Index: tracdarcs/repository.py
===================================================================
--- tracdarcs/repository.py	(revision 66)
+++ tracdarcs/repository.py	(revision 68)
@@ -74,5 +74,14 @@
 def to_utc_datetime(dt):
     if isinstance(dt, long):
-        dt = datetime.strptime(str(dt), '%Y%m%d%H%M%S')
+        try:
+            strptime = datetime.strptime
+        except AttributeError:
+            # Python <2.5
+            import time
+            def strptime(s,f):
+                tt = time.strptime(s, f)
+                return datetime(*tt[0:6])
+        dt = strptime(str(dt), '%Y%m%d%H%M%S')
+
     return dt.replace(tzinfo = utc)
 
@@ -98,5 +107,8 @@
         self.log = log
         self.config = config
-        self.__cmd = DarcsCommand( 'darcs', path, log )
+        darcs = config.get('darcs', 'command', 'darcs')
+        if config.get('darcs', 'dont_escape_8bit'):
+            darcs = "DARCS_DONT_ESCAPE_8BIT=1 " + darcs
+        self.__cmd = DarcsCommand( darcs, path, log )
         # import any new changesets, if any
         update_darcsdb( db, self.__cmd, log )