diff --git a/redo/controls.go b/redo/controls.go
index 0500ac6..e8610a5 100644
--- a/redo/controls.go
+++ b/redo/controls.go
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ type Control interface {
 	parent(*window)
 	// TODO enable/disable (public)
 	// TODO show/hide (public)
-	// TODO sizing (likely private)
+	controlSizing
 }
 
 // Button is a clickable button that performs some task.
diff --git a/redo/sizing.go b/redo/sizing.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a3f8c0e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/redo/sizing.go
@@ -0,0 +1,48 @@
+// 25 june 2014
+
+package ui
+
+type allocation struct {
+	x		int
+	y		int
+	width	int
+	height	int
+	this		Control
+	neighbor	Control
+}
+
+type sizingbase struct {
+	xmargin		int
+	ymargin		int
+	xpadding		int
+	ypadding		int
+}
+
+// this ensures that all *windows across all platforms contain the necessary functions
+// if this fails to compile, we have a problem
+var windowSizeEnsure interface {
+	beginResize() *sizing
+	endResize(*sizing)
+	translateAllocationCoords([]*allocation, int, int)
+} = &window{}
+
+type controlSizing interface {
+	allocate(x int, y int, width int, height int, d *sizing) []*allocation
+	preferredSize(*sizing) (int, int)
+	commitResize(*allocation, *sizing)
+	getAuxResizeInfo(*sizing)
+}
+
+func (w *window) doresize(width, height int) {
+	if w.child == nil {		// no children; nothing to do
+		return
+	}
+	d := w.beginResize()
+	allocations := w.child.allocate(0, 0, width, height, d)
+	w.translateAllocationCoords(allocations, width, height)
+	// move in reverse so as to approximate right->left order so neighbors make sense
+	for i := len(allocations) - 1; i >= 0; i-- {
+		allocations[i].this.commitResize(allocations[i], d)
+	}
+	w.endResize(d)
+}
diff --git a/redo/sizing_unix.go b/redo/sizing_unix.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..da3791e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/redo/sizing_unix.go
@@ -0,0 +1,102 @@
+// +build !darwin
+
+// 23 february 2014
+
+package ui
+
+// #include "gtk_unix.h"
+import "C"
+
+type sizing struct {
+	sizingbase
+
+	// for size calculations
+	// gtk+ needs nothing
+
+	// for the actual resizing
+	shouldVAlignTop	bool
+}
+
+const (
+	gtkXMargin = 12
+	gtkYMargin = 12
+	gtkXPadding = 12
+	gtkYPadding = 6
+)
+
+func (w *window) beginResize() (d *sizing) {
+	d = new(sizing)
+	if w.spaced {
+		d.xmargin = gtkXMargin
+		d.ymargin = gtkYMargin
+		d.xpadding = gtkXPadding
+		d.ypadding = gtkYPadding
+	}
+	return d
+}
+
+func (w *window) endResize(d *sizing) {
+	C.gtk_widget_queue_draw(w.widget)
+}
+
+func (w *window) translateAllocationCoords(allocations []*allocation, winwidth, winheight int) {
+	// no need for coordinate conversion with gtk+
+}
+
+func (w *widgetbase) allocate(x int, y int, width int, height int, d *sizing) []*allocation {
+        return []*allocation{&allocation{
+                x:      x,
+                y:      y,
+                width:  width,
+                height: height,
+                this:   w,
+        }}
+}
+
+func (w *widgetbase) commitResize(c *allocation, d *sizing) {
+// TODO
+/*
+	if s.ctype == c_label && !s.alternate && c.neighbor != nil {
+		c.neighbor.getAuxResizeInfo(d)
+		if d.shouldVAlignTop {
+			// TODO should it be center-aligned to the first line or not
+			gtk_misc_set_alignment(s.widget, 0, 0)
+		} else {
+			gtk_misc_set_alignment(s.widget, 0, 0.5)
+		}
+	}
+*/
+	// TODO this uses w.parentw directly; change?
+	C.gtk_layout_move(w.parentw.layout, w.widget, C.gint(c.x), C.gint(c.y))
+	C.gtk_widget_set_size_request(w.widget, C.gint(c.width), C.gint(c.height))
+}
+
+func (w *widgetbase) getAuxResizeInfo(d *sizing) {
+//TODO
+//	d.shouldVAlignTop = (s.ctype == c_listbox) || (s.ctype == c_area)
+	d.shouldVAlignTop = false
+}
+
+// GTK+ 3 makes this easy: controls can tell us what their preferred size is!
+// ...actually, it tells us two things: the "minimum size" and the "natural size".
+// The "minimum size" is the smallest size we /can/ display /anything/. The "natural size" is the smallest size we would /prefer/ to display.
+// The difference? Minimum size takes into account things like truncation with ellipses: the minimum size of a label can allot just the ellipses!
+// So we use the natural size instead.
+// There is a warning about height-for-width controls, but in my tests this isn't an issue.
+// For Areas, we manually save the Area size and use that, just to be safe.
+
+// We don't need to worry about y-offset because label alignment is "vertically center", which GtkLabel does for us.
+
+func (w *widgetbase) preferredSize(d *sizing) (width int, height int) {
+//TODO
+/*
+	if s.ctype == c_area {
+		return s.areawidth, s.areaheight
+	}
+*/
+
+	var r C.GtkRequisition
+
+	C.gtk_widget_get_preferred_size(w.widget, nil, &r)
+	return int(r.width), int(r.height)
+}
diff --git a/redo/window_unix.go b/redo/window_unix.go
index f110e5f..d7f670c 100644
--- a/redo/window_unix.go
+++ b/redo/window_unix.go
@@ -26,6 +26,8 @@ type window struct {
 	child		Control
 
 	closing	*event
+
+	spaced	bool
 }
 
 func newWindow(title string, width int, height int) *Request {
@@ -162,7 +164,7 @@ func windowClosing(wid *C.GtkWidget, e *C.GdkEvent, data C.gpointer) C.gboolean
 func windowResizing(wid *C.GtkWidget, event *C.GdkEvent, data C.gpointer) C.gboolean {
 	w := (*window)(unsafe.Pointer(data))
 	e := (*C.GdkEventConfigure)(unsafe.Pointer(event))
-	_ = w // TODO
+	w.doresize(int(e.width), int(e.height))
 	// TODO this does not take CSD into account; my attempts at doing so so far have failed to work correctly in the face of rapid live resizing
 	// TODO triggered twice on each resize or maximize for some reason???
 	fmt.Printf("new size %d x %d\n", e.width, e.height)