diff --git a/src/cargo/cargo.rs b/src/cargo/cargo.rs
index 8536bf7d830a..aa042ea1ae46 100644
--- a/src/cargo/cargo.rs
+++ b/src/cargo/cargo.rs
@@ -651,7 +651,7 @@ fn cmd_install(c: cargo) unsafe {
 
     if str::starts_with(target, "uuid:") {
         let uuid = rest(target, 5u);
-        let idx = str::index(uuid, '/' as u8);
+        let idx = str::index_byte(uuid, '/' as u8);
         if idx != -1 {
             let source = str::unsafe::slice_bytes(uuid, 0u, idx as uint);
             uuid = str::unsafe::slice_bytes(uuid, idx as uint + 1u,
@@ -662,7 +662,7 @@ fn cmd_install(c: cargo) unsafe {
         }
     } else {
         let name = target;
-        let idx = str::index(name, '/' as u8);
+        let idx = str::index_byte(name, '/' as u8);
         if idx != -1 {
             let source = str::unsafe::slice_bytes(name, 0u, idx as uint);
             name = str::unsafe::slice_bytes(name, idx as uint + 1u,
diff --git a/src/comp/back/link.rs b/src/comp/back/link.rs
index cb2070c124c5..4f32ad4a31fc 100644
--- a/src/comp/back/link.rs
+++ b/src/comp/back/link.rs
@@ -109,7 +109,7 @@ mod write {
     // Decides what to call an intermediate file, given the name of the output
     // and the extension to use.
     fn mk_intermediate_name(output_path: str, extension: str) -> str unsafe {
-        let dot_pos = str::index(output_path, '.' as u8);
+        let dot_pos = str::index_byte(output_path, '.' as u8);
         let stem;
         if dot_pos < 0 {
             stem = output_path;
diff --git a/src/comp/syntax/codemap.rs b/src/comp/syntax/codemap.rs
index 5d8d7ff56333..27f968b1156f 100644
--- a/src/comp/syntax/codemap.rs
+++ b/src/comp/syntax/codemap.rs
@@ -125,7 +125,7 @@ fn get_line(fm: filemap, line: int) -> str unsafe {
         // the remainder of the file, which is undesirable.
         end = str::byte_len(*fm.src);
         let rest = str::unsafe::slice_bytes(*fm.src, begin, end);
-        let newline = str::index(rest, '\n' as u8);
+        let newline = str::index_byte(rest, '\n' as u8);
         if newline != -1 { end = begin + (newline as uint); }
     }
     ret str::unsafe::slice_bytes(*fm.src, begin, end);
diff --git a/src/fuzzer/fuzzer.rs b/src/fuzzer/fuzzer.rs
index a5cfb8db3f7c..e3f452f68704 100644
--- a/src/fuzzer/fuzzer.rs
+++ b/src/fuzzer/fuzzer.rs
@@ -284,7 +284,7 @@ fn check_variants_T<T: copy>(
 }
 
 fn last_part(filename: str) -> str unsafe {
-  let ix = str::rindex(filename, 47u8 /* '/' */);
+  let ix = str::rindex_byte(filename, 47u8 /* '/' */);
   assert ix >= 0;
   str::unsafe::slice_bytes(filename, ix as uint + 1u, str::byte_len(filename) - 3u)
 }
diff --git a/src/libcore/str.rs b/src/libcore/str.rs
index b98d96bb901a..bc96475990f9 100644
--- a/src/libcore/str.rs
+++ b/src/libcore/str.rs
@@ -70,8 +70,10 @@ export
    lines_iter,
 
    // Searching
-   index,
-   rindex,
+   //index,
+   //rindex,
+   index_byte,
+   rindex_byte,
    find,
    contains,
    starts_with,
@@ -876,7 +878,7 @@ no match is found.
 
 FIXME: UTF-8
 */
-fn index(s: str, c: u8) -> int {
+fn index_byte(s: str, c: u8) -> int {
     let i: int = 0;
     for k: u8 in s { if k == c { ret i; } i += 1; }
     ret -1;
@@ -890,7 +892,7 @@ if no match is found.
 
 FIXME: UTF-8
 */
-fn rindex(s: str, c: u8) -> int {
+fn rindex_byte(s: str, c: u8) -> int {
     let n: int = byte_len(s) as int;
     while n >= 0 { if s[n] == c { ret n; } n -= 1; }
     ret n;
@@ -1443,12 +1445,12 @@ mod tests {
 
     #[test]
     fn test_index_and_rindex() {
-        assert (index("hello", 'e' as u8) == 1);
-        assert (index("hello", 'o' as u8) == 4);
-        assert (index("hello", 'z' as u8) == -1);
-        assert (rindex("hello", 'l' as u8) == 3);
-        assert (rindex("hello", 'h' as u8) == 0);
-        assert (rindex("hello", 'z' as u8) == -1);
+        assert (index_byte("hello", 'e' as u8) == 1);
+        assert (index_byte("hello", 'o' as u8) == 4);
+        assert (index_byte("hello", 'z' as u8) == -1);
+        assert (rindex_byte("hello", 'l' as u8) == 3);
+        assert (rindex_byte("hello", 'h' as u8) == 0);
+        assert (rindex_byte("hello", 'z' as u8) == -1);
     }
 
     #[test]
diff --git a/src/libstd/fs.rs b/src/libstd/fs.rs
index 2304445b95b1..874d92cc4b9d 100644
--- a/src/libstd/fs.rs
+++ b/src/libstd/fs.rs
@@ -44,9 +44,9 @@ The dirname of "/usr/share" will be "/usr", but the dirname of
 If the path is not prefixed with a directory, then "." is returned.
 */
 fn dirname(p: path) -> path unsafe {
-    let i: int = str::rindex(p, os_fs::path_sep as u8);
+    let i: int = str::rindex_byte(p, os_fs::path_sep as u8);
     if i == -1 {
-        i = str::rindex(p, os_fs::alt_path_sep as u8);
+        i = str::rindex_byte(p, os_fs::alt_path_sep as u8);
         if i == -1 { ret "."; }
     }
     ret str::unsafe::slice_bytes(p, 0u, i as uint);
@@ -64,9 +64,9 @@ the provided path. If an empty path is provided or the path ends
 with a path separator then an empty path is returned.
 */
 fn basename(p: path) -> path unsafe {
-    let i: int = str::rindex(p, os_fs::path_sep as u8);
+    let i: int = str::rindex_byte(p, os_fs::path_sep as u8);
     if i == -1 {
-        i = str::rindex(p, os_fs::alt_path_sep as u8);
+        i = str::rindex_byte(p, os_fs::alt_path_sep as u8);
         if i == -1 { ret p; }
     }
     let len = str::byte_len(p);
diff --git a/src/libstd/getopts.rs b/src/libstd/getopts.rs
index 48d83f0e5c2c..33674fe67f38 100644
--- a/src/libstd/getopts.rs
+++ b/src/libstd/getopts.rs
@@ -230,7 +230,7 @@ fn getopts(args: [str], opts: [opt]) -> result unsafe {
             let i_arg = option::none::<str>;
             if cur[1] == '-' as u8 {
                 let tail = str::unsafe::slice_bytes(cur, 2u, curlen);
-                let eq = str::index(tail, '=' as u8);
+                let eq = str::index_byte(tail, '=' as u8);
                 if eq == -1 {
                     names = [long(tail)];
                 } else {