diff --git a/DeComp/compress.py b/DeComp/compress.py
index 6cb5421..f81f984 100644
--- a/DeComp/compress.py
+++ b/DeComp/compress.py
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ Maintained in full by:
 import os
 
 from DeComp.definitions import (DEFINITION_FIELDS, EXTENSION_SEPARATOR,
-    COMPRESSOR_PROGRAM_OPTIONS)
+    COMPRESSOR_PROGRAM_OPTIONS, DECOMPRESSOR_PROGRAM_OPTIONS)
 from DeComp import log
 from DeComp.utils import create_classes, subcmd, check_available
 
@@ -33,7 +33,8 @@ class CompressMap(object):
 
     def __init__(self, definitions=None, env=None, default_mode=None,
                  separator=EXTENSION_SEPARATOR, search_order=None, logger=None,
-                 comp_prog=COMPRESSOR_PROGRAM_OPTIONS['linux']):
+                 comp_prog=COMPRESSOR_PROGRAM_OPTIONS['linux'],
+                 decomp_opt=DECOMPRESSOR_PROGRAM_OPTIONS['linux']):
         """Class init
 
         :param definitions: dictionary of
@@ -78,6 +79,7 @@ class CompressMap(object):
             self.search_order = self.search_order.split()
         self.logger = logger or log
         self.comp_prog = comp_prog
+        self.decomp_opt = decomp_opt
         self.logger.info("COMPRESS: __init__(), search_order = %s",
                          str(self.search_order))
         # create the (de)compression definition namedtuple classes
@@ -341,7 +343,8 @@ class CompressMap(object):
             'mode': mode or self.mode,
             'auto-ext': auto_extension,
             'other_options': other_options,
-            'comp_prog': self.comp_prog
+            'comp_prog': self.comp_prog,
+            'decomp_opt': self.decomp_opt
             }
 
 
diff --git a/DeComp/contents.py b/DeComp/contents.py
index ea33577..db5c9d6 100644
--- a/DeComp/contents.py
+++ b/DeComp/contents.py
@@ -19,7 +19,8 @@ import os
 from subprocess import Popen, PIPE
 
 from DeComp.definitions import (CONTENTS_SEARCH_ORDER, DEFINITION_FIELDS,
-                                EXTENSION_SEPARATOR, COMPRESSOR_PROGRAM_OPTIONS)
+                                EXTENSION_SEPARATOR, COMPRESSOR_PROGRAM_OPTIONS,
+                                DECOMPRESSOR_PROGRAM_OPTIONS, LIST_XATTRS_OPTIONS)
 from DeComp import log
 from DeComp.utils import create_classes, check_available
 
@@ -36,7 +37,9 @@ class ContentsMap(object):
 
     def __init__(self, definitions=None, env=None, default_mode=None,
                  separator=EXTENSION_SEPARATOR, search_order=None, logger=None,
-                 comp_prog=COMPRESSOR_PROGRAM_OPTIONS['linux']):
+                 comp_prog=COMPRESSOR_PROGRAM_OPTIONS['linux'],
+                 decomp_opt=DECOMPRESSOR_PROGRAM_OPTIONS['linux'],
+                 list_xattrs_opt=LIST_XATTRS_OPTIONS['linux']):
         """Class init
 
         :param definitions: dictionary of
@@ -66,6 +69,8 @@ class ContentsMap(object):
             self.search_order = self.search_order.split()
         self.logger = logger or log
         self.comp_prog = comp_prog
+        self.decomp_opt = decomp_opt
+        self.list_xattrs_opt = list_xattrs_opt
         self.logger.info("ContentsMap: __init__(), search_order = %s",
                          str(self.search_order))
         # create the contents definitions namedtuple classes
@@ -155,11 +160,13 @@ class ContentsMap(object):
         :returns: string, list of the contents
         """
         _cmd = [cmd]
-        _cmd.extend((' '.join(args)
+        _cmd.extend(('\t'.join(args)
                      % {'source': source, "destination": destination,
                         'comp_prog': self.comp_prog,
+                        'decomp_opt': self.decomp_opt,
+                        'list_xattrs_opt': self.list_xattrs_opt,
                        }
-                    ).split()
+                    ).split('\t')
                    )
         try:
             proc = Popen(_cmd, stdout=PIPE, stderr=PIPE)
diff --git a/DeComp/definitions.py b/DeComp/definitions.py
index 4f31829..4a3ce36 100644
--- a/DeComp/definitions.py
+++ b/DeComp/definitions.py
@@ -77,6 +77,14 @@ COMPRESSOR_PROGRAM_OPTIONS = {"linux": "-I",
                               "bsd": "--use-compress-program",
                              }
 
+DECOMPRESSOR_PROGRAM_OPTIONS = {"linux": "",
+                                "bsd": " -d",
+                               }
+
+LIST_XATTRS_OPTIONS = {"linux": "--xattrs",
+                       "bsd": "",
+                      }
+
 DEFAULT_TAR="linux-tar"
 
 COMPRESS_DEFINITIONS = {
@@ -217,7 +225,7 @@ DECOMPRESS_DEFINITIONS = {
     "lbzip2": [
                 "_common", "tar",
                 [
-                    "other_options", "%(comp_prog)s", "lbzip2", "-xpf",
+                    "other_options", "%(comp_prog)s", '"lbzip2%(decomp_opt)s"', "-xpf",
                     "%(source)s", "-C", "%(destination)s"
                 ],
                 "LBZIP2", ["tar.bz2", "bz2", "tbz2"], {"tar", "lbzip2"},
@@ -226,7 +234,7 @@ DECOMPRESS_DEFINITIONS = {
                     "_common", "tar",
                     [
                         "--xattrs", "--xattrs-include=security.capability",
-                        "--xattrs-include=user.pax.flags", "%(comp_prog)s", "lbzip2",
+                        "--xattrs-include=user.pax.flags", "%(comp_prog)s", '"lbzip2%(decomp_opt)s"',
                         "-xpf", "%(source)s", "-C", "%(destination)s"
                     ],
                     "LBZIP2", ["tar.bz2", "bz2", "tbz2"], {"tar", "lbzip2"},
@@ -279,7 +287,7 @@ DECOMPRESS_DEFINITIONS = {
     "pixz": [
                 "_common", "tar",
                 [
-                    "other_options", "%(comp_prog)s", "pixz", "-xpf",
+                    "other_options", "%(comp_prog)s", '"pixz%(decomp_opt)s"', "-xpf",
                     "%(source)s", "-C", "%(destination)s"
                 ],
                 "PIXZ", ["tar.xz", "xz"], {"tar", "pixz"},
@@ -288,7 +296,7 @@ DECOMPRESS_DEFINITIONS = {
                 "_common", "tar",
                 [
                     "--xattrs", "--xattrs-include=security.capability",
-                    "--xattrs-include=user.pax.flags", "%(comp_prog)s", "pixz", "-xpf",
+                    "--xattrs-include=user.pax.flags", "%(comp_prog)s", '"pixz%(decomp_opt)s"', "-xpf",
                     "%(source)s", "-C", "%(destination)s"
                 ],
                 "PIXZ", ["tar.xz", "xz"], {"tar", "pixz"},
@@ -337,32 +345,32 @@ EXTENSION_SEPARATOR = '.'
 CONTENTS_DEFINITIONS = {
     "tar": [
                 "_common", "tar",
-                ["--xattrs", "-tvf", "%(source)s"],
+                ["%(list_xattrs_opt)s", "-tvf", "%(source)s"],
                 "TAR", [".tar"], {"tar"},
            ],
     "gzip": [
                 "_common", "tar",
-                ["--xattrs", "-tvzf", "%(source)s"],
+                ["%(list_xattrs_opt)s", "-tvzf", "%(source)s"],
                 "GZIP", [".tgz", ".tar.gz", "gz"], {"tar"},
             ],
     "lbzip2": [
                 "_common", "tar",
-                ["--xattrs", "%(comp_prog)s", "lbzip2", "-tvf", "%(source)s"],
+                ["%(list_xattrs_opt)s", "%(comp_prog)s", "lbzip2%(decomp_opt)s", "-tvf", "%(source)s"],
                 "LBZIP2", [".tbz2", "bz2", ".tar.bz2"], {"tar", "lbzip2"},
               ],
     "bzip2": [
                 "_common", "tar",
-                ["--xattrs", "-tvf", "%(source)s"],
+                ["%(list_xattrs_opt)s", "-tvf", "%(source)s"],
                 "BZIP2", [".tbz2", "bz2", ".tar.bz2"], {"tar", "bzip2"},
              ],
     "xz": [
             "_common", "tar",
-            ["--xattrs", "-tvf", "%(source)s"],
+            ["%(list_xattrs_opt)s", "-tvf", "%(source)s"],
             "XZ", ["tar.xz", "xz"], {"tar"},
           ],
     "pixz": [
                 "_common", "tar",
-                ["--xattrs", "%(comp_prog)s", "pixz", "-tvf", "%(source)s"],
+                ["%(list_xattrs_opt)s", "%(comp_prog)s", "pixz%(decomp_opt)s", "-tvf", "%(source)s"],
                 "PIXZ", ["tar.xz", "xz"], {"tar", "pixz"},
             ],
     "isoinfo_l": [