diff --git a/alloc_darwin.m b/alloc_darwin.m
index c347e7a1..8f539af7 100644
--- a/alloc_darwin.m
+++ b/alloc_darwin.m
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ void *uiAlloc(size_t size, const char *type)
 	void *out;
 
 	out = malloc(size);
-	if (out != NULL) {
+	if (out == NULL) {
 		fprintf(stderr, "memory exhausted in uiAlloc() allocating %s\n", type);
 		abort();
 	}
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ void *uiRealloc(void *p, size_t size, const char *type)
 	if (p == NULL)
 		return uiAlloc(size, type);
 	out = realloc(p, size);
-	if (out != NULL) {
+	if (out == NULL) {
 		fprintf(stderr, "memory exhausted in uiRealloc() reallocating %s\n", type);
 		abort();
 	}
diff --git a/button_darwin.m b/button_darwin.m
index a4191a9f..92e2c76e 100644
--- a/button_darwin.m
+++ b/button_darwin.m
@@ -58,7 +58,7 @@ char *uiButtonText(uiControl *c)
 	uiNSButton *b;
 
 	b = (uiNSButton *) uiControlHandle(c);
-	return strdup(fromNSString([b title]));
+	return uiDarwinNSStringToText([b title]);
 }
 
 void uiButtonSetText(uiControl *c, const char *text)
diff --git a/checkbox_darwin.m b/checkbox_darwin.m
index a07a4d0e..ca52389c 100644
--- a/checkbox_darwin.m
+++ b/checkbox_darwin.m
@@ -57,7 +57,7 @@ char *uiCheckboxText(uiControl *c)
 	uiCheckboxNSButton *cc;
 
 	cc = (uiCheckboxNSButton *) uiControlHandle(c);
-	return strdup(fromNSString([cc title]));
+	return uiDarwinNSStringToText([cc title]);
 }
 
 void uiCheckboxSetText(uiControl *c, const char *text)
diff --git a/entry_darwin.m b/entry_darwin.m
index 4a4047a0..102168be 100644
--- a/entry_darwin.m
+++ b/entry_darwin.m
@@ -55,8 +55,7 @@ char *uiEntryText(uiControl *c)
 	uiNSTextField *t;
 
 	t = (uiNSTextField *) uiControlHandle(c);
-	// TODO wrap all strdup calls
-	return strdup(fromNSString([t stringValue]));
+	return uiDarwinNSStringToText([t stringValue]);
 }
 
 void uiEntrySetText(uiControl *c, const char *text)
diff --git a/text_darwin.m b/text_darwin.m
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..4f363561
--- /dev/null
+++ b/text_darwin.m
@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+// 10 april 2015
+#import "uipriv_darwin.h"
+
+char *uiDarwinNSStringToText(NSString *s)
+{
+	char *out;
+
+	out = strdup([s UTF8String]);
+	if (out == NULL) {
+		fprintf(stderr, "memory exhausted in uiDarwinNSStringToText()\n");
+		abort();
+	}
+	return out;
+}
diff --git a/ui_darwin.h b/ui_darwin.h
index 672eb631..153ff517 100644
--- a/ui_darwin.h
+++ b/ui_darwin.h
@@ -15,6 +15,9 @@ This file assumes that you have imported <Cocoa/Cocoa.h> and "ui.h" beforehand.
 extern uiControl *uiDarwinNewControl(Class class, BOOL inScrollView, BOOL scrollViewHasBorder);
 extern BOOL uiDarwinControlFreeWhenAppropriate(uiControl *c, NSView *newSuperview);
 
+// You can use this function from within your control implementations to return text strings that can be freed with uiTextFree().
+extern char *uiDarwinNSStringToText(NSString *);
+
 struct uiSizingSys {
 	// this structure currently left blank
 };
diff --git a/window_darwin.m b/window_darwin.m
index 05303869..690c73ac 100644
--- a/window_darwin.m
+++ b/window_darwin.m
@@ -81,7 +81,7 @@ uintptr_t uiWindowHandle(uiWindow *w)
 
 char *uiWindowTitle(uiWindow *w)
 {
-	return strdup(fromNSString([D.w title]));
+	return uiDarwinNSStringToText([D.w title]);
 }
 
 void uiWindowSetTitle(uiWindow *w, const char *title)