diff --git a/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/AntClassLoader.java b/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/AntClassLoader.java
index 8a46659d9..4375445c4 100644
--- a/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/AntClassLoader.java
+++ b/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/AntClassLoader.java
@@ -510,7 +510,7 @@ public class AntClassLoader extends ClassLoader implements SubBuildListener, Clo
             pathMap.put(absPathPlusTimeAndLength, classpath);
         }
 
-        if (!"".equals(classpath)) {
+        if (!classpath.isEmpty()) {
             final URL baseURL = FILE_UTILS.getFileURL(pathComponent);
             final StringTokenizer st = new StringTokenizer(classpath);
             while (st.hasMoreTokens()) {
diff --git a/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/ComponentHelper.java b/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/ComponentHelper.java
index ae3bdea85..d80ede69e 100644
--- a/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/ComponentHelper.java
+++ b/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/ComponentHelper.java
@@ -836,7 +836,7 @@ public class ComponentHelper  {
      */
     private synchronized void checkNamespace(String componentName) {
         String uri = ProjectHelper.extractUriFromComponentName(componentName);
-        if ("".equals(uri)) {
+        if (uri.isEmpty()) {
             uri = ProjectHelper.ANT_CORE_URI;
         }
         if (!uri.startsWith(ProjectHelper.ANTLIB_URI)) {
diff --git a/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/IntrospectionHelper.java b/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/IntrospectionHelper.java
index 7ab77bad6..b922def5b 100644
--- a/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/IntrospectionHelper.java
+++ b/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/IntrospectionHelper.java
@@ -380,7 +380,7 @@ public final class IntrospectionHelper {
                 final String uriPlusPrefix = ProjectHelper.extractUriFromComponentName(attributeName);
                 final String uri = ProjectHelper.extractUriFromComponentName(uriPlusPrefix);
                 final String localName = ProjectHelper.extractNameFromComponentName(attributeName);
-                final String qName = "".equals(uri) ? localName : uri + ":" + localName;
+                final String qName = uri.isEmpty() ? localName : uri + ":" + localName;
                 dc.setDynamicAttribute(uri, localName, qName, value.toString());
                 return;
             }
diff --git a/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/Main.java b/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/Main.java
index cfe35853f..34344adf1 100644
--- a/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/Main.java
+++ b/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/Main.java
@@ -1181,7 +1181,7 @@ public class Main implements AntMain {
 
         for (final Target currentTarget : ptargets.values()) {
             final String targetName = currentTarget.getName();
-            if ("".equals(targetName)) {
+            if (targetName.isEmpty()) {
                 continue;
             }
             final String targetDescription = currentTarget.getDescription();
diff --git a/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/Target.java b/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/Target.java
index 8c5fb8d71..bf1273a33 100644
--- a/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/Target.java
+++ b/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/Target.java
@@ -301,7 +301,7 @@ public class Target implements TaskContainer {
      * @since 1.6.2
      */
     public String getIf() {
-        return "".equals(ifString) ? null : ifString;
+        return ifString.isEmpty() ? null : ifString;
     }
 
     /**
@@ -354,7 +354,7 @@ public class Target implements TaskContainer {
      * @since 1.6.2
      */
     public String getUnless() {
-        return "".equals(unlessString) ? null : unlessString;
+        return unlessString.isEmpty() ? null : unlessString;
     }
 
     /**
diff --git a/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/helper/ProjectHelper2.java b/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/helper/ProjectHelper2.java
index b88846e7c..3ea51a15d 100644
--- a/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/helper/ProjectHelper2.java
+++ b/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/helper/ProjectHelper2.java
@@ -1060,7 +1060,7 @@ public class ProjectHelper2 extends ProjectHelper {
             }
 
             String projectName = context.getCurrentProjectName();
-            if ("".equals(projectName)) {
+            if (projectName != null && projectName.isEmpty()) {
                 projectName = null;
             }
 
diff --git a/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/input/MultipleChoiceInputRequest.java b/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/input/MultipleChoiceInputRequest.java
index 8f3b08628..bfc6bb6f8 100644
--- a/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/input/MultipleChoiceInputRequest.java
+++ b/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/input/MultipleChoiceInputRequest.java
@@ -67,6 +67,6 @@ public class MultipleChoiceInputRequest extends InputRequest {
     @Override
     public boolean isInputValid() {
         return choices.contains(getInput())
-            || ("".equals(getInput()) && getDefaultValue() != null);
+            || (getInput().isEmpty() && getDefaultValue() != null);
     }
 }
diff --git a/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/types/ArchiveFileSet.java b/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/types/ArchiveFileSet.java
index e4b9d120e..eea603ddd 100644
--- a/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/types/ArchiveFileSet.java
+++ b/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/types/ArchiveFileSet.java
@@ -223,7 +223,7 @@ public abstract class ArchiveFileSet extends FileSet {
      */
     public void setPrefix(String prefix) {
         checkArchiveAttributesAllowed();
-        if (!"".equals(prefix) && !"".equals(fullpath)) {
+        if (!prefix.isEmpty() && !fullpath.isEmpty()) {
             throw new BuildException(ERROR_PATH_AND_PREFIX);
         }
         this.prefix = prefix;
@@ -250,7 +250,7 @@ public abstract class ArchiveFileSet extends FileSet {
      */
     public void setFullpath(String fullpath) {
         checkArchiveAttributesAllowed();
-        if (!"".equals(prefix) && !"".equals(fullpath)) {
+        if (!prefix.isEmpty() && !fullpath.isEmpty()) {
             throw new BuildException(ERROR_PATH_AND_PREFIX);
         }
         this.fullpath = fullpath;
diff --git a/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/types/ArchiveScanner.java b/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/types/ArchiveScanner.java
index cb6b882ba..f563d4cbe 100644
--- a/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/types/ArchiveScanner.java
+++ b/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/types/ArchiveScanner.java
@@ -277,7 +277,7 @@ public abstract class ArchiveScanner extends DirectoryScanner {
         if (src == null) {
             return super.getResource(name);
         }
-        if ("".equals(name)) {
+        if (name.isEmpty()) {
             // special case in ZIPs, we do not want this thing included
             return new Resource("", true, Long.MAX_VALUE, true);
         }
diff --git a/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/types/Permissions.java b/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/types/Permissions.java
index 06763dc12..9068964df 100644
--- a/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/types/Permissions.java
+++ b/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/types/Permissions.java
@@ -333,7 +333,7 @@ public class Permissions {
             final StringTokenizer tk = new StringTokenizer(actions, ",");
             while (tk.hasMoreTokens()) {
                 final String item = tk.nextToken().trim();
-                if (!"".equals(item)) {
+                if (!item.isEmpty()) {
                     result.add(item);
                 }
             }
diff --git a/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/types/resources/URLResource.java b/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/types/resources/URLResource.java
index fadb09834..332835660 100644
--- a/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/types/resources/URLResource.java
+++ b/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/types/resources/URLResource.java
@@ -183,7 +183,7 @@ public class URLResource extends Resource implements URLProvider {
             return getCheckedRef().getName();
         }
         String name = getURL().getFile();
-        return "".equals(name) ? name : name.substring(1);
+        return name.isEmpty() ? name : name.substring(1);
     }
 
     /**
diff --git a/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/util/DOMElementWriter.java b/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/util/DOMElementWriter.java
index d0cef7c36..ccf2c0164 100644
--- a/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/util/DOMElementWriter.java
+++ b/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/util/DOMElementWriter.java
@@ -315,7 +315,7 @@ public class DOMElementWriter {
                 nsPrefixMap.put(uri, prefix);
                 addNSDefinition(element, uri);
             }
-            if (!"".equals(prefix)) {
+            if (!prefix.isEmpty()) {
                 out.write(prefix);
                 out.write(":");
             }
@@ -350,7 +350,7 @@ public class DOMElementWriter {
             for (String uri : uris) {
                 String prefix = nsPrefixMap.get(uri);
                 out.write(" xmlns");
-                if (!"".equals(prefix)) {
+                if (!prefix.isEmpty()) {
                     out.write(":");
                     out.write(prefix);
                 }
diff --git a/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/util/XMLFragment.java b/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/util/XMLFragment.java
index 3fe5ddd1b..7d8ba555a 100644
--- a/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/util/XMLFragment.java
+++ b/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/util/XMLFragment.java
@@ -77,7 +77,7 @@ public class XMLFragment extends ProjectComponent implements DynamicElementNS {
     @Override
     public Object createDynamicElement(String uri, String name, String qName) {
         Element e;
-        if ("".equals(uri)) {
+        if (uri.isEmpty()) {
             e = doc.createElement(name);
         } else {
             e = doc.createElementNS(uri, qName);
@@ -128,7 +128,7 @@ public class XMLFragment extends ProjectComponent implements DynamicElementNS {
         @Override
         public void setDynamicAttribute(
             String uri, String name, String qName, String value) {
-            if ("".equals(uri)) {
+            if (uri.isEmpty()) {
                 e.setAttribute(name, value);
             } else {
                 e.setAttributeNS(uri, qName, value);
@@ -145,7 +145,7 @@ public class XMLFragment extends ProjectComponent implements DynamicElementNS {
         @Override
         public Object createDynamicElement(String uri, String name, String qName) {
             Element e2 = null;
-            if ("".equals(uri)) {
+            if (uri.isEmpty()) {
                 e2 = doc.createElement(name);
             } else {
                 e2 = doc.createElementNS(uri, qName);
diff --git a/src/tests/junit/org/apache/tools/ant/taskdefs/compilers/DefaultCompilerAdapterTest.java b/src/tests/junit/org/apache/tools/ant/taskdefs/compilers/DefaultCompilerAdapterTest.java
index e1c1bb29f..7409b79d3 100644
--- a/src/tests/junit/org/apache/tools/ant/taskdefs/compilers/DefaultCompilerAdapterTest.java
+++ b/src/tests/junit/org/apache/tools/ant/taskdefs/compilers/DefaultCompilerAdapterTest.java
@@ -488,7 +488,7 @@ public class DefaultCompilerAdapterTest {
         sth.setJavac(javac);
         Commandline cmd = new Commandline();
         sth.setupModernJavacCommandlineSwitches(cmd);
-        if ("".equals(expectedLog)) {
+        if (expectedLog.isEmpty()) {
             assertEquals("", javac.getLog());
         } else {
             String l = javac.getLog();