diff --git a/ChangeLog b/ChangeLog
index 33efeb893..31ce4ee96 100644
--- a/ChangeLog
+++ b/ChangeLog
@@ -1,3 +1,11 @@
+2002-06-23  Richard Frith-Macdonald <rfm@gnu.org>
+
+	* Headers/Foundation/NSFileHandle.h: add async read of specific length.
+	* Source/NSFileHandle.m: Make the async wconvenience methods call
+	the core ones.
+	* Source/UnixFileHandle.m: Remove async convenience methods and add
+	one to read specified length of data.
+
 2002-06-21  Richard Frith-Macdonald <rfm@gnu.org>
 
 	* Source/GSMime.m: add a few consistency checks to raise an exception
diff --git a/Headers/gnustep/base/NSFileHandle.h b/Headers/gnustep/base/NSFileHandle.h
index 0f2ef2bb8..f10d7455c 100644
--- a/Headers/gnustep/base/NSFileHandle.h
+++ b/Headers/gnustep/base/NSFileHandle.h
@@ -62,14 +62,14 @@
 
 // Asynchronous I/O operations
 
-- (void) acceptConnectionInBackgroundAndNotifyForModes: (NSArray*)modes;
 - (void) acceptConnectionInBackgroundAndNotify;
-- (void) readInBackgroundAndNotifyForModes: (NSArray*)modes;
+- (void) acceptConnectionInBackgroundAndNotifyForModes: (NSArray*)modes;
 - (void) readInBackgroundAndNotify;
-- (void) readToEndOfFileInBackgroundAndNotifyForModes: (NSArray*)modes;
+- (void) readInBackgroundAndNotifyForModes: (NSArray*)modes;
 - (void) readToEndOfFileInBackgroundAndNotify;
-- (void) waitForDataInBackgroundAndNotifyForModes: (NSArray*)modes;
+- (void) readToEndOfFileInBackgroundAndNotifyForModes: (NSArray*)modes;
 - (void) waitForDataInBackgroundAndNotify;
+- (void) waitForDataInBackgroundAndNotifyForModes: (NSArray*)modes;
 
 // Seeking within a file
 
@@ -132,6 +132,9 @@ GS_EXPORT NSString * const NSFileHandleOperationException;
 				       service: (NSString*)service
 				      protocol: (NSString*)protocol
 				      forModes: (NSArray*)modes;
+- (void) readDataInBackgroundAndNotifyLength: (unsigned)len;
+- (void) readDataInBackgroundAndNotifyLength: (unsigned)len
+				    forModes: (NSArray*)modes;
 - (BOOL) readInProgress;
 - (NSString*) socketAddress;
 - (NSString*) socketService;
diff --git a/Source/NSFileHandle.m b/Source/NSFileHandle.m
index 26903814e..fd5cc922c 100644
--- a/Source/NSFileHandle.m
+++ b/Source/NSFileHandle.m
@@ -198,42 +198,62 @@ static Class NSFileHandle_ssl_class = nil;
 
 // Asynchronous I/O operations
 
+- (void) acceptConnectionInBackgroundAndNotify
+{
+  [self acceptConnectionInBackgroundAndNotifyForModes: nil];
+}
+
 - (void) acceptConnectionInBackgroundAndNotifyForModes: (NSArray*)modes
 {
   [self subclassResponsibility: _cmd];
 }
 
-- (void) acceptConnectionInBackgroundAndNotify
+/**
+ * Call -readInBackgroundAndNotifyForModes: with nil modes.
+ */
+- (void) readInBackgroundAndNotify
 {
-  [self subclassResponsibility: _cmd];
+  [self readInBackgroundAndNotifyForModes: nil];
 }
 
+/**
+ * Set up an asynchonous read operation which will cause a notification to
+ * be sent when any amount of data (or end of file) is read.
+ */
 - (void) readInBackgroundAndNotifyForModes: (NSArray*)modes
 {
   [self subclassResponsibility: _cmd];
 }
 
-- (void) readInBackgroundAndNotify
+/**
+ * Call -readToEndOfFileInBackgroundAndNotifyForModes: with nil modes.
+ */
+- (void) readToEndOfFileInBackgroundAndNotify
 {
-  [self subclassResponsibility: _cmd];
+  [self readToEndOfFileInBackgroundAndNotifyForModes: nil];
 }
 
+/**
+ * Set up an asynchonous read operation which will cause a notification to
+ * be sent when end of file is read.
+ */
 - (void) readToEndOfFileInBackgroundAndNotifyForModes: (NSArray*)modes
 {
   [self subclassResponsibility: _cmd];
 }
 
-- (void) readToEndOfFileInBackgroundAndNotify
-{
-  [self subclassResponsibility: _cmd];
-}
-
-- (void) waitForDataInBackgroundAndNotifyForModes: (NSArray*)modes
-{
-  [self subclassResponsibility: _cmd];
-}
-
+/**
+ * Call -waitForDataInBackgroundAndNotifyForModes: with nil modes.
+ */
 - (void) waitForDataInBackgroundAndNotify
+{
+  [self waitForDataInBackgroundAndNotifyForModes: nil];
+}
+
+/**
+ * Set up to provide a notification when data can be read from the handle.
+ */
+- (void) waitForDataInBackgroundAndNotifyForModes: (NSArray*)modes
 {
   [self subclassResponsibility: _cmd];
 }
@@ -404,6 +424,24 @@ NSString * const NSFileHandleOperationException
 				     protocol: protocol]);
 }
 
+/**
+ * Call -readDataInBackgroundAndNotifyLength:forModes: with nil modes.
+ */
+- (void) readDataInBackgroundAndNotifyLength: (unsigned)len
+{
+  [self readDataInBackgroundAndNotifyLength: len forModes: nil];
+}
+
+/**
+ * Set up an asynchonous read operation which will cause a notification to
+ * be sent when the specified amount of data (or end of file) is read.
+ */
+- (void) readDataInBackgroundAndNotifyLength: (unsigned)len
+				    forModes: (NSArray*)modes
+{
+  [self subclassResponsibility: _cmd];
+}
+
 - (BOOL) readInProgress
 {
   [self subclassResponsibility: _cmd];
@@ -430,12 +468,18 @@ NSString * const NSFileHandleOperationException
   return NO;
 }
 
-- (void) writeInBackgroundAndNotify: (NSData*)item forModes: (NSArray*)modes
+/**
+ * Call -writeInBackgroundAndNotify:forModes: with nil modes.
+ */
+- (void) writeInBackgroundAndNotify: (NSData*)item
 {
-  [self subclassResponsibility: _cmd];
+  [self writeInBackgroundAndNotify: item forModes: nil];
 }
 
-- (void) writeInBackgroundAndNotify: (NSData*)item
+/**
+ * Write the specified data asynchronously, and notify on completion.
+ */
+- (void) writeInBackgroundAndNotify: (NSData*)item forModes: (NSArray*)modes
 {
   [self subclassResponsibility: _cmd];
 }
diff --git a/Source/UnixFileHandle.m b/Source/UnixFileHandle.m
index 0b6164d4a..24bf189d4 100644
--- a/Source/UnixFileHandle.m
+++ b/Source/UnixFileHandle.m
@@ -1384,9 +1384,26 @@ NSString * const GSSOCKSRecvAddr = @"GSSOCKSRecvAddr";
   [self watchReadDescriptorForModes: modes];
 }
 
-- (void) acceptConnectionInBackgroundAndNotify
+- (void) readDataInBackgroundAndNotifyLength: (unsigned)len
+				    forModes: (NSArray*)modes
 {
-  [self acceptConnectionInBackgroundAndNotifyForModes: nil];
+  NSMutableData	*d;
+
+  [self checkRead];
+  if (len > 0x7fffffff)
+    {
+      [NSException raise: NSInvalidArgumentException
+                  format: @"length (%u) too large", len];
+    }
+  readMax = len;
+  RELEASE(readInfo);
+  readInfo = [[NSMutableDictionary alloc] initWithCapacity: 4];
+  [readInfo setObject: NSFileHandleReadCompletionNotification
+	       forKey: NotificationKey];
+  d = [[NSMutableData alloc] initWithCapacity: readMax];
+  [readInfo setObject: d forKey: NSFileHandleNotificationDataItem];
+  RELEASE(d);
+  [self watchReadDescriptorForModes: modes];
 }
 
 - (void) readInBackgroundAndNotifyForModes: (NSArray*)modes
@@ -1405,11 +1422,6 @@ NSString * const GSSOCKSRecvAddr = @"GSSOCKSRecvAddr";
   [self watchReadDescriptorForModes: modes];
 }
 
-- (void) readInBackgroundAndNotify
-{
-  return [self readInBackgroundAndNotifyForModes: nil];
-}
-
 - (void) readToEndOfFileInBackgroundAndNotifyForModes: (NSArray*)modes
 {
   NSMutableData	*d;
@@ -1426,11 +1438,6 @@ NSString * const GSSOCKSRecvAddr = @"GSSOCKSRecvAddr";
   [self watchReadDescriptorForModes: modes];
 }
 
-- (void) readToEndOfFileInBackgroundAndNotify
-{
-  return [self readToEndOfFileInBackgroundAndNotifyForModes: nil];
-}
-
 - (void) waitForDataInBackgroundAndNotifyForModes: (NSArray*)modes
 {
   [self checkRead];
@@ -1444,11 +1451,6 @@ NSString * const GSSOCKSRecvAddr = @"GSSOCKSRecvAddr";
   [self watchReadDescriptorForModes: modes];
 }
 
-- (void) waitForDataInBackgroundAndNotify
-{
-  return [self waitForDataInBackgroundAndNotifyForModes: nil];
-}
-
 // Seeking within a file
 
 - (unsigned long long) offsetInFile