diff --git a/callbacks_unix.go b/callbacks_unix.go
index b9ed870..2de1656 100644
--- a/callbacks_unix.go
+++ b/callbacks_unix.go
@@ -89,7 +89,7 @@ func our_idle_callback(what C.gpointer) C.gboolean {
 	return C.FALSE // remove this idle function; we're finished
 }
 
-func gdk_threads_add_idle(idleop *gtkIdleOp) {
+func gdk_threads_add_idle_op(idleop *gtkIdleOp) {
 	C.gdk_threads_add_idle(C.GCallback(C.our_idle_callback),
 		C.gpointer(unsafe.Pointer(idleop)))
 }
diff --git a/sysdata_unix.go b/sysdata_unix.go
index b39df50..ae0e2a0 100644
--- a/sysdata_unix.go
+++ b/sysdata_unix.go
@@ -220,9 +220,10 @@ func (s *sysData) delete(index int) {
 func (s *sysData) progressPulse() {
 	// TODO this could probably be done differently...
 	pulse := func() {
-		touitask(func() {
-			gtk_progress_bar_pulse(s.widget)
-		})
+		// TODO
+//		touitask(func() {
+//			gtk_progress_bar_pulse(s.widget)
+//		})
 	}
 
 	var ticker *time.Ticker
diff --git a/uitask_unix.go b/uitask_unix.go
index a8cabd2..74bd83e 100644
--- a/uitask_unix.go
+++ b/uitask_unix.go
@@ -6,13 +6,52 @@ package ui
 
 import (
 	"fmt"
+	"unsafe"
 )
 
 // #cgo pkg-config: gtk+-3.0
 // #include "gtk_unix.h"
+// /* unfortunately, there's no way to differentiate between the main thread and other threads; in fact, doing what we do on other platforms is discouraged by the GTK+ devs!
+// but I can't avoid this any other way... so we have structures defined on the C side to skirt the garbage collector */
+// struct uitaskParams {
+// 	void *window;		/* createWindow */
+// 	void *control;		/* createWindow */
+// 	gboolean show;	/* createWindow */
+// };
+// static struct uitaskParams *mkParams(void)
+// {
+// 	/* g_malloc0() will abort on not enough memory */
+// 	return (struct uitaskParams *) g_malloc0(sizeof (struct uitaskParams));
+// }
+// static void freeParams(struct uitaskParams *p)
+// {
+// 	g_free(p);
+// }
+// extern gboolean our_createWindow_callback(gpointer);
 import "C"
 
-var uitask chan func()
+//export our_createWindow_callback
+func our_createWindow_callback(what C.gpointer) C.gboolean {
+	uc := (*C.struct_uitaskParams)(unsafe.Pointer(what))
+	w := (*Window)(unsafe.Pointer(uc.window))
+	c := *(*Control)(unsafe.Pointer(uc.control))
+	s := fromgbool(uc.show)
+	w.create(c, s)
+	C.freeParams(uc)
+	return C.FALSE // remove this idle function; we're finished
+}
+
+func (_uitask) createWindow(w *Window, c Control, s bool) {
+	uc := C.mkParams()
+	uc.window = unsafe.Pointer(w)
+	uc.control = unsafe.Pointer(&c)
+	uc.show = togbool(s)
+	gdk_threads_add_idle(C.our_createWindow_callback, unsafe.Pointer(uc))
+}
+
+func gdk_threads_add_idle(f unsafe.Pointer, what unsafe.Pointer) {
+	C.gdk_threads_add_idle(C.GCallback(f), C.gpointer(what))
+}
 
 func uiinit() error {
 	err := gtk_init()
@@ -20,8 +59,6 @@ func uiinit() error {
 		return fmt.Errorf("gtk_init() failed: %v", err)
 	}
 
-	// do this only on success, just to be safe
-	uitask = make(chan func())
 	return nil
 }
 
@@ -29,25 +66,19 @@ func ui() {
 	// thanks to tristan and Daniel_S in irc.gimp.net/#gtk
 	// see our_idle_callback in callbacks_unix.go for details
 	go func() {
-		for {
-			var f func()
-
-			select {
-			case f = <-uitask:
-				// do nothing
-			case <-Stop:
-				f = func() {
-					C.gtk_main_quit()
-				}
-			}
-			done := make(chan struct{})
-			gdk_threads_add_idle(&gtkIdleOp{
-				what: f,
-				done: done,
-			})
-			<-done
-			close(done)
+		// TODO do differently
+		<-Stop
+		// using gdk_threads_add_idle() will make sure it gets run when any events currently being handled finish running
+		f := func() {
+			C.gtk_main_quit()
 		}
+		done := make(chan struct{})
+		gdk_threads_add_idle_op(&gtkIdleOp{
+			what: f,
+			done: done,
+		})
+		<-done
+		close(done)
 	}()
 
 	C.gtk_main()