diff --git a/doc/tutorial-conditions.md b/doc/tutorial-conditions.md
index 6782a05fbf9c..52894c03e3ce 100644
--- a/doc/tutorial-conditions.md
+++ b/doc/tutorial-conditions.md
@@ -43,12 +43,13 @@ $ ./example numbers.txt
 
 An example program that does this task reads like this:
 
-~~~~{.xfail-test}
+~~~~
 # #[allow(unused_imports)];
+# extern mod extra;
 use std::io::buffered::BufferedReader;
-use std::io::fs::File;
+use std::io::File;
 # mod BufferedReader {
-#     use std::io::fs::File;
+#     use std::io::File;
 #     use std::io::mem::MemReader;
 #     use std::io::buffered::BufferedReader;
 #     static s : &'static [u8] = bytes!("1 2\n\
@@ -71,10 +72,9 @@ fn main() {
 fn read_int_pairs() -> ~[(int,int)] {
     let mut pairs = ~[];
 
-    let args = std::os::args();
-
     // Path takes a generic by-value, rather than by reference
-    let path = Path::new(args.get_opt(1).expect("No input file parameter!").as_slice());
+#    let _g = std::io::ignore_io_error();
+    let path = Path::new(&"foo.txt");
     let mut reader = BufferedReader::new(File::open(&path));
 
     // 1. Iterate over the lines of our file.
@@ -242,13 +242,14 @@ If the example is rewritten to use failure, these error cases can be trapped.
 In this rewriting, failures are trapped by placing the I/O logic in a sub-task,
 and trapping its exit status using `task::try`:
 
-~~~~{.xfail-test}
+~~~~
 # #[allow(unused_imports)];
+# extern mod extra;
 use std::io::buffered::BufferedReader;
-use std::io::fs::File;
+use std::io::File;
 use std::task;
 # mod BufferedReader {
-#     use std::io::fs::File;
+#     use std::io::File;
 #     use std::io::mem::MemReader;
 #     use std::io::buffered::BufferedReader;
 #     static s : &'static [u8] = bytes!("1 2\n\
@@ -280,8 +281,8 @@ fn main() {
 
 fn read_int_pairs() -> ~[(int,int)] {
     let mut pairs = ~[];
-    let args = std::os::args();
-    let path = Path::new(args.get_opt(1).expect("No input file parameter!").as_slice());
+#    let _g = std::io::ignore_io_error();
+    let path = Path::new(&"foo.txt");
 
     let mut reader = BufferedReader::new(File::open(&path));
     for line in reader.lines() {
@@ -346,12 +347,13 @@ If no handler is found, `Condition::raise` will fail the task with an appropriat
 Rewriting the example to use a condition in place of ignoring malformed lines makes it slightly longer,
 but similarly clear as the version that used `fail!` in the logic where the error occurs:
 
-~~~~{.xfail-test}
+~~~~
 # #[allow(unused_imports)];
+# extern mod extra;
 use std::io::buffered::BufferedReader;
-use std::io::fs::File;
+use std::io::File;
 # mod BufferedReader {
-#     use std::io::fs::File;
+#     use std::io::File;
 #     use std::io::mem::MemReader;
 #     use std::io::buffered::BufferedReader;
 #     static s : &'static [u8] = bytes!("1 2\n\
@@ -378,8 +380,8 @@ fn main() {
 
 fn read_int_pairs() -> ~[(int,int)] {
     let mut pairs = ~[];
-    let args = std::os::args();
-    let path = Path::new(args.get_opt(1).expect("No input file parameter!").as_slice());
+#    let _g = std::io::ignore_io_error();
+    let path = Path::new(&"foo.txt");
 
     let mut reader = BufferedReader::new(File::open(&path));
     for line in reader.lines() {
@@ -415,12 +417,13 @@ To trap a condition, use `Condition::trap` in some caller of the site that calls
 For example, this version of the program traps the `malformed_line` condition
 and replaces bad input lines with the pair `(-1,-1)`:
 
-~~~~{.xfail-test}
+~~~~
 # #[allow(unused_imports)];
+# extern mod extra;
 use std::io::buffered::BufferedReader;
-use std::io::fs::File;
+use std::io::File;
 # mod BufferedReader {
-#     use std::io::fs::File;
+#     use std::io::File;
 #     use std::io::mem::MemReader;
 #     use std::io::buffered::BufferedReader;
 #     static s : &'static [u8] = bytes!("1 2\n\
@@ -452,8 +455,8 @@ fn main() {
 
 fn read_int_pairs() -> ~[(int,int)] {
     let mut pairs = ~[];
-    let args = std::os::args();
-    let path = Path::new(args.get_opt(1).expect("No input file parameter!").as_slice());
+#    let _g = std::io::ignore_io_error();
+    let path = Path::new(&"foo.txt");
 
     let mut reader = BufferedReader::new(File::open(&path));
     for line in reader.lines() {
@@ -490,12 +493,13 @@ In the example program, the first form of the `malformed_line` API implicitly as
 This assumption may not be correct; some callers may wish to skip malformed lines, for example.
 Changing the condition's return type from `(int,int)` to `Option<(int,int)>` will suffice to support this type of recovery:
 
-~~~~{.xfail-test}
+~~~~
 # #[allow(unused_imports)];
+# extern mod extra;
 use std::io::buffered::BufferedReader;
-use std::io::fs::File;
+use std::io::File;
 # mod BufferedReader {
-#     use std::io::fs::File;
+#     use std::io::File;
 #     use std::io::mem::MemReader;
 #     use std::io::buffered::BufferedReader;
 #     static s : &'static [u8] = bytes!("1 2\n\
@@ -528,8 +532,8 @@ fn main() {
 
 fn read_int_pairs() -> ~[(int,int)] {
     let mut pairs = ~[];
-    let args = std::os::args();
-    let path = Path::new(args.get_opt(1).expect("No input file parameter!").as_slice());
+#    let _g = std::io::ignore_io_error();
+    let path = Path::new(&"foo.txt");
 
     let mut reader = BufferedReader::new(File::open(&path));
     for line in reader.lines() {
@@ -575,12 +579,13 @@ until all relevant combinations encountered in practice are encoded.
 In the example, suppose a third possible recovery form arose: reusing the previous value read.
 This can be encoded in the handler API by introducing a helper type: `enum MalformedLineFix`.
 
-~~~~{.xfail-test}
+~~~~
 # #[allow(unused_imports)];
+# extern mod extra;
 use std::io::buffered::BufferedReader;
-use std::io::fs::File;
+use std::io::File;
 # mod BufferedReader {
-#     use std::io::fs::File;
+#     use std::io::File;
 #     use std::io::mem::MemReader;
 #     use std::io::buffered::BufferedReader;
 #     static s : &'static [u8] = bytes!("1 2\n\
@@ -622,8 +627,8 @@ fn main() {
 
 fn read_int_pairs() -> ~[(int,int)] {
     let mut pairs = ~[];
-    let args = std::os::args();
-    let path = Path::new(args.get_opt(1).expect("No input file parameter!").as_slice());
+#    let _g = std::io::ignore_io_error();
+    let path = Path::new(&"foo.txt");
 
     let mut reader = BufferedReader::new(File::open(&path));
     for line in reader.lines() {
@@ -699,12 +704,13 @@ task <unnamed> failed at 'called `Option::unwrap()` on a `None` value', .../libs
 To make the program robust &mdash; or at least flexible &mdash; in the face of this potential failure,
 a second condition and a helper function will suffice:
 
-~~~~{.xfail-test}
+~~~~
 # #[allow(unused_imports)];
+# extern mod extra;
 use std::io::buffered::BufferedReader;
-use std::io::fs::File;
+use std::io::File;
 # mod BufferedReader {
-#     use std::io::fs::File;
+#     use std::io::File;
 #     use std::io::mem::MemReader;
 #     use std::io::buffered::BufferedReader;
 #     static s : &'static [u8] = bytes!("1 2\n\
@@ -760,8 +766,8 @@ fn parse_int(x: &str) -> int {
 
 fn read_int_pairs() -> ~[(int,int)] {
     let mut pairs = ~[];
-    let args = std::os::args();
-    let path = Path::new(args.get_opt(1).expect("No input file parameter!").as_slice());
+#    let _g = std::io::ignore_io_error();
+    let path = Path::new(&"foo.txt");
 
     let mut reader = BufferedReader::new(File::open(&path));
     for line in reader.lines() {
diff --git a/src/libstd/io/mod.rs b/src/libstd/io/mod.rs
index 53b25f6fe98a..9c181aa56c22 100644
--- a/src/libstd/io/mod.rs
+++ b/src/libstd/io/mod.rs
@@ -186,23 +186,29 @@ while still providing feedback about errors. The basic strategy:
   so that nullable values do not have to be 'unwrapped' before use.
 
 These features combine in the API to allow for expressions like
-`File::new("diary.txt").write_line("met a girl")` without having to
-worry about whether "diary.txt" exists or whether the write
-succeeds. As written, if either `new` or `write_line` encounters
-an error the task will fail.
+`File::create(&Path::new("diary.txt")).write(bytes!("Met a girl.\n"))`
+without having to worry about whether "diary.txt" exists or whether
+the write succeeds. As written, if either `new` or `write_line`
+encounters an error the task will fail.
 
-If you wanted to handle the error though you might write
+If you wanted to handle the error though you might write:
 
-    let mut error = None;
-    do io_error::cond(|e: IoError| {
-        error = Some(e);
-    }).in {
-        File::new("diary.txt").write_line("met a girl");
-    }
+```rust
+use std::io::File;
+use std::io::{IoError, io_error};
 
-    if error.is_some() {
-        println("failed to write my diary");
-    }
+let mut error = None;
+io_error::cond.trap(|e: IoError| {
+    error = Some(e);
+}).inside(|| {
+    File::create(&Path::new("diary.txt")).write(bytes!("Met a girl.\n"));
+});
+
+if error.is_some() {
+    println("failed to write my diary");
+}
+# ::std::io::fs::unlink(&Path::new("diary.txt"));
+```
 
 XXX: Need better condition handling syntax
 
@@ -500,10 +506,16 @@ pub trait Reader {
     ///
     /// # Example
     ///
-    ///     let mut reader = BufferedReader::new(File::open(&Path::new("foo.txt")));
-    ///     for line in reader.lines() {
-    ///         println(line);
-    ///     }
+    /// ```rust
+    /// use std::io;
+    /// # let _g = ::std::io::ignore_io_error();
+    /// let mut reader = io::stdin();
+    ///
+    /// let mut bytes = [0, .. 10];
+    /// reader.read(bytes);
+    ///
+    /// if reader.eof() { println("stdin() had at most 10 bytes of data."); }
+    /// ```
     ///
     /// # Failure
     ///
@@ -1098,6 +1110,18 @@ pub trait Buffer: Reader {
     /// encoded unicode codepoints. If a newline is encountered, then the
     /// newline is contained in the returned string.
     ///
+    /// # Example
+    ///
+    /// ```rust
+    /// use std::io::buffered::BufferedReader;
+    /// use std::io;
+    /// # let _g = ::std::io::ignore_io_error();
+    ///
+    /// let mut reader = BufferedReader::new(io::stdin());
+    ///
+    /// let input = reader.read_line().unwrap_or(~"nothing");
+    /// ```
+    ///
     /// # Failure
     ///
     /// This function will raise on the `io_error` condition (except for