char *d = NULL;
 
                                 if (chkconfig_description)
-                                        asprintf(&d, "%s %s", chkconfig_description, j);
+                                        d = join(chkconfig_description, " ", j, NULL);
                                 else
                                         d = strdup(j);
 
                                                 char *d = NULL;
 
                                                 if (long_description)
-                                                        asprintf(&d, "%s %s", long_description, t);
+                                                        d = join(long_description, " ", t, NULL);
                                                 else
                                                         d = strdup(j);
 
                 char *path;
                 int r;
 
-                if (asprintf(&path, "%s/%s", *p, name) < 0)
+                path = join(*p, "/", name, NULL);
+                if (!path)
                         return -ENOMEM;
 
                 assert(endswith(path, ".service"));
                 if (r >= 0 && s->meta.load_state == UNIT_STUB) {
                         /* Try SUSE style boot.* init scripts */
 
-                        if (asprintf(&path, "%s/boot.%s", *p, name) < 0)
+                        path = join(*p, "/boot.", name, NULL);
+                        if (!path)
                                 return -ENOMEM;
 
                         /* Drop .service suffix */
                 if (r >= 0 && s->meta.load_state == UNIT_STUB) {
                         /* Try Frugalware style rc.* init scripts */
 
-                        if (asprintf(&path, "%s/rc.%s", *p, name) < 0)
+                        path = join(*p, "/rc.", name, NULL);
+                        if (!path)
                                 return -ENOMEM;
 
                         /* Drop .service suffix */
                         struct dirent *de;
 
                         free(path);
-                        path = NULL;
                         path = join(*p, "/", rcnd_table[i].path, NULL);
                         if (!path) {
                                 r = -ENOMEM;
                                         continue;
 
                                 free(fpath);
-                                fpath = NULL;
-                                if (asprintf(&fpath, "%s/%s/%s", *p, rcnd_table[i].path, de->d_name) < 0) {
+                                fpath = join(path, "/", de->d_name, NULL);
+                                if (!path) {
                                         r = -ENOMEM;
                                         goto finish;
                                 }
 
                 const char *separator, ...) {
 
         int r = 0;
-        char *contents, *p;
+        char *contents = NULL, *p;
 
         assert(fname);
         assert(separator);
 }
 
 char *path_make_absolute(const char *p, const char *prefix) {
-        char *r;
-
         assert(p);
 
         /* Makes every item in the list an absolute path by prepending
         if (path_is_absolute(p) || !prefix)
                 return strdup(p);
 
-        if (asprintf(&r, "%s/%s", prefix, p) < 0)
-                return NULL;
-
-        return r;
+        return join(prefix, "/", p, NULL);
 }
 
 char *path_make_absolute_cwd(const char *p) {