bin\julia -e "%JL_BUILD_SCRIPT%"
 
 test_script:
-  - C:\projects\julia\bin\julia -e "Pkg.test(\"JSON\")"
+  - echo "%JL_TEST_SCRIPT%"
+  - C:\julia\bin\julia -e "%JL_TEST_SCRIPT%"
diff --git a/src/Writer.jl b/src/Writer.jl
index d60dcbd..4cef140 100644
--- a/src/Writer.jl
+++ b/src/Writer.jl
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ for instance return an `AbstractArray{Any, 1}` whose elements are not JSON
 primitives.
 """
 function lower(a)
-    if nfields(typeof(a)) > 0
+    if nfields(a) > 0
         CompositeTypeWrapper(a)
     else
         error("Cannot serialize type $(typeof(a))")