diff --git a/setup.py b/setup.py
index a1e7dc94b..349e85b6b 100644
--- a/setup.py
+++ b/setup.py
@@ -260,6 +260,7 @@ def setup_package():
 
         setup(
             name='spacy',
+            zip_safe=False,
             packages=PACKAGES,
             package_data={'': ['*.pyx', '*.pxd']},
             description='Industrial-strength NLP',
diff --git a/spacy/__init__.py b/spacy/__init__.py
index e69de29bb..57d02d95f 100644
--- a/spacy/__init__.py
+++ b/spacy/__init__.py
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+from . import util
+from .en import English
+
+
+def load(name, via=None):
+    package = util.get_package_by_name(name, via=via)
+    return English(package)
diff --git a/spacy/en/download.py b/spacy/en/download.py
index bdc0ac9b0..3195aa127 100644
--- a/spacy/en/download.py
+++ b/spacy/en/download.py
@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
+from __future__ import print_function
+
 import sys
 import os
 import shutil
@@ -37,21 +39,26 @@ def link(package, path):
     force=("Force overwrite", "flag", "f", bool),
 )
 def main(data_size='all', force=False):
+    package_name = 'en_default==1.0.4'
     path = os.path.dirname(os.path.abspath(__file__))
 
-    data_path = os.path.abspath(os.path.join(path, '..', 'data'))
-    if not os.path.isdir(data_path):
-        os.mkdir(data_path)
-
     if force:
-        sputnik.purge('spacy', about.short_version, data_path=data_path)
+        sputnik.purge('spacy', about.short_version)
 
-    package = sputnik.install('spacy', about.short_version, 'en_default==1.0.4',
-                              data_path=data_path)
+    package = sputnik.install('spacy', about.short_version, package_name)
+
+    try:
+        sputnik.package('spacy', about.short_version, package_name)
+    except PackageNotFoundException, CompatiblePackageNotFoundException:
+        print("Model failed to install. Please run 'python -m "
+              "spacy.en.download --force'.", file=sys.stderr)
+        sys.exit(1)
 
     # FIXME clean up old-style packages
     migrate(path)
 
+    print("Model successfully installed.", file=sys.stderr)
+
 
 if __name__ == '__main__':
     plac.call(main)
diff --git a/spacy/language.py b/spacy/language.py
index fe7cabcd7..8c86d53dd 100644
--- a/spacy/language.py
+++ b/spacy/language.py
@@ -8,6 +8,9 @@ try:
 except ImportError:
     import json
 
+import sputnik
+from sputnik.dir_package import DirPackage
+
 from .tokenizer import Tokenizer
 from .vocab import Vocab
 from .syntax.parser import Parser
@@ -19,8 +22,9 @@ from . import orth
 from .syntax.ner import BiluoPushDown
 from .syntax.arc_eager import ArcEager
 
+from . import about
+from . import util
 from .attrs import TAG, DEP, ENT_IOB, ENT_TYPE, HEAD
-from .util import get_package
 
 
 class Language(object):
@@ -137,9 +141,7 @@ class Language(object):
         return {0: {'PER': True, 'LOC': True, 'ORG': True, 'MISC': True}}
 
     @classmethod
-    def default_vocab(cls, package=None, get_lex_attr=None):
-        if package is None:
-            package = get_package()
+    def default_vocab(cls, package, get_lex_attr=None):
         if get_lex_attr is None:
             get_lex_attr = cls.default_lex_attrs()
         return Vocab.load(package, get_lex_attr=get_lex_attr)
@@ -157,8 +159,8 @@ class Language(object):
             return Parser.from_dir(data_dir, vocab.strings, BiluoPushDown)
 
     def __init__(self,
+        via=None,
         data_dir=None,
-        model=None,
         vocab=None,
         tokenizer=None,
         tagger=None,
@@ -170,19 +172,34 @@ class Language(object):
         """
            a model can be specified:
 
-           1) by a path to the model directory (DEPRECATED)
-             - Language(data_dir='path/to/data')
+           1) by calling a Language subclass
+             - spacy.en.English()
 
-           2) by a language identifier (and optionally a package root dir)
-             - Language(lang='en')
-             - Language(lang='en', data_dir='spacy/data')
+           2) by calling a Language subclass with via (previously: data_dir)
+             - spacy.en.English('my/model/root')
+             - spacy.en.English(via='my/model/root')
 
-           3) by a model name/version (and optionally a package root dir)
-             - Language(model='en_default')
-             - Language(model='en_default ==1.0.0')
-             - Language(model='en_default <1.1.0, data_dir='spacy/data')
+           3) by package name
+             - spacy.load('en_default')
+             - spacy.load('en_default==1.0.0')
+
+           4) by package name with a relocated package base
+             - spacy.load('en_default', via='/my/package/root')
+             - spacy.load('en_default==1.0.0', via='/my/package/root')
+
+           5) by package object
+             - spacy.en.English(package)
         """
-        package = get_package(model, data_path=data_dir)
+
+        if data_dir is not None and via is None:
+            warn("Use of data_dir is deprecated, use via instead.", DeprecationWarning)
+            via = data_dir
+
+        if via is None:
+            package = util.get_package_by_name('en_default==1.0.4')
+        else:
+            package = util.get_package(via)
+
         if load_vectors is not True:
             warn("load_vectors is deprecated", DeprecationWarning)
         if vocab in (None, True):
diff --git a/spacy/lemmatizer.py b/spacy/lemmatizer.py
index 556de3659..5082da253 100644
--- a/spacy/lemmatizer.py
+++ b/spacy/lemmatizer.py
@@ -13,8 +13,8 @@ from .util import get_package
 
 class Lemmatizer(object):
     @classmethod
-    def load(cls, pkg_or_str_or_file):
-        pkg = get_package(pkg_or_str_or_file)
+    def load(cls, via):
+        pkg = get_package(via)
         index = {}
         exc = {}
         for pos in ['adj', 'noun', 'verb']:
diff --git a/spacy/matcher.pyx b/spacy/matcher.pyx
index 2b7364487..df71e8f98 100644
--- a/spacy/matcher.pyx
+++ b/spacy/matcher.pyx
@@ -170,8 +170,8 @@ cdef class Matcher:
     cdef object _patterns
 
     @classmethod
-    def load(cls, pkg_or_str_or_file, Vocab vocab):
-        package = get_package(pkg_or_str_or_file)
+    def load(cls, via, Vocab vocab):
+        package = get_package(via)
         patterns = package.load_json(('vocab', 'gazetteer.json'))
         return cls(vocab, patterns)
 
diff --git a/spacy/tagger.pyx b/spacy/tagger.pyx
index a3f8797e2..7d7b82d90 100644
--- a/spacy/tagger.pyx
+++ b/spacy/tagger.pyx
@@ -148,8 +148,8 @@ cdef class Tagger:
         return cls(vocab, model)
 
     @classmethod
-    def load(cls, pkg_or_str_or_file, vocab):
-        pkg = get_package(pkg_or_str_or_file)
+    def load(cls, via, vocab):
+        pkg = get_package(via)
         # TODO: templates.json deprecated? not present in latest package
         templates = cls.default_templates()
         # templates = package.load_utf8(json.load,
diff --git a/spacy/tokenizer.pyx b/spacy/tokenizer.pyx
index 49e8a06ef..9f195f784 100644
--- a/spacy/tokenizer.pyx
+++ b/spacy/tokenizer.pyx
@@ -42,8 +42,8 @@ cdef class Tokenizer:
         return (self.__class__, args, None, None)
 
     @classmethod
-    def load(cls, pkg_or_str_or_file, Vocab vocab):
-        pkg = get_package(pkg_or_str_or_file)
+    def load(cls, via, Vocab vocab):
+        pkg = get_package(via)
         rules, prefix_re, suffix_re, infix_re = read_lang_data(pkg)
         prefix_re = re.compile(prefix_re)
         suffix_re = re.compile(suffix_re)
diff --git a/spacy/util.py b/spacy/util.py
index c998df056..27d1fe161 100644
--- a/spacy/util.py
+++ b/spacy/util.py
@@ -7,34 +7,29 @@ import os.path
 import sputnik
 from sputnik.dir_package import DirPackage
 from sputnik.package_stub import PackageStub
-from sputnik.package_list import PackageNotFoundException, CompatiblePackageNotFoundException
+from sputnik.package_list import (PackageNotFoundException,
+                                  CompatiblePackageNotFoundException)
 
 from . import about
 from .attrs import TAG, HEAD, DEP, ENT_IOB, ENT_TYPE
 
 
-def get_package(value=None, data_path=None):
-    if data_path is None:
-        if isinstance(value, PackageStub):
-            return value
-        elif value and os.path.isdir(value):
-            return DirPackage(value)
+def get_package(via=None):
+    if isinstance(via, PackageStub):
+        return via
+    return DirPackage(via)
 
-    elif value is None and data_path is not None:
-        return DirPackage(data_path)
 
+def get_package_by_name(name, via=None):
     try:
-        return sputnik.package('spacy', about.short_version,
-                               value or 'en_default==1.0.4',
-                               data_path=data_path)
-
+        return sputnik.package('spacy', about.short_version, name, data_path=via)
     except PackageNotFoundException as e:
         raise RuntimeError("Model not installed. Please run 'python -m "
                            "spacy.en.download' to install latest compatible "
                            "model.")
     except CompatiblePackageNotFoundException as e:
         raise RuntimeError("Installed model is not compatible with spaCy "
-                           "version. Please run 'python -m spacy.en.download' "
+                           "version. Please run 'python -m spacy.en.download "
                            "--force' to install latest compatible model.")
 
 
diff --git a/spacy/vocab.pyx b/spacy/vocab.pyx
index e09cb48de..f9771d5f7 100644
--- a/spacy/vocab.pyx
+++ b/spacy/vocab.pyx
@@ -48,8 +48,8 @@ cdef class Vocab:
     '''A map container for a language's LexemeC structs.
     '''
     @classmethod
-    def load(cls, pkg_or_str_or_file, get_lex_attr=None):
-        package = get_package(pkg_or_str_or_file)
+    def load(cls, via, get_lex_attr=None):
+        package = get_package(via)
         tag_map = package.load_json(('vocab', 'tag_map.json'), default={})
 
         lemmatizer = Lemmatizer.load(package)