diff --git a/src/comp/driver/rustc.rs b/src/comp/driver/rustc.rs
index 6096695eb2cb..701b4f9a6f0a 100644
--- a/src/comp/driver/rustc.rs
+++ b/src/comp/driver/rustc.rs
@@ -467,8 +467,7 @@ fn opts() -> [getopts::opt] {
          optflag(~"gc")];
 }
 
-fn main(args: [str]) {
-    let args = istr::from_estrs(args);
+fn main(args: [istr]) {
     let binary = vec::shift(args);
     let binary_dir = fs::dirname(binary);
     let match =
diff --git a/src/fuzzer/fuzzer.rs b/src/fuzzer/fuzzer.rs
index 6ebaa0f59324..cf42c2adc827 100644
--- a/src/fuzzer/fuzzer.rs
+++ b/src/fuzzer/fuzzer.rs
@@ -375,8 +375,7 @@ fn check_variants(files: &[istr]) {
     }
 }
 
-fn main(args: [str]) {
-    let args = istr::from_estrs(args);
+fn main(args: [istr]) {
     if vec::len(args) != 2u {
         log_err #ifmt["usage: %s <testdir>", args[0]];
         ret;
diff --git a/src/test/bench/shootout-fannkuchredux.rs b/src/test/bench/shootout-fannkuchredux.rs
index bc0433edcdc6..c36fe8d832ab 100644
--- a/src/test/bench/shootout-fannkuchredux.rs
+++ b/src/test/bench/shootout-fannkuchredux.rs
@@ -56,7 +56,7 @@ fn fannkuch(n: int) -> int {
     ret flips;
 }
 
-fn main(args: [str]) {
+fn main(args: [istr]) {
     let n = 7;
     log #ifmt["Pfannkuchen(%d) = %d", n, fannkuch(n)];
 }
diff --git a/src/test/bench/shootout-fasta.rs b/src/test/bench/shootout-fasta.rs
index 2c9447c1fe1d..404633449b46 100644
--- a/src/test/bench/shootout-fasta.rs
+++ b/src/test/bench/shootout-fasta.rs
@@ -68,7 +68,7 @@ fn make_repeat_fasta(id: &istr, desc: &istr, s: &istr, n: int) {
 
 fn acid(ch: char, prob: u32) -> aminoacids { ret {ch: ch, prob: prob}; }
 
-fn main(args: [str]) {
+fn main(args: [istr]) {
     let iub: [aminoacids] =
         make_cumulative([acid('a', 27u32), acid('c', 12u32), acid('g', 12u32),
                          acid('t', 27u32), acid('B', 2u32), acid('D', 2u32),
diff --git a/src/test/bench/shootout-pfib.rs b/src/test/bench/shootout-pfib.rs
index fd9210169e35..9cdc2d21b8e3 100644
--- a/src/test/bench/shootout-pfib.rs
+++ b/src/test/bench/shootout-pfib.rs
@@ -79,8 +79,7 @@ fn stress(num_tasks: int) {
     for t in tasks { task::join(t); }
 }
 
-fn main(argv: [str]) {
-    let argv = istr::from_estrs(argv);
+fn main(argv: [istr]) {
     if vec::len(argv) == 1u {
         assert (fib(8) == 21);
         log fib(8);
diff --git a/src/test/compile-fail/bad-expr-path.rs b/src/test/compile-fail/bad-expr-path.rs
index 7c97308c5387..e3cb4873ebc7 100644
--- a/src/test/compile-fail/bad-expr-path.rs
+++ b/src/test/compile-fail/bad-expr-path.rs
@@ -2,4 +2,4 @@
 
 mod m1 { }
 
-fn main(args: [str]) { log m1::a; }
+fn main(args: [istr]) { log m1::a; }
diff --git a/src/test/compile-fail/bad-expr-path2.rs b/src/test/compile-fail/bad-expr-path2.rs
index e6596f17b6e0..b779b459bf17 100644
--- a/src/test/compile-fail/bad-expr-path2.rs
+++ b/src/test/compile-fail/bad-expr-path2.rs
@@ -4,4 +4,4 @@ mod m1 {
     mod a { }
 }
 
-fn main(args: [str]) { log m1::a; }
+fn main(args: [istr]) { log m1::a; }
diff --git a/src/test/compile-fail/import.rs b/src/test/compile-fail/import.rs
index f4375eaade38..68147568cd9f 100644
--- a/src/test/compile-fail/import.rs
+++ b/src/test/compile-fail/import.rs
@@ -4,4 +4,4 @@ import zed::baz;
 mod zed {
     fn bar() { log "bar"; }
 }
-fn main(args: [str]) { bar(); }
+fn main(args: [istr]) { bar(); }
diff --git a/src/test/compile-fail/import2.rs b/src/test/compile-fail/import2.rs
index 89532f61fb1a..4d1043af5636 100644
--- a/src/test/compile-fail/import2.rs
+++ b/src/test/compile-fail/import2.rs
@@ -4,4 +4,4 @@ mod baz { }
 mod zed {
     fn bar() { log "bar3"; }
 }
-fn main(args: [str]) { bar(); }
+fn main(args: [istr]) { bar(); }
diff --git a/src/test/compile-fail/import3.rs b/src/test/compile-fail/import3.rs
index 680804c97b04..13b193162a3a 100644
--- a/src/test/compile-fail/import3.rs
+++ b/src/test/compile-fail/import3.rs
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
 // error-pattern: unresolved modulename
 import main::bar;
 
-fn main(args: [str]) { log "foo"; }
+fn main(args: [istr]) { log "foo"; }
diff --git a/src/test/compile-fail/import4.rs b/src/test/compile-fail/import4.rs
index 6daed215ddb5..80a540e165f5 100644
--- a/src/test/compile-fail/import4.rs
+++ b/src/test/compile-fail/import4.rs
@@ -3,4 +3,4 @@
 import zed::bar;
 import bar::zed;
 
-fn main(args: [str]) { log "loop"; }
+fn main(args: [istr]) { log "loop"; }
diff --git a/src/test/compiletest/compiletest.rs b/src/test/compiletest/compiletest.rs
index 94704043a6d2..f931f8ee62f7 100644
--- a/src/test/compiletest/compiletest.rs
+++ b/src/test/compiletest/compiletest.rs
@@ -22,8 +22,7 @@ import common::mode_pretty;
 import common::mode;
 import util::logv;
 
-fn main(args: [str]) {
-    let args = istr::from_estrs(args);
+fn main(args: [istr]) {
     let config = parse_config(args);
     log_config(config);
     run_tests(config);
diff --git a/src/test/run-pass/argv.rs b/src/test/run-pass/argv.rs
index 0bb536086ba4..4ed753c8333e 100644
--- a/src/test/run-pass/argv.rs
+++ b/src/test/run-pass/argv.rs
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
-fn main(args: [str]) {
-    let vs: [str] = ["hi", "there", "this", "is", "a", "vec"];
-    let vvs: [[str]] = [args, vs];
-    for vs: [str] in vvs { for s: str in vs { log s; } }
+fn main(args: [istr]) {
+    let vs: [istr] = [~"hi", ~"there", ~"this", ~"is", ~"a", ~"vec"];
+    let vvs: [[istr]] = [args, vs];
+    for vs: [istr] in vvs { for s: istr in vs { log s; } }
 }
diff --git a/src/test/run-pass/command-line-args.rs b/src/test/run-pass/command-line-args.rs
index efd5d2bb04c5..b044af7d8397 100644
--- a/src/test/run-pass/command-line-args.rs
+++ b/src/test/run-pass/command-line-args.rs
@@ -1,3 +1,3 @@
 
 
-fn main(args: [str]) { log args[0]; }
+fn main(args: [istr]) { log args[0]; }
diff --git a/src/test/run-pass/import4.rs b/src/test/run-pass/import4.rs
index 9e263b734135..20b60a41e248 100644
--- a/src/test/run-pass/import4.rs
+++ b/src/test/run-pass/import4.rs
@@ -5,4 +5,4 @@ mod zed {
     fn bar() { log "bar"; }
 }
 
-fn main(args: [str]) { let zed = 42; bar(); }
+fn main(args: [istr]) { let zed = 42; bar(); }
diff --git a/src/test/run-pass/import5.rs b/src/test/run-pass/import5.rs
index 9f3ec6d2b459..14dbd577361d 100644
--- a/src/test/run-pass/import5.rs
+++ b/src/test/run-pass/import5.rs
@@ -7,4 +7,4 @@ mod foo {
     }
 }
 
-fn main(args: [str]) { bar(); }
+fn main(args: [istr]) { bar(); }
diff --git a/src/test/run-pass/import7.rs b/src/test/run-pass/import7.rs
index 40c3d2357bf3..a50dcff79d11 100644
--- a/src/test/run-pass/import7.rs
+++ b/src/test/run-pass/import7.rs
@@ -12,4 +12,4 @@ mod bar {
         mod zed { }
     }
 }
-fn main(args: [str]) { baz(); }
+fn main(args: [istr]) { baz(); }
diff --git a/src/test/run-pass/iter-ret.rs b/src/test/run-pass/iter-ret.rs
index b450a34c4110..25f350680baf 100644
--- a/src/test/run-pass/iter-ret.rs
+++ b/src/test/run-pass/iter-ret.rs
@@ -4,4 +4,4 @@ iter x() -> int { }
 
 fn f() -> bool { for each i: int in x() { ret true; } ret false; }
 
-fn main(args: [str]) { f(); }
+fn main(args: [istr]) { f(); }
diff --git a/src/test/run-pass/native2.rs b/src/test/run-pass/native2.rs
index 060388b12e0a..6cebcb51b45b 100644
--- a/src/test/run-pass/native2.rs
+++ b/src/test/run-pass/native2.rs
@@ -15,4 +15,4 @@ native "cdecl" mod libc = "" {
 
 native "cdecl" mod baz = "" { }
 
-fn main(args: [str]) { }
+fn main(args: [istr]) { }
diff --git a/src/test/run-pass/path.rs b/src/test/run-pass/path.rs
index 4fe43d181218..0cac07f3c992 100644
--- a/src/test/run-pass/path.rs
+++ b/src/test/run-pass/path.rs
@@ -4,4 +4,4 @@ mod foo {
     fn bar(offset: uint) { }
 }
 
-fn main(args: [str]) { foo::bar(0u); }
+fn main(args: [istr]) { foo::bar(0u); }
diff --git a/src/test/run-pass/tag-in-block.rs b/src/test/run-pass/tag-in-block.rs
index d76ee9ed12ae..c84bfeacee55 100644
--- a/src/test/run-pass/tag-in-block.rs
+++ b/src/test/run-pass/tag-in-block.rs
@@ -6,4 +6,4 @@ fn foo() {
     fn baz() { zed(nil); }
 }
 
-fn main(args: [str]) { }
+fn main(args: [istr]) { }
diff --git a/src/test/run-pass/type-param.rs b/src/test/run-pass/type-param.rs
index be55ba86cac0..1ad437ed67f7 100644
--- a/src/test/run-pass/type-param.rs
+++ b/src/test/run-pass/type-param.rs
@@ -2,4 +2,4 @@
 
 type lteq<T> = fn(&T) -> bool;
 
-fn main(args: [str]) { }
+fn main(args: [istr]) { }
diff --git a/src/test/run-pass/type-ptr.rs b/src/test/run-pass/type-ptr.rs
index e608a9f9836c..000fb1a1558f 100644
--- a/src/test/run-pass/type-ptr.rs
+++ b/src/test/run-pass/type-ptr.rs
@@ -2,4 +2,4 @@ fn f(a: *int) -> *int { ret a; }
 
 fn g(a: *int) -> *int { let b = f(a); ret b; }
 
-fn main(args: [str]) { ret; }
+fn main(args: [istr]) { ret; }