diff --git a/new/GNUbase.mk b/new/GNUbase.mk
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..329bfe9d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/new/GNUbase.mk
@@ -0,0 +1,51 @@
+# 22 april 2015
+
+OUTBASE = new
+OUTDIR = out
+OBJDIR = .obj
+
+xHFILES = \
+	ui.h \
+	$(baseHFILES)
+
+OFILES = \
+	$(baseCFILES:%.c=$(OBJDIR)/%.o) \
+	$(baseMFILES:%.m=$(OBJDIR)/%.o)
+
+xCFLAGS = \
+	-g \
+	-Wall -Wextra \
+	-Wno-unused-parameter \
+	-Wno-switch \
+	--std=c99 \
+	-fPIC \
+	$(CFLAGS) \
+	$(baseCFLAGS)
+
+xLDFLAGS = \
+	-g \
+	-fPIC \
+	$(LDFLAGS) \
+	$(baseLDFLAGS)
+
+OUT = $(OUTDIR)/$(OUTBASE)$(baseSUFFIX)
+
+$(OUT): $(OFILES) | $(OUTDIR)/.phony
+	$(CC) -o $(OUT) $(OFILES) $(xLDFLAGS)
+
+.SECONDEXPANSION:
+$(OBJDIR)/%.o: %.c $(xHFILES) | $$(dir $$@).phony
+	$(CC) -o $@ -c $< $(xCFLAGS)
+
+# see http://www.cmcrossroads.com/article/making-directories-gnu-make
+%/.phony:
+	mkdir -p $(dir $@)
+	touch $@
+.PRECIOUS: %/.phony
+
+ui.h: ui.idl
+	idl2h -extern _UI_EXTERN < ui.idl > ui.h
+
+clean:
+	rm -rf $(OUTDIR) $(OBJDIR) ui.h
+.PHONY: clean
diff --git a/new/GNUmakefile b/new/GNUmakefile
index 3058baab..588bf05d 100644
--- a/new/GNUmakefile
+++ b/new/GNUmakefile
@@ -1,9 +1,5 @@
 # 22 april 2015
 
-OUTBASE = new
-OUTDIR = out
-OBJDIR = .obj
-
 # MAME does this so :/
 ifeq ($(OS),Windows_NT)
 OS = windows
@@ -20,64 +16,24 @@ endif
 
 include $(OS)/GNUmakeinc.mk
 
-HFILES = \
+baseHFILES = \
 	ui.h \
 	uipriv.h \
-	ui_$(OS).h
+	ui_$(OS).h \
+	$(osHFILES)
 
-OFILES = \
-	$(CFILES:%.c=$(OBJDIR)/%.o) \
-	$(osCFILES:%.c=$(OBJDIR)/%.o)
+baseCFILES = \
+	box.c \
+	$(osCFILES)
 
-xCFLAGS = \
-	-g \
-	-Wall -Wextra \
-	-Wno-unused-parameter \
-	-Wno-switch \
-	--std=c99 \
-	-fPIC \
-	$(CFLAGS)
+baseMFILES = $(osMFILES)
 
-xLDFLAGS = \
-	-g \
-	-fPIC \
-	$(LDFLAGS)
+baseCFLAGS = $(osCFLAGS)
+baseLDFLAGS = -shared $(osLDFLAGS)
+baseSUFFIX = $(osLIBSUFFIX)
 
-OUT = $(OUTDIR)/$(OUTBASE)$(osLIBSUFFIX)
+include GNUbase.mk
 
-include test/GNUmakeinc.mk
-
-testOFILES = $(testCFILES:%.c=$(OBJ)/test/%.o)
-
-TEST = $(OUTDIR)/$(OUTBASE)$(osEXESUFFIX)
-
-default: $(OUT)
-test: $(TEST)
-.PHONY: default test
-
-$(OUT): $(OFILES) dirs
-	$(CC) -o $(OUT) $(OFILES) -shared $(xLDFLAGS) $(osLDFLAGS)
-
-$(OBJDIR)/%.o: %.c $(HFILES) $(osHFILES) dirs
-	$(CC) -o $@ -c $< $(xCFLAGS) $(osCFLAGS)
-
-$(TEST): $(OUT) $(testOFILES) dirs $(OBJDIR)/test/.phony
-	$(CC) -o $(TEST) $(testOFILES) $(OUT) $(xLDFLAGS)
-
-$(OBJDIR)/test/%.o: test/%.c ui.h dirs $(OBJDIR)/test/.phony
-	$(CC) -o $@ -c $< $(xCFLAGS)
-
-dirs: $(OBJDIR)/.phony $(OBJDIR)/$(OS)/.phony $(OUTDIR)/.phony
-.PHONY: dirs
-
-# see http://www.cmcrossroads.com/article/making-directories-gnu-make
-%/.phony:
-	mkdir -p $(dir $@)
-	touch $@
-
-ui.h: ui.idl
-	idl2h -extern _UI_EXTERN < ui.idl > ui.h
-
-clean:
-	rm -rf $(OUTDIR) $(OBJDIR) ui.h
-.PHONY: clean
+test:
+	$(MAKE) -f GNUmaketest.mk osLIB=$(OUT) osEXESUFFIX=$(osEXESUFFIX)
+.PHONY: test
diff --git a/new/GNUmaketest.mk b/new/GNUmaketest.mk
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..f769d68f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/new/GNUmaketest.mk
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+# 22 april 2015
+# should never be invoked directly, only ever from the main makefile
+
+include test/GNUmakeinc.mk
+
+baseHFILES = \
+	ui.h \
+	$(testHFILES)
+
+baseCFILES = $(testCFILES)
+
+baseCFLAGS = $(testCFLAGS)
+baseLDFLAGS = $(osLIB) $(testLDFLAGS)
+baseSUFFIX = $(osEXESUFFIX)
+
+include GNUbase.mk
diff --git a/new/box.c b/new/box.c
index fd4eb14c..0f6f10c8 100644
--- a/new/box.c
+++ b/new/box.c
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 // 7 april 2015
+#include "ui.h"
 #include "uipriv.h"
 
 typedef struct box box;
@@ -229,8 +230,8 @@ static void boxShow(uiControl *c)
 	if (!b->containerHid) {
 		for (i = 0; i < b->len; i++)
 			uiControlContainerShow(b->controls[i].c);
-		if (b->parent != NULL)
-			uiParentUpdate(b->parent);
+		if (b->osContainer != NULL)
+			uiOSContainerUpdate(b->osContainer);
 	}
 }
 
@@ -242,8 +243,8 @@ static void boxHide(uiControl *c)
 	b->userHid = 1;
 	for (i = 0; i < b->len; i++)
 		uiControlContainerHide(b->controls[i].c);
-	if (b->parent != NULL)
-		uiParentUpdate(b->parent);
+	if (b->osContainer != NULL)
+		uiOSContainerUpdate(b->osContainer);
 }
 
 static void boxContainerShow(uiControl *c)
@@ -255,8 +256,8 @@ static void boxContainerShow(uiControl *c)
 	if (!b->userHid) {
 		for (i = 0; i < b->len; i++)
 			uiControlContainerShow(b->controls[i].c);
-		if (b->parent != NULL)
-			uiParentUpdate(b->parent);
+		if (b->osContainer != NULL)
+			uiOSContainerUpdate(b->osContainer);
 	}
 }
 
@@ -268,8 +269,8 @@ static void boxContainerHide(uiControl *c)
 	b->containerHid = 1;
 	for (i = 0; i < b->len; i++)
 		uiControlContainerHide(b->controls[i].c);
-	if (b->parent != NULL)
-		uiParentUpdate(b->parent);
+	if (b->osContainer != NULL)
+		uiOSContainerUpdate(b->osContainer);
 }
 
 static void boxEnable(uiControl *c)
@@ -327,10 +328,10 @@ static void boxAppend(uiBox *ss, uiControl *c, int stretchy)
 	uiControlSethasParent(c, 1);
 	b->controls[b->len].c = c;
 	b->controls[b->len].stretchy = stretchy;
-	b->len++;		// must be here for parent updates to work
+	b->len++;		// must be here for OS container updates to work
 	if (b->osContainer != NULL) {
 		uiControlSetOSContainer(b->controls[b->len - 1].c, b->osContainer);
-		uiParentUpdate(b->parent);
+		uiOSContainerUpdate(b->osContainer);
 	}
 }
 
@@ -349,7 +350,7 @@ static void boxDelete(uiBox *ss, uintmax_t index)
 	uiControlSetHasParent(removed, 0);
 	if (b->osContainer != NULL) {
 		uiControlSetOSContainer(removed, NULL);
-		uiParentUpdate(b->parent);
+		uiOSContainerUpdate(b->osContainer);
 	}
 }
 
@@ -365,8 +366,8 @@ static void boxSetPadded(uiBox *ss, int padded)
 	box *b = (box *) ss;
 
 	b->padded = padded;
-	if (b->parent != NULL)
-		uiParentUpdate(b->parent);
+	if (b->osContainer != NULL)
+		uiOSContainerUpdate(b->osContainer);
 }
 
 uiBox *uiNewHorizontalBox(void)
diff --git a/new/test/GNUmakeinc.mk b/new/test/GNUmakeinc.mk
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..1d42e09e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/new/test/GNUmakeinc.mk
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+# 22 april 2015
+
+testCFILES = \
+	test/main.c \
+	test/spaced.c
+
+testHFILES = \
+	test/test.h
diff --git a/new/test/main.c b/new/test/main.c
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..27e712e5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/new/test/main.c
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+// 22 april 2015
+#include "test.h"
+
+int main(void)
+{
+	printf("hello, world %p\n", uiMain);
+	return 0;
+}
diff --git a/new/uipriv.h b/new/uipriv.h
index e69de29b..4908ccaf 100644
--- a/new/uipriv.h
+++ b/new/uipriv.h
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+// 6 april 2015
+#include <stdlib.h>
+
+extern uiInitOptions options;
+
+extern void *uiAlloc(size_t, const char *);
+#define uiNew(T) ((T *) uiAlloc(sizeof (T), #T ))
+extern void *uiRealloc(void *, size_t, const char *);
+extern void uiFree(void *);
+
+extern void complain(const char *, ...);