diff --git a/tools/qwaq/builtins.c b/tools/qwaq/builtins.c
index 8aa6970db..aadd8d70b 100644
--- a/tools/qwaq/builtins.c
+++ b/tools/qwaq/builtins.c
@@ -1,15 +1,25 @@
+#include <sys/types.h>
+#include <sys/stat.h>
+#include <fcntl.h>
+#include <unistd.h>
+#include <errno.h>
+#include <string.h>
+
 #include <QF/progs.h>
+#include <QF/zone.h>
 
 #define RETURN_EDICT(p, e) ((p)->pr_globals[OFS_RETURN].int_var = EDICT_TO_PROG(p, e))
 #define RETURN_STRING(p, s) ((p)->pr_globals[OFS_RETURN].int_var = PR_SetString((p), s))
 
-void 
+float *read_result;	//FIXME: eww
+
+static void 
 bi_fixme (progs_t *pr)
 {
 	PR_Error (pr, "unimplemented function\n");
 }
 
-void
+static void
 bi_print (progs_t *pr)
 {
 	char *str;
@@ -18,9 +28,89 @@ bi_print (progs_t *pr)
 	fprintf (stdout, "%s", str);
 }
 
+static void
+bi_GarbageCollect (progs_t *pr)
+{
+	PR_GarbageCollect (pr);
+}
+
+static void
+bi_errno (progs_t *pr)
+{
+	G_FLOAT (pr, OFS_RETURN) = errno;
+}
+
+static void
+bi_strerror (progs_t *pr)	// FIXME: make INT when qc int
+{
+	int err = G_FLOAT (pr, OFS_PARM0);
+	RETURN_STRING (pr, strerror (err));
+}
+
+static void
+bi_open (progs_t *pr)	// FIXME: make INT when qc int
+{
+	char *path = G_STRING (pr, OFS_PARM0);
+	int flags = G_FLOAT (pr, OFS_PARM1);
+	int mode = G_FLOAT (pr, OFS_PARM2);
+	G_INT (pr, OFS_RETURN) = open (path, flags, mode);
+}
+
+static void
+bi_close (progs_t *pr)	// FIXME: make INT when qc int
+{
+	int handle = G_INT (pr, OFS_PARM0);
+	G_FLOAT (pr, OFS_RETURN) = close (handle);
+}
+
+static void
+bi_read (progs_t *pr)	// FIXME: make INT when qc int
+{
+	int handle = G_INT (pr, OFS_PARM0);
+	int count = G_FLOAT (pr, OFS_PARM1);
+	int res;
+	char *buffer;
+
+	buffer = Hunk_TempAlloc (count);
+	if (!buffer)
+		PR_Error (pr, "%s: couldn't allocate %d bytes", "bi_read", count);
+	res = read (handle, buffer, count);
+	if (res != -1)		// FIXME: this just won't work :/
+		RETURN_STRING (pr, buffer);
+	*read_result = res;
+}
+
+static void
+bi_write (progs_t *pr)	// FIXME: make INT when qc int
+{
+	int handle = G_INT (pr, OFS_PARM0);
+	char *buffer = G_STRING (pr, OFS_PARM1);
+	int count = G_FLOAT (pr, OFS_PARM2);
+
+	G_FLOAT (pr, OFS_RETURN) = write (handle, buffer, count);
+}
+
+static void
+bi_seek (progs_t *pr)	// FIXME: make INT when qc int
+{
+	int handle = G_INT (pr, OFS_PARM0);
+	int pos = G_FLOAT (pr, OFS_PARM1);
+	int whence = G_FLOAT (pr, OFS_PARM2);
+
+	G_FLOAT (pr, OFS_RETURN) = lseek (handle, pos, whence);
+}
+
 builtin_t   builtins[] = {
 	bi_fixme,
 	bi_print,
+	bi_GarbageCollect,
+	bi_errno,
+	bi_strerror,
+	bi_open,
+	bi_close,
+	bi_read,
+	bi_write,
+	bi_seek,
 };
 
 void
diff --git a/tools/qwaq/defs.qc b/tools/qwaq/defs.qc
index 974aeaaf6..c62d82a97 100644
--- a/tools/qwaq/defs.qc
+++ b/tools/qwaq/defs.qc
@@ -1,7 +1,16 @@
 void (string str) print = #1;
+void () garbage_collect = #2;
+float () errno = #3;
+string (float err) strerror = #4;
+float (...) open = #5; // string path, float flags[, float mode]
+float (float handle) close = #6;
+string (float handle, float count) read = #7; // FIXME: cf read_result
+float (float handle, string buffer, float count) write = #8;
+float (float handle, float pos, float whence) seek = #9;
 
 float time;
 entity self;
+float read_result;		// FIXME: hacky (cf read)
 
 .float nextthink;
 .float think;
diff --git a/tools/qwaq/main.c b/tools/qwaq/main.c
index 00ec32e62..4678c4cdd 100644
--- a/tools/qwaq/main.c
+++ b/tools/qwaq/main.c
@@ -20,13 +20,15 @@ void BI_Init (progs_t *progs);
 
 extern char *type_name[];
 
+extern float *read_result; //FIXME: eww
+
 int
 main ()
 {
 	func_t main_func;
 	FILE *f;
 	int len;
-	int i;
+	//int i;
 
 	Cvar_Init_Hash ();
 	Cmd_Init_Hash ();
@@ -43,6 +45,7 @@ main ()
 	progs.edicts = &edicts;
 	progs.num_edicts = &num_edicts;
 	progs.reserved_edicts = &reserved_edicts;
+	progs.no_exec_limit = 1;
 
 	f = fopen ("qwaq.dat", "rb");
 	if (f) {
@@ -59,7 +62,7 @@ main ()
 		Sys_Error ("couldn't load %s\n", "qwaq.dat");
 
 	*progs.edicts = PR_InitEdicts (&progs, MAX_EDICTS);
-
+#if 0
 	for (i = 0; i < progs.progs->numstatements; i++)
 		PR_PrintStatement (&progs, &progs.pr_statements[i]);
 	printf ("\n");
@@ -85,6 +88,8 @@ main ()
 		printf ("%s %d %d %s\n", type_name[def->type & ~DEF_SAVEGLOBAL], (def->type & DEF_SAVEGLOBAL) != 0, def->ofs, PR_GetString (&progs, def->s_name));
 	}
 	printf ("\n");
+#endif
+	read_result = (float*)PR_GetGlobalPointer (&progs, "read_result");
 	main_func = PR_GetFunctionIndex (&progs, "main");
 	PR_ExecuteProgram (&progs, main_func);
 	return 0;
diff --git a/tools/qwaq/main.qc b/tools/qwaq/main.qc
index b1675a86e..6f85efbf8 100644
--- a/tools/qwaq/main.qc
+++ b/tools/qwaq/main.qc
@@ -1,30 +1,21 @@
-string hello = "hello";
-string world = "world";
 float () main =
 {
-	local string s;
+	local float handle;
+	local string buffer;
 
-	print (hello + " " + world + "\n");
-	if (hello < world)
-		print (hello);
-	if (world > hello)
-		print (world);
-	print ("\n");
-	s = hello + world;
-	s = s + "\n";
-	print (s);
-};
-
-float () CheckExistence =
-{
-	return 1;
-};
-
-void () test =
-{
-	if (CheckExistence() == 0) {
-		return;
+	handle = open ("builtins.c", 0);
+	if (handle == -1) {
+		print (strerror (errno ()) + "\n");
+		return 1;
 	}
-	local entity p;
-	p = self;
+	do {
+		buffer = read (handle, 1024);
+		if (read_result == -1) {
+			print (strerror (errno ()) + "\n");
+			return 1;
+		}
+		print (buffer);
+	} while (read_result == 1024);
+	close (handle);
+	return 0;
 };