diff --git a/basicWindow.go b/basicWindow.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b4f864a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/basicWindow.go
@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+// This creates a simple hello world window
+package main
+
+import (
+	"go.wit.com/lib/gadgets"
+	"go.wit.com/log"
+)
+
+// This initializes the first window, a group and a button
+func makebasicWindow() {
+	log.Warn("start basicWindow")
+	basicWindow = gadgets.NewBasicWindow(myGui, "basic window test")
+	basicWindow.Make()
+	basicWindow.StandardExit()
+
+	box1 := basicWindow.Box()
+	group1 := box1.NewGroup("choices")
+	group1.NewButton("hello", func() {})
+	basicWindow.Draw()
+}
diff --git a/main.go b/main.go
index 4ff2388..c1acfde 100644
--- a/main.go
+++ b/main.go
@@ -2,43 +2,42 @@
 package main
 
 import (
+	"go.wit.com/log"
 	"go.wit.com/gui"
 	"go.wit.com/lib/gadgets"
-	"go.wit.com/log"
 )
 
-var myGui *gui.Node // This is the beginning of the binary tree of widgets
+// This is the beginning of the binary tree of widgets
+var myGui *gui.Node
+
+// this is the primary window. If you close it, the program will exit
+var mainWindow *gui.Node
+
+// this is a basic window. the user can open and close it
+var basicWindow *gadgets.BasicWindow
 
-// go will sit here until the window exits
 func main() {
 	myGui = gui.New().Default()
 	myGui.LoadToolkit("nocui")
 
 	helloworld()
+
+	// go will sit here until the window exits
 	gui.Watchdog()
 }
 
-// This initializes the first window, a group and a button
+// This initializes the first window and some widgets
 func helloworld() {
-	basicWin := gadgets.NewBasicWindow(myGui, "basic window test")
-	basicWin.Make()
-	basicWin.StandardExit()
+	mainWindow = myGui.NewWindow("hello world")
 
-	box1 := basicWin.Box()
-	group1 := box1.NewGroup("choices")
-	group1.NewButton("hello", func() {})
-	basicWin.Draw()
-
-	window := myGui.NewWindow("hello world")
-
-	box := window.NewBox("vbox", false)
+	box := mainWindow.NewBox("vbox", false)
 	group := box.NewGroup("choices")
 	grid := group.NewGrid("gridiron", 2, 1)
 	grid.NewButton("hello", func() {
 		log.Println("world")
 	})
-	grid.NewButton("in", func() {
-		log.Println("out")
+	grid.NewButton("show basic window", func() {
+		makebasicWindow()
 	})
 	grid.NewLabel("apple")
 
@@ -58,6 +57,8 @@ func helloworld() {
 	cb.AddText("Yellow")
 	cb.SetText("orange")
 
+	grid.NewCheckbox("Checkers").SetProgName("CHECKERS")
+
 	queryGroup := box.NewGroup("query")
 
 	queryGroup.NewButton("Which Computer?", func() {