diff --git a/darwin/alloc.m b/darwin/alloc.m
index 0ce46404..887d658d 100644
--- a/darwin/alloc.m
+++ b/darwin/alloc.m
@@ -23,13 +23,10 @@ void initAlloc(void)
 void uninitAlloc(void)
 {
 	NSMutableString *str;
-	NSUInteger i;
 	NSValue *v;
 
 	// delegates might have mapTables allocated
 	// TODO verify they are empty
-	for (i = 0; i < [delegates count]; i++)
-		[[delegates objectAtIndex:i] release];
 	[delegates release];
 	if ([allocations count] == 0) {
 		[allocations release];
diff --git a/darwin/button.m b/darwin/button.m
index be45dba9..baccabbb 100644
--- a/darwin/button.m
+++ b/darwin/button.m
@@ -103,7 +103,7 @@ uiButton *uiNewButton(const char *text)
 	uiDarwinSetControlFont(b->button, NSRegularControlSize);
 
 	if (buttonDelegate == nil) {
-		buttonDelegate = [buttonDelegateClass new];
+		buttonDelegate = [[buttonDelegateClass new] autorelease];
 		[delegates addObject:buttonDelegate];
 	}
 	[buttonDelegate registerButton:b];
diff --git a/darwin/checkbox.m b/darwin/checkbox.m
index 3914cfd4..cdacf419 100644
--- a/darwin/checkbox.m
+++ b/darwin/checkbox.m
@@ -118,7 +118,7 @@ uiCheckbox *uiNewCheckbox(const char *text)
 	uiDarwinSetControlFont(c->button, NSRegularControlSize);
 
 	if (checkboxDelegate == nil) {
-		checkboxDelegate = [checkboxDelegateClass new];
+		checkboxDelegate = [[checkboxDelegateClass new] autorelease];
 		[delegates addObject:checkboxDelegate];
 	}
 	[checkboxDelegate registerCheckbox:c];
diff --git a/darwin/combobox.m b/darwin/combobox.m
index 7e047e9c..c1bffdce 100644
--- a/darwin/combobox.m
+++ b/darwin/combobox.m
@@ -135,7 +135,7 @@ uiCombobox *uiNewCombobox(void)
 		options:nil];
 
 	if (comboboxDelegate == nil) {
-		comboboxDelegate = [comboboxDelegateClass new];
+		comboboxDelegate = [[comboboxDelegateClass new] autorelease];
 		[delegates addObject:comboboxDelegate];
 	}
 	[comboboxDelegate registerCombobox:c];
diff --git a/darwin/editablecombo.m b/darwin/editablecombo.m
index 2387f0fe..67259521 100644
--- a/darwin/editablecombo.m
+++ b/darwin/editablecombo.m
@@ -175,7 +175,7 @@ uiEditableCombobox *uiNewEditableCombobox(void)
 	uiDarwinSetControlFont(c->cb, NSRegularControlSize);
 
 	if (comboboxDelegate == nil) {
-		comboboxDelegate = [editableComboboxDelegateClass new];
+		comboboxDelegate = [[editableComboboxDelegateClass new] autorelease];
 		[delegates addObject:comboboxDelegate];
 	}
 	[comboboxDelegate registerCombobox:c];
diff --git a/darwin/entry.m b/darwin/entry.m
index 43f450d4..179c81e1 100644
--- a/darwin/entry.m
+++ b/darwin/entry.m
@@ -158,7 +158,7 @@ uiEntry *uiNewEntry(void)
 	e->textfield = newEditableTextField();
 
 	if (entryDelegate == nil) {
-		entryDelegate = [entryDelegateClass new];
+		entryDelegate = [[entryDelegateClass new] autorelease];
 		[delegates addObject:entryDelegate];
 	}
 	[entryDelegate registerEntry:e];
diff --git a/darwin/main.m b/darwin/main.m
index c34ede14..dd7f2d60 100644
--- a/darwin/main.m
+++ b/darwin/main.m
@@ -3,6 +3,8 @@
 
 static BOOL canQuit = NO;
 static NSAutoreleasePool *globalPool;
+static applicationClass* app;
+static appDelegate* delegate;
 
 @implementation applicationClass
 
@@ -101,15 +103,14 @@ uiInitOptions options;
 
 const char *uiInit(uiInitOptions *o)
 {
-	globalPool = [[NSAutoreleasePool alloc] init];
-
 	@autoreleasepool {
 		options = *o;
-		[applicationClass sharedApplication];
+		app = [[applicationClass sharedApplication] retain];
 		// don't check for a NO return; something (launch services?) causes running from application bundles to always return NO when asking to change activation policy, even if the change is to the same activation policy!
 		// see https://github.com/andlabs/ui/issues/6
 		[realNSApp() setActivationPolicy:NSApplicationActivationPolicyRegular];
-		[realNSApp() setDelegate:[appDelegate new]];
+		delegate = [appDelegate new];
+		[realNSApp() setDelegate:delegate];
 
 		initAlloc();
 
@@ -118,20 +119,26 @@ const char *uiInit(uiInitOptions *o)
 		[realNSApp() setMainMenu:[appDelegate().menuManager makeMenubar]];
 
 		setupFontPanel();
-
-		return NULL;
 	}
+
+	globalPool = [[NSAutoreleasePool alloc] init];
+
+	return NULL;
 }
 
 void uiUninit(void)
 {
-	@autoreleasepool {
-		[appDelegate() release];
-		[realNSApp() setDelegate:nil];
-		[realNSApp() release];
-		uninitAlloc();
+	if (!globalPool) {
+		userbug("You must call uiInit() first!");
 	}
 	[globalPool release];
+
+	@autoreleasepool {
+		[delegate release];
+		[realNSApp() setDelegate:nil];
+		[app release];
+		uninitAlloc();
+	}
 }
 
 void uiFreeInitError(const char *err)
diff --git a/darwin/slider.m b/darwin/slider.m
index 4cee88c5..53274574 100644
--- a/darwin/slider.m
+++ b/darwin/slider.m
@@ -138,7 +138,7 @@ uiSlider *uiNewSlider(intmax_t min, intmax_t max)
 	[cell setSliderType:NSLinearSlider];
 
 	if (sliderDelegate == nil) {
-		sliderDelegate = [sliderDelegateClass new];
+		sliderDelegate = [[sliderDelegateClass new] autorelease];
 		[delegates addObject:sliderDelegate];
 	}
 	[sliderDelegate registerSlider:s];
diff --git a/darwin/tab.m b/darwin/tab.m
index 0e7a0d19..24060309 100644
--- a/darwin/tab.m
+++ b/darwin/tab.m
@@ -35,8 +35,8 @@ struct uiTab {
 {
 	self = [super init];
 	if (self != nil) {
-		self->view = v;
-		self->pageID = o;
+		self->view = [v retain];
+		self->pageID = [o retain];
 	}
 	return self;
 }
@@ -189,14 +189,14 @@ void uiTabInsertAt(uiTab *t, const char *name, uintmax_t n, uiControl *child)
 
 	uiControlSetParent(child, uiControl(t));
 
-	view = [[NSView alloc] initWithFrame:NSZeroRect];
+	view = [[[NSView alloc] initWithFrame:NSZeroRect] autorelease];
 	// TODO if we turn off the autoresizing mask, nothing shows up; didn't this get documented somewhere?
 	uiDarwinControlSetSuperview(uiDarwinControl(child), view);
 	uiDarwinControlSyncEnableState(uiDarwinControl(child), uiControlEnabledToUser(uiControl(t)));
 
 	// the documentation says these can be nil but the headers say these must not be; let's be safe and make them non-nil anyway
 	pageID = [NSObject new];
-	page = [[tabPage alloc] initWithView:view pageID:pageID];
+	page = [[[tabPage alloc] initWithView:view pageID:pageID] autorelease];
 	page.c = child;
 
 	// don't hug, just in case we're a stretchy tab
@@ -206,16 +206,11 @@ void uiTabInsertAt(uiTab *t, const char *name, uintmax_t n, uiControl *child)
 	uiDarwinControlSetHuggingPriority(uiDarwinControl(page.c), NSLayoutPriorityDefaultLow, NSLayoutConstraintOrientationVertical);
 
 	[t->pages insertObject:page atIndex:n];
-	[page release];			// no need for initial reference
 
-	i = [[NSTabViewItem alloc] initWithIdentifier:pageID];
+	i = [[[NSTabViewItem alloc] initWithIdentifier:pageID] autorelease];
 	[i setLabel:toNSString(name)];
 	[i setView:view];
 	[t->tabview insertTabViewItem:i atIndex:n];
-	// TODO release i?
-
-	[pageID release];		// no need for initial reference
-	[view release];
 
 	tabRelayout(t);
 }
diff --git a/darwin/window.m b/darwin/window.m
index 58bd63ac..e5ebc93f 100644
--- a/darwin/window.m
+++ b/darwin/window.m
@@ -258,7 +258,7 @@ uiWindow *uiNewWindow(const char *title, int width, int height, int hasMenubar)
 	[w->window setReleasedWhenClosed:NO];
 
 	if (windowDelegate == nil) {
-		windowDelegate = [windowDelegateClass new];
+		windowDelegate = [[windowDelegateClass new] autorelease];
 		[delegates addObject:windowDelegate];
 	}
 	[windowDelegate registerWindow:w];