diff --git a/src/libcore/io.rs b/src/libcore/io.rs
index 659fdbc6d7e81..4da7044e48b13 100644
--- a/src/libcore/io.rs
+++ b/src/libcore/io.rs
@@ -30,7 +30,9 @@ enum seek_style { seek_set, seek_end, seek_cur, }
 // The raw underlying reader iface. All readers must implement this.
 iface reader {
     // FIXME (#2004): Seekable really should be orthogonal.
-    fn read_bytes(uint) -> ~[u8];
+
+    // FIXME (#2982): This should probably return an error.
+    fn read(buf: &[mut u8], len: uint) -> uint;
     fn read_byte() -> int;
     fn unread_byte(int);
     fn eof() -> bool;
@@ -41,6 +43,16 @@ iface reader {
 // Generic utility functions defined on readers
 
 impl reader_util for reader {
+    fn read_bytes(len: uint) -> ~[u8] {
+        let mut buf = ~[mut];
+        vec::reserve(buf, len);
+        unsafe { vec::unsafe::set_len(buf, len); }
+
+        let count = self.read(buf, len);
+
+        unsafe { vec::unsafe::set_len(buf, count); }
+        vec::from_mut(buf)
+    }
     fn read_chars(n: uint) -> ~[char] {
         // returns the (consumed offset, n_req), appends characters to &chars
         fn chars_from_buf(buf: ~[u8], &chars: ~[char]) -> (uint, uint) {
@@ -192,15 +204,15 @@ fn convert_whence(whence: seek_style) -> i32 {
 }
 
 impl of reader for *libc::FILE {
-    fn read_bytes(len: uint) -> ~[u8] {
-        let mut buf : ~[mut u8] = ~[mut];
-        vec::reserve(buf, len);
-        do vec::as_mut_buf(buf) |b| {
-            let read = libc::fread(b as *mut c_void, 1u as size_t,
-                                   len as size_t, self);
-            unsafe { vec::unsafe::set_len(buf, read as uint) };
+    fn read(buf: &[mut u8], len: uint) -> uint {
+        do vec::unpack_slice(buf) |buf_p, buf_len| {
+            assert buf_len <= len;
+
+            let count = libc::fread(buf_p as *mut c_void, 1u as size_t,
+                                    len as size_t, self);
+
+            count as uint
         }
-        ret vec::from_mut(buf);
     }
     fn read_byte() -> int { ret libc::fgetc(self) as int; }
     fn unread_byte(byte: int) { libc::ungetc(byte as c_int, self); }
@@ -216,7 +228,7 @@ impl of reader for *libc::FILE {
 // duration of its lifetime.
 // FIXME there really should be a better way to do this // #2004
 impl <T: reader, C> of reader for {base: T, cleanup: C} {
-    fn read_bytes(len: uint) -> ~[u8] { self.base.read_bytes(len) }
+    fn read(buf: &[mut u8], len: uint) -> uint { self.base.read(buf, len) }
     fn read_byte() -> int { self.base.read_byte() }
     fn unread_byte(byte: int) { self.base.unread_byte(byte); }
     fn eof() -> bool { self.base.eof() }
@@ -262,13 +274,15 @@ fn file_reader(path: ~str) -> result<reader, ~str> {
 type byte_buf = {buf: ~[const u8], mut pos: uint, len: uint};
 
 impl of reader for byte_buf {
-    fn read_bytes(len: uint) -> ~[u8] {
-        let rest = self.len - self.pos;
-        let mut to_read = len;
-        if rest < to_read { to_read = rest; }
-        let range = vec::slice(self.buf, self.pos, self.pos + to_read);
-        self.pos += to_read;
-        ret range;
+    fn read(buf: &[mut u8], len: uint) -> uint {
+        let count = uint::min(len, self.len - self.pos);
+
+        vec::u8::memcpy(buf, vec::const_view(self.buf, self.pos, self.len),
+                        count);
+
+        self.pos += count;
+
+        count
     }
     fn read_byte() -> int {
         if self.pos == self.len { ret -1; }
diff --git a/src/libcore/run.rs b/src/libcore/run.rs
index a466971b9bdf2..1229d0724de79 100644
--- a/src/libcore/run.rs
+++ b/src/libcore/run.rs
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 //! Process spawning
 import option::{some, none};
 import libc::{pid_t, c_void, c_int};
+import io::reader_util;
 
 export program;
 export run_program;
diff --git a/src/libcore/vec.rs b/src/libcore/vec.rs
index c4e8ad6425cd7..a5d535e62f24e 100644
--- a/src/libcore/vec.rs
+++ b/src/libcore/vec.rs
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ export init;
 export last;
 export last_opt;
 export slice;
-export view;
+export view, mut_view, const_view;
 export split;
 export splitn;
 export rsplit;
@@ -313,7 +313,7 @@ pure fn slice<T: copy>(v: &[const T], start: uint, end: uint) -> ~[T] {
     ret result;
 }
 
-#[doc = "Return a slice that points into another slice."]
+/// Return a slice that points into another slice.
 pure fn view<T>(v: &[T], start: uint, end: uint) -> &[T] {
     assert (start <= end);
     assert (end <= len(v));
@@ -325,6 +325,30 @@ pure fn view<T>(v: &[T], start: uint, end: uint) -> &[T] {
     }
 }
 
+/// Return a slice that points into another slice.
+pure fn mut_view<T>(v: &[mut T], start: uint, end: uint) -> &[mut T] {
+    assert (start <= end);
+    assert (end <= len(v));
+    do unpack_slice(v) |p, _len| {
+        unsafe {
+            ::unsafe::reinterpret_cast(
+                (ptr::offset(p, start), (end - start) * sys::size_of::<T>()))
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+/// Return a slice that points into another slice.
+pure fn const_view<T>(v: &[const T], start: uint, end: uint) -> &[const T] {
+    assert (start <= end);
+    assert (end <= len(v));
+    do unpack_slice(v) |p, _len| {
+        unsafe {
+            ::unsafe::reinterpret_cast(
+                (ptr::offset(p, start), (end - start) * sys::size_of::<T>()))
+        }
+    }
+}
+
 /// Split the vector `v` by applying each element against the predicate `f`.
 fn split<T: copy>(v: &[T], f: fn(T) -> bool) -> ~[~[T]] {
     let ln = len(v);
@@ -627,7 +651,6 @@ fn grow_set<T: copy>(&v: ~[mut T], index: uint, initval: T, val: T) {
     v[index] = val;
 }
 
-
 // Functional utilities
 
 /// Apply a function to each element of a vector and return the results
@@ -1574,6 +1597,34 @@ mod unsafe {
             ::unsafe::reinterpret_cast(ptr::addr_of(pair));
         f(*v)
     }
+
+    /**
+      * Copies data from one vector to another.
+      *
+      * Copies `count` bytes from `src` to `dst`. The source and destination
+      * may overlap.
+      */
+    unsafe fn memcpy<T>(dst: &[mut T], src: &[const T], count: uint) {
+        do unpack_slice(dst) |p_dst, _len_dst| {
+            do unpack_slice(src) |p_src, _len_src| {
+                ptr::memcpy(p_dst, p_src, count)
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    /**
+      * Copies data from one vector to another.
+      *
+      * Copies `count` bytes from `src` to `dst`. The source and destination
+      * may overlap.
+      */
+    unsafe fn memmove<T>(dst: &[mut T], src: &[const T], count: uint) {
+        do unpack_slice(dst) |p_dst, _len_dst| {
+            do unpack_slice(src) |p_src, _len_src| {
+                ptr::memmove(p_dst, p_src, count)
+            }
+        }
+    }
 }
 
 /// Operations on `[u8]`
@@ -1581,6 +1632,7 @@ mod u8 {
     export cmp;
     export lt, le, eq, ne, ge, gt;
     export hash;
+    export memcpy, memmove;
 
     /// Bytewise string comparison
     pure fn cmp(&&a: ~[u8], &&b: ~[u8]) -> int {
@@ -1631,6 +1683,32 @@ mod u8 {
         vec::iter(s, |c| {u *= 33u; u += c as uint;});
         ret u;
     }
+
+    /**
+      * Copies data from one vector to another.
+      *
+      * Copies `count` bytes from `src` to `dst`. The source and destination
+      * may not overlap.
+      */
+    fn memcpy(dst: &[mut u8], src: &[const u8], count: uint) {
+        assert dst.len() >= count;
+        assert src.len() >= count;
+
+        unsafe { vec::unsafe::memcpy(dst, src, count) }
+    }
+
+    /**
+      * Copies data from one vector to another.
+      *
+      * Copies `count` bytes from `src` to `dst`. The source and destination
+      * may overlap.
+      */
+    fn memmove(dst: &[mut u8], src: &[const u8], count: uint) {
+        assert dst.len() >= count;
+        assert src.len() >= count;
+
+        unsafe { vec::unsafe::memmove(dst, src, count) }
+    }
 }
 
 // ___________________________________________________________________________
diff --git a/src/libstd/net_tcp.rs b/src/libstd/net_tcp.rs
index c7dc2d0cdab48..4826bc760c237 100644
--- a/src/libstd/net_tcp.rs
+++ b/src/libstd/net_tcp.rs
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ import future::extensions;
 import result::*;
 import libc::size_t;
 import str::extensions;
-import io::{reader, writer};
+import io::{reader, reader_util, writer};
 
 // tcp interfaces
 export tcp_socket;
@@ -766,34 +766,41 @@ impl tcp_socket for tcp_socket {
 
 /// Implementation of `io::reader` iface for a buffered `net::tcp::tcp_socket`
 impl tcp_socket_buf of io::reader for @tcp_socket_buf {
-    fn read_bytes(amt: uint) -> ~[u8] {
-        let has_amt_available =
-            vec::len((*(self.data)).buf) >= amt;
-        if has_amt_available {
-            // no arbitrary-length shift in vec::?
-            let mut ret_buf = ~[];
-            while vec::len(ret_buf) < amt {
-                ret_buf += ~[vec::shift((*(self.data)).buf)];
-            }
-            ret_buf
-        }
-        else {
-            let read_result = read((*(self.data)).sock, 0u);
+    fn read(buf: &[mut u8], len: uint) -> uint {
+        // Loop until our buffer has enough data in it for us to read from.
+        while self.data.buf.len() < len {
+            let read_result = read(self.data.sock, 0u);
             if read_result.is_err() {
                 let err_data = read_result.get_err();
-                log(debug, #fmt("ERROR sock_buf as io::reader.read err %? %?",
-                                 err_data.err_name, err_data.err_msg));
-                ~[]
+
+                if err_data.err_name == ~"EOF" {
+                    break;
+                } else {
+                    #debug("ERROR sock_buf as io::reader.read err %? %?",
+                           err_data.err_name, err_data.err_msg);
+
+                    ret 0;
+                }
             }
             else {
-                let new_chunk = result::unwrap(read_result);
-                (*(self.data)).buf += new_chunk;
-                self.read_bytes(amt)
+                vec::push_all(self.data.buf, result::unwrap(read_result));
             }
         }
+
+        let count = uint::min(len, self.data.buf.len());
+
+        let mut data = ~[];
+        self.data.buf <-> data;
+
+        vec::u8::memcpy(buf, vec::view(data, 0, data.len()), count);
+
+        vec::push_all(self.data.buf, vec::view(data, count, data.len()));
+
+        count
     }
     fn read_byte() -> int {
-        self.read_bytes(1u)[0] as int
+        let bytes = ~[0];
+        if self.read(bytes, 1u) == 0 { fail } else { bytes[0] as int }
     }
     fn unread_byte(amt: int) {
         vec::unshift((*(self.data)).buf, amt as u8);
diff --git a/src/test/auxiliary/issue-2526.rs b/src/test/auxiliary/issue-2526.rs
index 700c5468e6191..9504ec576c40e 100644
--- a/src/test/auxiliary/issue-2526.rs
+++ b/src/test/auxiliary/issue-2526.rs
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-#[link(name = "zmq",
+#[link(name = "issue_2526",
        vers = "0.2",
        uuid = "54cc1bc9-02b8-447c-a227-75ebc923bc29")];
 #[crate_type = "lib"];
diff --git a/src/test/run-pass/issue-2526-a.rs b/src/test/run-pass/issue-2526-a.rs
index fdbcc005ae2b4..f364439740e11 100644
--- a/src/test/run-pass/issue-2526-a.rs
+++ b/src/test/run-pass/issue-2526-a.rs
@@ -1,8 +1,8 @@
 // xfail-fast
 // aux-build:issue-2526.rs
 
-use zmq;
-import zmq::*;
+use issue_2526;
+import issue_2526::*;
 
 fn main() {}