diff --git a/pom.xml b/pom.xml
index 325143298..8eff69e1a 100644
--- a/pom.xml
+++ b/pom.xml
@@ -57,6 +57,13 @@
     <name>Apache Software Foundation</name>
     <url>http://www.apache.org/</url>
   </organization>
+  
+  <properties>
+    <java.version>1.6</java.version>
+    <project.build.sourceEncoding>utf8</project.build.sourceEncoding>
+    <maven.compiler.source>${java.version}</maven.compiler.source>
+    <maven.compiler.target>${java.version}</maven.compiler.target>
+  </properties>
 
   <dependencies>
     <dependency>
@@ -73,18 +80,7 @@
       <scope>runtime</scope>
       <optional>true</optional>
     </dependency>
-    <dependency>
-      <groupId>commons-codec</groupId>
-      <artifactId>commons-codec</artifactId>
-      <version>1.10</version>
-    </dependency>
-
-    <dependency>
-      <groupId>org.hamcrest</groupId>
-      <artifactId>hamcrest-core</artifactId>
-      <scope>test</scope>
-      <version>1.3</version>
-    </dependency>
+    
     <dependency>
       <groupId>junit</groupId>
       <artifactId>junit</artifactId>
diff --git a/src/main/java/org/apache/poi/hssf/usermodel/HSSFWorkbook.java b/src/main/java/org/apache/poi/hssf/usermodel/HSSFWorkbook.java
index 8bbd847d4..51360f014 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/apache/poi/hssf/usermodel/HSSFWorkbook.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/apache/poi/hssf/usermodel/HSSFWorkbook.java
@@ -43,7 +43,6 @@ import java.util.NoSuchElementException;
 import java.util.Set;
 import java.util.regex.Pattern;
 
-import org.apache.commons.codec.digest.DigestUtils;
 import org.apache.poi.EncryptedDocumentException;
 import org.apache.poi.POIDocument;
 import org.apache.poi.ddf.EscherBSERecord;
@@ -1938,101 +1937,6 @@ public final class HSSFWorkbook extends POIDocument implements org.apache.poi.ss
         }
     }
 
-    /**
-     * Adds a picture to the workbook.
-     *
-     * @param pictureData       The bytes of the picture
-     * @param format            The format of the picture.  One of <code>PICTURE_TYPE_*</code>
-     *
-     * @return the index to this picture (1 based).
-     * @see #PICTURE_TYPE_WMF
-     * @see #PICTURE_TYPE_EMF
-     * @see #PICTURE_TYPE_PICT
-     * @see #PICTURE_TYPE_PNG
-     * @see #PICTURE_TYPE_JPEG
-     * @see #PICTURE_TYPE_DIB
-     */
-    @SuppressWarnings("fallthrough")
-    @Override
-    public int addPicture(byte[] pictureData, int format)
-    {
-        initDrawings();
-
-        byte[] uid = DigestUtils.md5(pictureData);
-        EscherBlipRecord blipRecord;
-        int blipSize;
-        short escherTag;
-        switch (format) {
-            case PICTURE_TYPE_WMF:
-                // remove first 22 bytes if file starts with magic bytes D7-CD-C6-9A
-                // see also http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Metafile#Hinweise_zur_WMF-Spezifikation
-                if (LittleEndian.getInt(pictureData) == 0x9AC6CDD7) {
-                    byte picDataNoHeader[] = new byte[pictureData.length-22];
-                    System.arraycopy(pictureData, 22, picDataNoHeader, 0, pictureData.length-22);
-                    pictureData = picDataNoHeader;
-                }
-                // fall through
-            case PICTURE_TYPE_EMF:
-                EscherMetafileBlip blipRecordMeta = new EscherMetafileBlip();
-                blipRecord = blipRecordMeta;
-                blipRecordMeta.setUID(uid);
-                blipRecordMeta.setPictureData(pictureData);
-                // taken from libre office export, it won't open, if this is left to 0
-                blipRecordMeta.setFilter((byte)-2);
-                blipSize = blipRecordMeta.getCompressedSize() + 58;
-                escherTag = 0;
-                break;
-            default:
-                EscherBitmapBlip blipRecordBitmap = new EscherBitmapBlip();
-                blipRecord = blipRecordBitmap;
-                blipRecordBitmap.setUID( uid );
-                blipRecordBitmap.setMarker( (byte) 0xFF );
-                blipRecordBitmap.setPictureData( pictureData );
-                blipSize = pictureData.length + 25;
-                escherTag = (short) 0xFF;
-    	        break;
-        }
-
-        blipRecord.setRecordId((short) (EscherBlipRecord.RECORD_ID_START + format));
-        switch (format)
-        {
-            case PICTURE_TYPE_EMF:
-                blipRecord.setOptions(HSSFPictureData.MSOBI_EMF);
-                break;
-            case PICTURE_TYPE_WMF:
-                blipRecord.setOptions(HSSFPictureData.MSOBI_WMF);
-                break;
-            case PICTURE_TYPE_PICT:
-                blipRecord.setOptions(HSSFPictureData.MSOBI_PICT);
-                break;
-            case PICTURE_TYPE_PNG:
-                blipRecord.setOptions(HSSFPictureData.MSOBI_PNG);
-                break;
-            case PICTURE_TYPE_JPEG:
-                blipRecord.setOptions(HSSFPictureData.MSOBI_JPEG);
-                break;
-            case PICTURE_TYPE_DIB:
-                blipRecord.setOptions(HSSFPictureData.MSOBI_DIB);
-                break;
-            default:
-                throw new IllegalStateException("Unexpected picture format: " + format);
-        }
-
-        EscherBSERecord r = new EscherBSERecord();
-        r.setRecordId( EscherBSERecord.RECORD_ID );
-        r.setOptions( (short) ( 0x0002 | ( format << 4 ) ) );
-        r.setBlipTypeMacOS( (byte) format );
-        r.setBlipTypeWin32( (byte) format );
-        r.setUid( uid );
-        r.setTag( escherTag );
-        r.setSize( blipSize );
-        r.setRef( 0 );
-        r.setOffset( 0 );
-        r.setBlipRecord( blipRecord );
-
-        return workbook.addBSERecord( r );
-    }
-
     /**
      * Gets all pictures from the Workbook.
      *
diff --git a/src/main/java/org/apache/poi/ss/usermodel/Workbook.java b/src/main/java/org/apache/poi/ss/usermodel/Workbook.java
index c456f64e1..ad40b331b 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/apache/poi/ss/usermodel/Workbook.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/apache/poi/ss/usermodel/Workbook.java
@@ -513,22 +513,6 @@ public interface Workbook extends Closeable, Iterable<Sheet> {
      */
     DataFormat createDataFormat();
 
-    /**
-     * Adds a picture to the workbook.
-     *
-     * @param pictureData       The bytes of the picture
-     * @param format            The format of the picture.
-     *
-     * @return the index to this picture (1 based).
-     * @see #PICTURE_TYPE_EMF
-     * @see #PICTURE_TYPE_WMF
-     * @see #PICTURE_TYPE_PICT
-     * @see #PICTURE_TYPE_JPEG
-     * @see #PICTURE_TYPE_PNG
-     * @see #PICTURE_TYPE_DIB
-     */
-    int addPicture(byte[] pictureData, int format);
-
     /**
      * Gets all pictures from the Workbook.
      *
diff --git a/src/main/java/org/apache/poi/util/HexDump.java b/src/main/java/org/apache/poi/util/HexDump.java
index 7f803b958..07bfba033 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/apache/poi/util/HexDump.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/apache/poi/util/HexDump.java
@@ -26,15 +26,13 @@ import java.io.OutputStreamWriter;
 import java.io.PrintStream;
 import java.nio.charset.Charset;
 
-import org.apache.commons.codec.CharEncoding;
-
 /**
  * dump data in hexadecimal format
  */
 @Internal
 public class HexDump {
     public static final String EOL = System.getProperty("line.separator");
-    public static final Charset UTF8 = Charset.forName(CharEncoding.UTF_8);
+    public static final Charset UTF8 = Charset.forName("UTF-8");
 
     private HexDump() {
         // all static methods, so no need for a public constructor