diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index cf0f41dd0..502eef605 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -194,6 +194,7 @@ install(FILES "${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/std/test_runner_libc.zig" DESTINATION "${ZIG_
 install(FILES "${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/std/test_runner_nolibc.zig" DESTINATION "${ZIG_STD_DEST}")
 install(FILES "${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/std/io.zig" DESTINATION "${ZIG_STD_DEST}")
 install(FILES "${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/std/os.zig" DESTINATION "${ZIG_STD_DEST}")
+install(FILES "${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/std/str.zig" DESTINATION "${ZIG_STD_DEST}")
 install(FILES "${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/std/linux.zig" DESTINATION "${ZIG_STD_DEST}")
 install(FILES "${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/std/errno.zig" DESTINATION "${ZIG_STD_DEST}")
 install(FILES "${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/std/rand.zig" DESTINATION "${ZIG_STD_DEST}")
diff --git a/example/cat/main.zig b/example/cat/main.zig
index 97e04b6ea..7b2a2c0d3 100644
--- a/example/cat/main.zig
+++ b/example/cat/main.zig
@@ -1,4 +1,6 @@
-use @import("std");
+const std = @import("std");
+const io = std.io;
+const str = std.str;
 
 // TODO var args printing
 
@@ -6,7 +8,7 @@ pub fn main(args: [][]u8) -> %void {
     const exe = args[0];
     var catted_anything = false;
     for (args[1...]) |arg| {
-        if (str_eql(arg, "-")) {
+        if (str.eql(arg, "-")) {
             catted_anything = true;
             cat_stream(io.stdin) %% |err| return err;
         } else if (arg[0] == '-') {
diff --git a/std/bootstrap.zig b/std/bootstrap.zig
index 849567e3c..f381311b0 100644
--- a/std/bootstrap.zig
+++ b/std/bootstrap.zig
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 
 const root = @import("@root");
 const linux = @import("linux.zig");
+const str = @import("str.zig");
 
 const want_start_symbol = switch(@compile_var("os")) {
     linux => true,
@@ -29,19 +30,11 @@ export fn _start() -> unreachable {
     call_main_and_exit()
 }
 
-fn strlen(ptr: &const u8) -> isize {
-    var count: isize = 0;
-    while (ptr[count] != 0) {
-        count += 1;
-    }
-    return count;
-}
-
 fn call_main() -> %void {
     var args: [argc][]u8 = undefined;
     for (args) |arg, i| {
         const ptr = argv[i];
-        args[i] = ptr[0...strlen(ptr)];
+        args[i] = ptr[0...str.len(ptr)];
     }
     return root.main(args);
 }
diff --git a/std/index.zig b/std/index.zig
index a7bcfc446..e5a77be1f 100644
--- a/std/index.zig
+++ b/std/index.zig
@@ -2,24 +2,9 @@ pub const Rand = @import("rand.zig").Rand;
 pub const io = @import("io.zig");
 pub const os = @import("os.zig");
 pub const math = @import("math.zig");
+pub const str = @import("str.zig");
 
 pub fn assert(b: bool) {
     if (!b) unreachable{}
 }
 
-pub const str_eql = slice_eql(u8);
-
-pub fn slice_eql(T: type)(a: []const T, b: []const T) -> bool {
-    if (a.len != b.len) return false;
-    for (a) |item, index| {
-        if (b[index] != item) return false;
-    }
-    return true;
-}
-
-#attribute("test")
-fn string_equality() {
-    assert(str_eql("abcd", "abcd"));
-    assert(!str_eql("abcdef", "abZdef"));
-    assert(!str_eql("abcdefg", "abcdef"));
-}
diff --git a/std/io.zig b/std/io.zig
index f579db6cd..07a480f09 100644
--- a/std/io.zig
+++ b/std/io.zig
@@ -207,13 +207,6 @@ pub struct InStream {
     }
 }
 
-#attribute("cold")
-pub fn abort() -> unreachable {
-    linux.raise(linux.SIGABRT);
-    linux.raise(linux.SIGKILL);
-    while (true) {}
-}
-
 pub error InvalidChar;
 pub error Overflow;
 
diff --git a/std/os.zig b/std/os.zig
index 5e0ee4878..8771e48bb 100644
--- a/std/os.zig
+++ b/std/os.zig
@@ -26,3 +26,11 @@ pub fn get_random_bytes(buf: []u8) -> %void {
         else => unreachable{},
     }
 }
+
+#attribute("cold")
+pub fn abort() -> unreachable {
+    linux.raise(linux.SIGABRT);
+    linux.raise(linux.SIGKILL);
+    while (true) {}
+}
+
diff --git a/std/str.zig b/std/str.zig
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..7df0c5658
--- /dev/null
+++ b/std/str.zig
@@ -0,0 +1,34 @@
+const assert = @import("index.zig").assert;
+
+pub fn len(ptr: &const u8) -> isize {
+    var count: isize = 0;
+    while (ptr[count] != 0) {
+        count += 1;
+    }
+    return count;
+}
+
+pub fn from_c_const(str: &const u8) -> []const u8 {
+    return str[0...len(str)];
+}
+
+pub fn from_c(str: &u8) -> []u8 {
+    return str[0...len(str)];
+}
+
+pub const eql = slice_eql(u8);
+
+pub fn slice_eql(T: type)(a: []const T, b: []const T) -> bool {
+    if (a.len != b.len) return false;
+    for (a) |item, index| {
+        if (b[index] != item) return false;
+    }
+    return true;
+}
+
+#attribute("test")
+fn string_equality() {
+    assert(eql("abcd", "abcd"));
+    assert(!eql("abcdef", "abZdef"));
+    assert(!eql("abcdefg", "abcdef"));
+}
diff --git a/test/self_hosted.zig b/test/self_hosted.zig
index 1ab673db1..bfc43a322 100644
--- a/test/self_hosted.zig
+++ b/test/self_hosted.zig
@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
 // test std library
-use @import("std");
+const std = @import("std");
+const assert = std.assert;
+const str = std.str;
 
 #attribute("test")
 fn empty_function() {}
@@ -701,8 +703,8 @@ three)AOEU";
 one
 two)
 three)";
-    assert(str_eql(s1, s2));
-    assert(str_eql(s3, s2));
+    assert(str.eql(s1, s2));
+    assert(str.eql(s3, s2));
 }
 
 
@@ -760,7 +762,7 @@ fn accepts_string(foo: []u8) { }
 
 #attribute("test")
 fn hex_escape() {
-    assert(str_eql("\x68\x65\x6c\x6c\x6f", "hello"));
+    assert(str.eql("\x68\x65\x6c\x6c\x6f", "hello"));
 }
 
 
@@ -768,8 +770,8 @@ error AnError;
 error ALongerErrorName;
 #attribute("test")
 fn error_name_string() {
-    assert(str_eql(@err_name(error.AnError), "AnError"));
-    assert(str_eql(@err_name(error.ALongerErrorName), "ALongerErrorName"));
+    assert(str.eql(@err_name(error.AnError), "AnError"));
+    assert(str.eql(@err_name(error.ALongerErrorName), "ALongerErrorName"));
 }
 
 
@@ -1069,12 +1071,12 @@ fn overflow_intrinsics() {
 #attribute("test")
 fn nested_arrays() {
     const array_of_strings = [][]u8 {"hello", "this", "is", "my", "thing"};
-    for (array_of_strings) |str, i| {
-        if (i == 0) assert(str_eql(str, "hello"));
-        if (i == 1) assert(str_eql(str, "this"));
-        if (i == 2) assert(str_eql(str, "is"));
-        if (i == 3) assert(str_eql(str, "my"));
-        if (i == 4) assert(str_eql(str, "thing"));
+    for (array_of_strings) |s, i| {
+        if (i == 0) assert(str.eql(s, "hello"));
+        if (i == 1) assert(str.eql(s, "this"));
+        if (i == 2) assert(str.eql(s, "is"));
+        if (i == 3) assert(str.eql(s, "my"));
+        if (i == 4) assert(str.eql(s, "thing"));
     }
 }
 
@@ -1088,7 +1090,7 @@ fn int_to_ptr_cast() {
 
 #attribute("test")
 fn string_concatenation() {
-    assert(str_eql("OK" ++ " IT " ++ "WORKED", "OK IT WORKED"));
+    assert(str.eql("OK" ++ " IT " ++ "WORKED", "OK IT WORKED"));
 }
 
 #attribute("test")
@@ -1185,8 +1187,8 @@ fn test_pointer_to_void_return_type_2() -> &void {
 
 #attribute("test")
 fn call_result_of_if_else_expression() {
-    assert(str_eql(f2(true), "a"));
-    assert(str_eql(f2(false), "b"));
+    assert(str.eql(f2(true), "a"));
+    assert(str.eql(f2(false), "b"));
 }
 fn f2(x: bool) -> []u8 {
     return (if (x) f_a else f_b)();