diff --git a/new/box.c b/new/box.c
index 0f6f10c8..49e08404 100644
--- a/new/box.c
+++ b/new/box.c
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ static void boxDestroy(uiControl *c)
 		uiControlSetHasParent(b->controls[i].c, 0);
 		uiControlSetOSContainer(b->controls[i].c, NULL);
 		uiControlDestroy(b->controls[i].c);
-	{
+	}
 	uiFree(b->controls);
 	uiFree(b);
 }
@@ -64,7 +64,7 @@ static void boxSetOSContainer(uiControl *c, uiOSContainer *osContainer)
 	oldcontainer = b->osContainer;
 	b->osContainer = osContainer;
 	for (i = 0; i < b->len; i++)
-		uiControlSetParent(b->controls[i].c, b->osContainer);
+		uiControlSetOSContainer(b->controls[i].c, b->osContainer);
 	if (oldcontainer != NULL)
 		uiOSContainerUpdate(oldcontainer);
 	if (b->osContainer != NULL)
@@ -325,7 +325,7 @@ static void boxAppend(uiBox *ss, uiControl *c, int stretchy)
 		b->cap += boxCapGrow;
 		b->controls = (boxControl *) uiRealloc(b->controls, b->cap * sizeof (boxControl), "boxControl[]");
 	}
-	uiControlSethasParent(c, 1);
+	uiControlSetHasParent(c, 1);
 	b->controls[b->len].c = c;
 	b->controls[b->len].stretchy = stretchy;
 	b->len++;		// must be here for OS container updates to work
diff --git a/new/test/main.c b/new/test/main.c
index 27e712e5..692d9866 100644
--- a/new/test/main.c
+++ b/new/test/main.c
@@ -1,6 +1,12 @@
 // 22 april 2015
 #include "test.h"
 
+void die(const char *fmt, ...)
+{
+	// TODO
+	abort();
+}
+
 int main(void)
 {
 	printf("hello, world %p\n", uiMain);
diff --git a/new/test/spaced.c b/new/test/spaced.c
index 920d7bb5..0e9ed781 100644
--- a/new/test/spaced.c
+++ b/new/test/spaced.c
@@ -10,13 +10,13 @@ static struct thing *things = NULL;
 static uintmax_t len = 0;
 static uintmax_t cap = 0;
 
-#define incr 32
+#define grow 32
 
 static void *append(void *thing, int type)
 {
 	if (len >= cap) {
 		cap += grow;
-		things = (struct thing *) realloc(uiBoxes, cap * sizeof (struct thing));
+		things = (struct thing *) realloc(things, cap * sizeof (struct thing));
 		if (things == NULL)
 			die("reallocating things array in test/spaced.c append()");
 	}
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ void setSpaced(int spaced)
 
 	for (i = 0; i < len; i++) {
 		p = things[i].ptr;
-		switch (things[i],type) {
+		switch (things[i].type) {
 		case window:
 			uiWindowSetMargined(uiWindow(p), spaced);
 			break;
diff --git a/new/test/test.h b/new/test/test.h
index 7377679e..c65e1476 100644
--- a/new/test/test.h
+++ b/new/test/test.h
@@ -1,8 +1,13 @@
 // 22 april 2015
+#include <stdio.h>
 #include <stdlib.h>
 #include <stdint.h>
+#include <stdarg.h>
 #include "../ui.h"
 
+// main.c
+extern void die(const char *, ...);
+
 // spaced.c
 extern void setSpaced(int);
 extern uiBox *newHorizontalBox(void);
diff --git a/new/unix/GNUmakeinc.mk b/new/unix/GNUmakeinc.mk
index 1371d0dd..ecbee66a 100644
--- a/new/unix/GNUmakeinc.mk
+++ b/new/unix/GNUmakeinc.mk
@@ -1,7 +1,9 @@
 # 22 april 2015
 
 osCFILES = \
-	unix/main.c
+	unix/alloc.c \
+	unix/main.c \
+	unix/util.c
 
 osHFILES = \
 	unix/uipriv_unix.h
diff --git a/new/unix/alloc.c b/new/unix/alloc.c
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..33482b25
--- /dev/null
+++ b/new/unix/alloc.c
@@ -0,0 +1,33 @@
+// 7 april 2015
+#include <stdio.h>
+#include "uipriv_unix.h"
+
+void *uiAlloc(size_t size, const char *type)
+{
+	void *out;
+
+	out = g_malloc0(size);
+	if (options.debugLogAllocations)
+		fprintf(stderr, "%p alloc %s\n", out, type);
+	return out;
+}
+
+void *uiRealloc(void *p, size_t size, const char *type)
+{
+	void *out;
+
+	if (p == NULL)
+		return uiAlloc(size, type);
+	// TODO fill with 0s
+	out = g_realloc(p, size);
+	if (options.debugLogAllocations)
+		fprintf(stderr, "%p realloc %p\n", p, out);
+	return out;
+}
+
+void uiFree(void *p)
+{
+	g_free(p);
+	if (options.debugLogAllocations)
+		fprintf(stderr, "%p free\n", p);
+}
diff --git a/new/unix/util.c b/new/unix/util.c
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..f02f4380
--- /dev/null
+++ b/new/unix/util.c
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+// 18 april 2015
+#include "uipriv_unix.h"
+
+void complain(const char *fmt, ...)
+{
+	va_list ap;
+
+	va_start(ap, fmt);
+	// there's no g_errorv() in glib 2.32, so do it manually instead
+	g_logv(G_LOG_DOMAIN, G_LOG_LEVEL_ERROR, fmt, ap);
+	va_end(ap);
+	abort();		// just in case
+}