diff --git a/common/GNUmakeinc.mk b/common/GNUmakeinc.mk
index aea8e601..e7fb9522 100644
--- a/common/GNUmakeinc.mk
+++ b/common/GNUmakeinc.mk
@@ -7,7 +7,6 @@ CFILES += \
 	common/menu.c \
 	common/ptrarray.c \
 	common/shouldquit.c \
-	common/tablesubscriptions.c \
 	common/types.c
 
 HFILES += \
diff --git a/common/tablesubscriptions.c b/common/tablesubscriptions.c
deleted file mode 100644
index 1089890a..00000000
--- a/common/tablesubscriptions.c
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,54 +0,0 @@
-// 18 october 2015
-#include "../ui.h"
-#include "uipriv.h"
-
-struct uiTableSubscriptions {
-	struct ptrArray *tables;
-};
-
-uiTableSubscriptions *uiTableNewSubscriptions(void)
-{
-	uiTableSubscriptions *s;
-
-	s = uiNew(uiTableSubscriptions);
-	s->tables = newPtrArray();
-	return s;
-}
-
-void uiTableFreeSubscriptions(uiTableSubscriptions *s)
-{
-	ptrArrayDestroy(s->tables);
-	uiFree(s);
-}
-
-// TODO make more robust: complain if table already subscribed
-void uiTableSubscriptionsSubscribe(uiTableSubscriptions *s, uiTable *t)
-{
-	ptrArrayAppend(s->tables, t);
-}
-
-void uiTableSubscriptionsUnsubscribe(uiTableSubscriptions *s, uiTable *t)
-{
-	uintmax_t i;
-	uiTable *table;
-
-	for (i = 0; i < s->tables->len; i++) {
-		table = ptrArrayIndex(s->tables, uiTable *, i);
-		if (table == t) {
-			ptrArrayDelete(s->tables, i);
-			return;
-		}
-	}
-	complain("attempt to unsubscribe table that isn't subscribed in uiTableSubscriptionsUnsubscribe()");
-}
-
-void uiTableSubscriptionsNotify(uiTableSubscriptions *s, uiTableNotification n, intmax_t row, intmax_t column)
-{
-	uintmax_t i;
-	uiTable *table;
-
-	for (i = 0; i < s->tables->len; i++) {
-		table = ptrArrayIndex(s->tables, uiTable *, i);
-		tableNotify(table, n, row, column);
-	}
-}
diff --git a/ui.h b/ui.h
index 0fa85840..68d79e3b 100644
--- a/ui.h
+++ b/ui.h
@@ -517,15 +517,15 @@ struct uiAreaKeyEvent {
 
 typedef struct uiTable uiTable;
 typedef struct uiTableModel uiTableModel;
+typedef struct uiTableModelSpec uiTableModelSpec;
 typedef struct uiTableColumnParams uiTableColumnParams;
 typedef enum uiTableColumnType uiTableColumnType;
-typedef struct uiTableSubscriptions uiTableSubscriptions;
 typedef enum uiTableNotification uiTableNotification;
 
 _UI_EXTERN uintmax_t uiMenuItemType(void);
 #define uiArea(this) ((uiArea *) uiIsA((this), uiAreaType(), 1))
-_UI_EXTERN void uiTableSetModel(uiTable *, uiTableModel *);
-_UI_EXTERN void uiTableAppendColumn(uiTable *, uiTableColumnParams *);
+_UI_EXTERN void uiTableSetModel(uiTable *t, uiTableModel *m);
+_UI_EXTERN void uiTableAppendColumn(uiTable *t, uiTableColumnParams *p);
 _UI_EXTERN uiTable *uiNewTable(void);
 
 enum uiTableColumnType {
@@ -534,15 +534,10 @@ enum uiTableColumnType {
 	uiTableColumnCheckbox,
 };
 
-struct uiTableModel {
-	void (*Subscribe)(uiTableModel *m, uiTable *t);
-	void (*Unsubscribe)(uiTableModel *m, uiTable *t);
-	intmax_t (*NumColumns)(uiTableModel *m);
-	uiTableColumnType (*ColumnType)(uiTableModel *m, intmax_t column);
-	intmax_t (*NumRows)(uiTableModel *m);
-	void *(*CellValue)(uiTableModel *m, intmax_t row, intmax_t column);
-	int (*ColumnMutable)(uiTableModel *m, intmax_t column);
-	void (*SetCellValue)(uiTableModel *m, intmax_t row, intmax_t column, void *value);
+struct uiTableModelSpec {
+	intmax_t (*NumRows)(uiTableModel *m, void *mData);
+	void *(*CellValue)(uiTableModel *m, void *mData, intmax_t row, intmax_t column);
+	void (*SetCellValue)(uiTableModel *m, void *mData, intmax_t row, intmax_t column, void *value);
 };
 
 enum uiTableNotification {
@@ -552,17 +547,16 @@ enum uiTableNotification {
 	uiTableCellChanged,
 };
 
-_UI_EXTERN uiTableSubscriptions *uiTableNewSubscriptions(void);
-_UI_EXTERN void uiTableFreeSubscriptions(uiTableSubscriptions *s);
-_UI_EXTERN void uiTableSubscriptionsSubscribe(uiTableSubscriptions *s, uiTable *t);
-_UI_EXTERN void uiTableSubscriptionsUnsubscribe(uiTableSubscriptions *s, uiTable *t);
-_UI_EXTERN void uiTableSubscriptionsNotify(uiTableSubscriptions *s, uiTableNotification n, intmax_t row, intmax_t column);
+_UI_EXTERN uiTableModel *uiNewTableModel(uintmax_t nCols, uiTableColumnType *types, uiTableModelSpec *spec, void *mData);
+_UI_EXTERN void uiFreeTableModel(uiTableModel *m);
+_UI_EXTERN void uiTableModelNotify(uiTableModel *m, uiTableNotification notification, intmax_t row, intmax_t column);
 
 #define uiTableModelFromBool(b) ((void *) (b))
 _UI_EXTERN void *uiTableModelFromString(const char *str);
 
 struct uiTableColumnParams {
 	const char *Name;
+	int Mutable;			// TODO move to the model?
 	intmax_t ValueColumn;
 	// TODO background color
 };