diff --git a/redo/uitask.go b/redo/uitask.go
index c29470a..32f8faf 100644
--- a/redo/uitask.go
+++ b/redo/uitask.go
@@ -2,7 +2,23 @@
 
 package ui
 
-// TODO Go, Start, Stop
+import (
+	"runtime"
+)
+
+// Go initializes package ui.
+// TODO write this bit
+func Go() error {
+	runtime.LockOSThread()
+	if err := uiinit(); err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	go uitask()
+	uimsgloop()
+	return nil
+}
+
+// TODO Stop
 
 // This is the ui main loop.
 // It is spawned by Go as a goroutine.
diff --git a/redo/uitask_unix.go b/redo/uitask_unix.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..211349b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/redo/uitask_unix.go
@@ -0,0 +1,34 @@
+// 7 july 2014
+
+package ui
+
+import (
+	"unsafe"
+)
+
+// #cgo pkg-config: gtk+-3.0
+// #include "gtk_unix.h"
+// extern gboolean doissue(gpointer data);
+import "C"
+
+func uiinit() error {
+	// TODO replace with the eerror-checking version
+	C.gtk_init()
+	return nil
+}
+
+func uimsgloop() {
+	C.gtk_main()
+}
+
+func issue(req *Request) {
+	C.gdk_threads_add_idle(C.GSourceFunc(C.doissue), C.gpointer(unsafe.Pointer(req)))
+}
+
+//export doissue
+func doissue(data C.gpointer) C.gboolean {
+	req := (*Request)(unsafe.Pointer(data))
+	req.op()
+	close(req.done)
+	return C.FALSE		// don't repeat
+}