diff --git a/compiler/filter_tmpl.nim b/compiler/filter_tmpl.nim
index f93355e6bc..6c16a0b4ea 100644
--- a/compiler/filter_tmpl.nim
+++ b/compiler/filter_tmpl.nim
@@ -42,8 +42,7 @@ proc newLine(p: var TTmplParser) =
 
 proc scanPar(p: var TTmplParser, d: int) =
   var i = d
-  let hi = p.x.len - 1
-  while i <= hi:
+  while i < p.x.len:
     case p.x[i]
     of '(': inc(p.par)
     of ')': dec(p.par)
@@ -63,22 +62,19 @@ const
 
 proc parseLine(p: var TTmplParser) =
   var j = 0
-  let hi = p.x.len - 1
+  let len = p.x.len
 
-  if hi == 0:
-    return
+  while j < len and p.x[j] == ' ': inc(j)
 
-  while j <= hi and p.x[j] == ' ': inc(j)
-
-  if p.x.len >= 2 and p.x[0] == p.nimDirective and p.x[1] == '?':
+  if len >= 2 and p.x[0] == p.nimDirective and p.x[1] == '?':
     newLine(p)
-  elif j < p.x.len and p.x[j] == p.nimDirective:
+  elif j < len and p.x[j] == p.nimDirective:
     newLine(p)
     inc(j)
-    while j <= hi and p.x[j] == ' ': inc(j)
+    while j < len and p.x[j] == ' ': inc(j)
     let d = j
     var keyw = ""
-    while j <= hi and p.x[j] in PatternChars:
+    while j < len and p.x[j] in PatternChars:
       add(keyw, p.x[j])
       inc(j)
 
@@ -132,7 +128,7 @@ proc parseLine(p: var TTmplParser) =
       llStreamWrite(p.outp, "(\"")
       inc(p.emitPar)
     p.state = psTempl
-    while j <= hi:
+    while j < len:
       case p.x[j]
       of '\x01'..'\x1F', '\x80'..'\xFF':
         llStreamWrite(p.outp, "\\x")
@@ -160,7 +156,7 @@ proc parseLine(p: var TTmplParser) =
             llStreamWrite(p.outp, '(')
             inc(j)
             var curly = 0
-            while j <= hi:
+            while j < len:
               case p.x[j]
               of '{':
                 inc(j)
@@ -185,7 +181,7 @@ proc parseLine(p: var TTmplParser) =
             llStreamWrite(p.outp, p.conc)
             llStreamWrite(p.outp, p.toStr)
             llStreamWrite(p.outp, '(')
-            while j <= hi and p.x[j] in PatternChars:
+            while j < len and p.x[j] in PatternChars:
               llStreamWrite(p.outp, p.x[j])
               inc(j)
             llStreamWrite(p.outp, ')')
diff --git a/compiler/options.nim b/compiler/options.nim
index d1907b1a59..6acf789093 100644
--- a/compiler/options.nim
+++ b/compiler/options.nim
@@ -263,7 +263,8 @@ proc newConfigRef*(): ConfigRef =
     linkOptions: "",
     compileOptions: "",
     ccompilerpath: "",
-    toCompile: @[]
+    toCompile: @[],
+    arguments: ""
   )
   setTargetFromSystem(result.target)
   # enable colors by default on terminals
@@ -562,20 +563,6 @@ proc isDynlibOverride*(conf: ConfigRef; lib: string): bool =
   result = optDynlibOverrideAll in conf.globalOptions or
      conf.dllOverrides.hasKey(lib.canonDynlibName)
 
-proc binaryStrSearch*(x: openArray[string], y: string): int =
-  var a = 0
-  var b = len(x) - 1
-  while a <= b:
-    var mid = (a + b) div 2
-    var c = cmpIgnoreCase(x[mid], y)
-    if c < 0:
-      a = mid + 1
-    elif c > 0:
-      b = mid - 1
-    else:
-      return mid
-  result = - 1
-
 proc parseIdeCmd*(s: string): IdeCmd =
   case s:
   of "sug": ideSug
diff --git a/lib/packages/docutils/highlite.nim b/lib/packages/docutils/highlite.nim
index 2a58854a68..4f1264c9ed 100644
--- a/lib/packages/docutils/highlite.nim
+++ b/lib/packages/docutils/highlite.nim
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@
 
 import
   strutils
+from algorithm import binarySearch
 
 type
   TokenClass* = enum
@@ -365,32 +366,10 @@ proc generalStrLit(g: var GeneralTokenizer, position: int): int =
   result = pos
 
 proc isKeyword(x: openArray[string], y: string): int =
-  var a = 0
-  var b = len(x) - 1
-  while a <= b:
-    var mid = (a + b) div 2
-    var c = cmp(x[mid], y)
-    if c < 0:
-      a = mid + 1
-    elif c > 0:
-      b = mid - 1
-    else:
-      return mid
-  result = - 1
+  binarySearch(x, y)
 
 proc isKeywordIgnoreCase(x: openArray[string], y: string): int =
-  var a = 0
-  var b = len(x) - 1
-  while a <= b:
-    var mid = (a + b) div 2
-    var c = cmpIgnoreCase(x[mid], y)
-    if c < 0:
-      a = mid + 1
-    elif c > 0:
-      b = mid - 1
-    else:
-      return mid
-  result = - 1
+  binarySearch(x, y, cmpIgnoreCase)
 
 type
   TokenizerFlag = enum
diff --git a/lib/packages/docutils/rstgen.nim b/lib/packages/docutils/rstgen.nim
index 1547c888d8..03a27017a7 100644
--- a/lib/packages/docutils/rstgen.nim
+++ b/lib/packages/docutils/rstgen.nim
@@ -208,6 +208,7 @@ proc nextSplitPoint*(s: string, start: int): int =
   dec(result)                 # last valid index
 
 proc esc*(target: OutputTarget, s: string, splitAfter = -1): string =
+  ## Escapes the HTML.
   result = ""
   if splitAfter >= 0:
     var partLen = 0
@@ -769,43 +770,45 @@ proc renderTocEntries*(d: var RstGenerator, j: var int, lvl: int,
     result.add(tmp)
 
 proc renderImage(d: PDoc, n: PRstNode, result: var string) =
-  template valid(s): bool =
-    s.len > 0 and allCharsInSet(s, {'.','/',':','%','_','\\','\128'..'\xFF'} +
-                                   Digits + Letters + WhiteSpace)
   let
     arg = getArgument(n)
-    isObject = arg.toLowerAscii().endsWith(".svg")
   var
     options = ""
-    content = ""
-  var s = getFieldValue(n, "scale")
-  if s.valid: dispA(d.target, options, if isObject: "" else: " scale=\"$1\"",
-                    " scale=$1", [strip(s)])
 
-  s = getFieldValue(n, "height")
-  if s.valid: dispA(d.target, options, " height=\"$1\"", " height=$1", [strip(s)])
+  var s = esc(d.target, getFieldValue(n, "scale").strip())
+  if s.len > 0:
+    dispA(d.target, options, " scale=\"$1\"", " scale=$1", [s])
 
-  s = getFieldValue(n, "width")
-  if s.valid: dispA(d.target, options, " width=\"$1\"", " width=$1", [strip(s)])
+  s = esc(d.target, getFieldValue(n, "height").strip())
+  if s.len > 0:
+    dispA(d.target, options, " height=\"$1\"", " height=$1", [s])
 
-  s = getFieldValue(n, "alt")
-  if s.valid:
-    # <object> displays its content if it cannot render the image
-    if isObject: dispA(d.target, content, "$1", "", [strip(s)])
-    else: dispA(d.target, options, " alt=\"$1\"", "", [strip(s)])
+  s = esc(d.target, getFieldValue(n, "width").strip())
+  if s.len > 0:
+    dispA(d.target, options, " width=\"$1\"", " width=$1", [s])
 
-  s = getFieldValue(n, "align")
-  if s.valid: dispA(d.target, options, " align=\"$1\"", "", [strip(s)])
+  s = esc(d.target, getFieldValue(n, "alt").strip())
+  if s.len > 0:
+    dispA(d.target, options, " alt=\"$1\"", "", [s])
+
+  s = esc(d.target, getFieldValue(n, "align").strip())
+  if s.len > 0:
+    dispA(d.target, options, " align=\"$1\"", "", [s])
 
   if options.len > 0: options = dispF(d.target, "$1", "[$1]", [options])
 
-  if arg.valid:
-    let htmlOut = if isObject:
-        "<object data=\"$1\" type=\"image/svg+xml\"$2 >" & content & "</object>"
-      else:
-        "<img src=\"$1\"$2 />"
-    dispA(d.target, result, htmlOut, "\\includegraphics$2{$1}",
-          [arg, options])
+  var htmlOut = ""
+  if arg.endsWith(".mp4") or arg.endsWith(".ogg") or
+     arg.endsWith(".webm"):
+    htmlOut = """
+      <video src="$1"$2 autoPlay='true' loop='true' muted='true'>
+      Sorry, your browser doesn't support embedded videos
+      </video>
+    """
+  else:
+    htmlOut = "<img src=\"$1\"$2/>"
+  dispA(d.target, result, htmlOut, "\\includegraphics$2{$1}",
+        [esc(d.target, arg), options])
   if len(n) >= 3: renderRstToOut(d, n.sons[2], result)
 
 proc renderSmiley(d: PDoc, n: PRstNode, result: var string) =
@@ -881,7 +884,8 @@ proc buildLinesHTMLTable(d: PDoc; params: CodeBlockParams, code: string):
   inc d.listingCounter
   let id = $d.listingCounter
   if not params.numberLines:
-    result = (d.config.getOrDefault"doc.listing_start" % [id, $params.lang],
+    result = (d.config.getOrDefault"doc.listing_start" %
+                [id, sourceLanguageToStr[params.lang]],
               d.config.getOrDefault"doc.listing_end" % id)
     return
 
@@ -894,7 +898,8 @@ proc buildLinesHTMLTable(d: PDoc; params: CodeBlockParams, code: string):
     line.inc
     codeLines.dec
   result.beginTable.add("</pre></td><td>" & (
-      d.config.getOrDefault"doc.listing_start" % [id, $params.lang]))
+      d.config.getOrDefault"doc.listing_start" %
+        [id, sourceLanguageToStr[params.lang]]))
   result.endTable = (d.config.getOrDefault"doc.listing_end" % id) &
       "</td></tr></tbody></table>" & (
       d.config.getOrDefault"doc.listing_button" % id)
@@ -944,7 +949,7 @@ proc renderCodeBlock(d: PDoc, n: PRstNode, result: var string) =
 proc renderContainer(d: PDoc, n: PRstNode, result: var string) =
   var tmp = ""
   renderRstToOut(d, n.sons[2], tmp)
-  var arg = strip(getArgument(n))
+  var arg = esc(d.target, strip(getArgument(n)))
   if arg == "":
     dispA(d.target, result, "<div>$1</div>", "$1", [tmp])
   else:
diff --git a/lib/pure/algorithm.nim b/lib/pure/algorithm.nim
index 169dcd6023..98330b6809 100644
--- a/lib/pure/algorithm.nim
+++ b/lib/pure/algorithm.nim
@@ -84,17 +84,27 @@ proc binarySearch*[T, K](a: openArray[T], key: K,
   if (len and (len - 1)) == 0:
     # when `len` is a power of 2, a faster shr can be used.
     var step = len shr 1
+    var cmpRes: int
     while step > 0:
       let i = result or step
-      if cmp(a[i], key) < 1:
+      cmpRes = cmp(a[i], key)
+      if cmpRes == 0:
+        return i
+
+      if cmpRes < 1:
         result = i
       step = step shr 1
     if cmp(a[result], key) != 0: result = -1
   else:
     var b = len
+    var cmpRes: int
     while result < b:
       var mid = (result + b) shr 1
-      if cmp(a[mid], key) < 0:
+      cmpRes = cmp(a[mid], key)
+      if cmpRes == 0:
+        return mid
+
+      if cmpRes < 0:
         result = mid + 1
       else:
         b = mid
diff --git a/lib/pure/colors.nim b/lib/pure/colors.nim
index 25a2fb870e..843f29a630 100644
--- a/lib/pure/colors.nim
+++ b/lib/pure/colors.nim
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@
 ## the ``graphics`` module.
 
 import strutils
+from algorithm import binarySearch
 
 type
   Color* = distinct int ## a color stored as RGB
@@ -371,37 +372,28 @@ proc `$`*(c: Color): string =
   ## converts a color into its textual representation. Example: ``#00FF00``.
   result = '#' & toHex(int(c), 6)
 
-proc binaryStrSearch(x: openArray[tuple[name: string, col: Color]],
-                     y: string): int =
-  var a = 0
-  var b = len(x) - 1
-  while a <= b:
-    var mid = (a + b) div 2
-    var c = cmp(x[mid].name, y)
-    if c < 0: a = mid + 1
-    elif c > 0: b = mid - 1
-    else: return mid
-  result = - 1
+proc colorNameCmp(x: tuple[name: string, col: Color], y: string): int =
+  result = cmpIgnoreCase(x.name, y)
 
 proc parseColor*(name: string): Color =
   ## parses `name` to a color value. If no valid color could be
-  ## parsed ``EInvalidValue`` is raised.
+  ## parsed ``EInvalidValue`` is raised. Case insensitive.
   if name[0] == '#':
     result = Color(parseHexInt(name))
   else:
-    var idx = binaryStrSearch(colorNames, name)
+    var idx = binarySearch(colorNames, name, colorNameCmp)
     if idx < 0: raise newException(ValueError, "unknown color: " & name)
     result = colorNames[idx][1]
 
 proc isColor*(name: string): bool =
   ## returns true if `name` is a known color name or a hexadecimal color
-  ## prefixed with ``#``.
+  ## prefixed with ``#``. Case insensitive.
   if name[0] == '#':
     for i in 1 .. name.len-1:
       if name[i] notin {'0'..'9', 'a'..'f', 'A'..'F'}: return false
     result = true
   else:
-    result = binaryStrSearch(colorNames, name) >= 0
+    result = binarySearch(colorNames, name, colorNameCmp) >= 0
 
 proc rgb*(r, g, b: range[0..255]): Color =
   ## constructs a color from RGB values.
diff --git a/lib/pure/httpclient.nim b/lib/pure/httpclient.nim
index 3f1a3d0671..8530e4c42f 100644
--- a/lib/pure/httpclient.nim
+++ b/lib/pure/httpclient.nim
@@ -362,15 +362,13 @@ when not defined(ssl):
   type SSLContext = ref object
 var defaultSSLContext {.threadvar.}: SSLContext
 
-when defined(ssl):
-  defaultSSLContext = newContext(verifyMode = CVerifyNone)
-  template contextOrDefault(ctx: SSLContext): SSLContext =
-    var result = ctx
-    if ctx == nil:
-      if defaultSSLContext == nil:
-        defaultSSLContext = newContext(verifyMode = CVerifyNone)
+proc getDefaultSSL(): SSLContext =
+  result = defaultSslContext
+  when defined(ssl):
+    if result == nil:
+      defaultSSLContext = newContext(verifyMode = CVerifyNone)
       result = defaultSSLContext
-    result
+      doAssert result != nil, "failure to initialize the SSL context"
 
 proc newProxy*(url: string, auth = ""): Proxy =
   ## Constructs a new ``TProxy`` object.
@@ -480,9 +478,9 @@ proc format(p: MultipartData): tuple[contentType, body: string] =
   result.body.add("--" & bound & "--\c\L")
 
 proc request*(url: string, httpMethod: string, extraHeaders = "",
-              body = "", sslContext = defaultSSLContext, timeout = -1,
+              body = "", sslContext = getDefaultSSL(), timeout = -1,
               userAgent = defUserAgent, proxy: Proxy = nil): Response
-              {.deprecated.} =
+              {.deprecated: "use HttpClient.request instead".} =
   ## | Requests ``url`` with the custom method string specified by the
   ## | ``httpMethod`` parameter.
   ## | Extra headers can be specified and must be separated by ``\c\L``
@@ -580,7 +578,7 @@ proc request*(url: string, httpMethod: string, extraHeaders = "",
   result = parseResponse(s, httpMethod != "HEAD", timeout)
 
 proc request*(url: string, httpMethod = HttpGET, extraHeaders = "",
-              body = "", sslContext = defaultSSLContext, timeout = -1,
+              body = "", sslContext = getDefaultSSL(), timeout = -1,
               userAgent = defUserAgent, proxy: Proxy = nil): Response
               {.deprecated.} =
   ## | Requests ``url`` with the specified ``httpMethod``.
@@ -611,7 +609,7 @@ proc getNewLocation(lastURL: string, headers: HttpHeaders): string =
     result = $parsed
 
 proc get*(url: string, extraHeaders = "", maxRedirects = 5,
-          sslContext: SSLContext = defaultSSLContext,
+          sslContext: SSLContext = getDefaultSSL(),
           timeout = -1, userAgent = defUserAgent,
           proxy: Proxy = nil): Response {.deprecated.} =
   ## | GETs the ``url`` and returns a ``Response`` object
@@ -632,7 +630,7 @@ proc get*(url: string, extraHeaders = "", maxRedirects = 5,
       lastURL = redirectTo
 
 proc getContent*(url: string, extraHeaders = "", maxRedirects = 5,
-                 sslContext: SSLContext = defaultSSLContext,
+                 sslContext: SSLContext = getDefaultSSL(),
                  timeout = -1, userAgent = defUserAgent,
                  proxy: Proxy = nil): string {.deprecated.} =
   ## | GETs the body and returns it as a string.
@@ -651,7 +649,7 @@ proc getContent*(url: string, extraHeaders = "", maxRedirects = 5,
 
 proc post*(url: string, extraHeaders = "", body = "",
            maxRedirects = 5,
-           sslContext: SSLContext = defaultSSLContext,
+           sslContext: SSLContext = getDefaultSSL(),
            timeout = -1, userAgent = defUserAgent,
            proxy: Proxy = nil,
            multipart: MultipartData = nil): Response {.deprecated.} =
@@ -694,7 +692,7 @@ proc post*(url: string, extraHeaders = "", body = "",
 
 proc postContent*(url: string, extraHeaders = "", body = "",
                   maxRedirects = 5,
-                  sslContext: SSLContext = defaultSSLContext,
+                  sslContext: SSLContext = getDefaultSSL(),
                   timeout = -1, userAgent = defUserAgent,
                   proxy: Proxy = nil,
                   multipart: MultipartData = nil): string
@@ -717,7 +715,7 @@ proc postContent*(url: string, extraHeaders = "", body = "",
     return r.body
 
 proc downloadFile*(url: string, outputFilename: string,
-                   sslContext: SSLContext = defaultSSLContext,
+                   sslContext: SSLContext = getDefaultSSL(),
                    timeout = -1, userAgent = defUserAgent,
                    proxy: Proxy = nil) {.deprecated.} =
   ## | Downloads ``url`` and saves it to ``outputFilename``
@@ -817,7 +815,7 @@ type
   HttpClient* = HttpClientBase[Socket]
 
 proc newHttpClient*(userAgent = defUserAgent,
-    maxRedirects = 5, sslContext = defaultSslContext, proxy: Proxy = nil,
+    maxRedirects = 5, sslContext = getDefaultSSL(), proxy: Proxy = nil,
     timeout = -1): HttpClient =
   ## Creates a new HttpClient instance.
   ##
@@ -844,7 +842,7 @@ proc newHttpClient*(userAgent = defUserAgent,
   result.bodyStream = newStringStream()
   result.getBody = true
   when defined(ssl):
-    result.sslContext = contextOrDefault(sslContext)
+    result.sslContext = sslContext
 
 type
   AsyncHttpClient* = HttpClientBase[AsyncSocket]
@@ -852,7 +850,7 @@ type
 {.deprecated: [PAsyncHttpClient: AsyncHttpClient].}
 
 proc newAsyncHttpClient*(userAgent = defUserAgent,
-    maxRedirects = 5, sslContext = defaultSslContext,
+    maxRedirects = 5, sslContext = getDefaultSSL(),
     proxy: Proxy = nil): AsyncHttpClient =
   ## Creates a new AsyncHttpClient instance.
   ##
@@ -876,7 +874,7 @@ proc newAsyncHttpClient*(userAgent = defUserAgent,
   result.bodyStream = newFutureStream[string]("newAsyncHttpClient")
   result.getBody = true
   when defined(ssl):
-    result.sslContext = contextOrDefault(sslContext)
+    result.sslContext = sslContext
 
 proc close*(client: HttpClient | AsyncHttpClient) =
   ## Closes any connections held by the HTTP client.
diff --git a/lib/pure/pegs.nim b/lib/pure/pegs.nim
index 8304298421..39c5790ed8 100644
--- a/lib/pure/pegs.nim
+++ b/lib/pure/pegs.nim
@@ -1010,14 +1010,18 @@ proc replace*(s: string, sub: Peg, cb: proc(
       inc(m)
   add(result, substr(s, i))
 
-proc transformFile*(infile, outfile: string,
-                    subs: varargs[tuple[pattern: Peg, repl: string]]) {.
-                    rtl, extern: "npegs$1".} =
-  ## reads in the file `infile`, performs a parallel replacement (calls
-  ## `parallelReplace`) and writes back to `outfile`. Raises ``EIO`` if an
-  ## error occurs. This is supposed to be used for quick scripting.
-  var x = readFile(infile).string
-  writeFile(outfile, x.parallelReplace(subs))
+when not defined(js):
+  proc transformFile*(infile, outfile: string,
+                      subs: varargs[tuple[pattern: Peg, repl: string]]) {.
+                      rtl, extern: "npegs$1".} =
+    ## reads in the file `infile`, performs a parallel replacement (calls
+    ## `parallelReplace`) and writes back to `outfile`. Raises ``EIO`` if an
+    ## error occurs. This is supposed to be used for quick scripting.
+    ##
+    ## **Note**: this proc does not exist while using the JS backend.
+    var x = readFile(infile).string
+    writeFile(outfile, x.parallelReplace(subs))
+
 
 iterator split*(s: string, sep: Peg): string =
   ## Splits the string `s` into substrings.
@@ -1121,7 +1125,7 @@ proc handleCR(L: var PegLexer, pos: int): int =
   assert(L.buf[pos] == '\c')
   inc(L.lineNumber)
   result = pos+1
-  if L.buf[result] == '\L': inc(result)
+  if result < L.buf.len and L.buf[result] == '\L': inc(result)
   L.lineStart = result
 
 proc handleLF(L: var PegLexer, pos: int): int =
@@ -1217,12 +1221,13 @@ proc getEscapedChar(c: var PegLexer, tok: var Token) =
 proc skip(c: var PegLexer) =
   var pos = c.bufpos
   var buf = c.buf
-  while true:
+  while pos < c.buf.len:
     case buf[pos]
     of ' ', '\t':
       inc(pos)
     of '#':
-      while not (buf[pos] in {'\c', '\L', '\0'}): inc(pos)
+      while (pos < c.buf.len) and
+             not (buf[pos] in {'\c', '\L', '\0'}): inc(pos)
     of '\c':
       pos = handleCR(c, pos)
       buf = c.buf
@@ -1238,7 +1243,7 @@ proc getString(c: var PegLexer, tok: var Token) =
   var pos = c.bufpos + 1
   var buf = c.buf
   var quote = buf[pos-1]
-  while true:
+  while pos < c.buf.len:
     case buf[pos]
     of '\\':
       c.bufpos = pos
@@ -1261,7 +1266,7 @@ proc getDollar(c: var PegLexer, tok: var Token) =
   if buf[pos] in {'0'..'9'}:
     tok.kind = tkBackref
     tok.index = 0
-    while buf[pos] in {'0'..'9'}:
+    while pos < c.buf.len and buf[pos] in {'0'..'9'}:
       tok.index = tok.index * 10 + ord(buf[pos]) - ord('0')
       inc(pos)
   else:
@@ -1277,11 +1282,11 @@ proc getCharSet(c: var PegLexer, tok: var Token) =
   if buf[pos] == '^':
     inc(pos)
     caret = true
-  while true:
+  while pos < c.buf.len:
     var ch: char
     case buf[pos]
     of ']':
-      inc(pos)
+      if pos < c.buf.len: inc(pos)
       break
     of '\\':
       c.bufpos = pos
@@ -1296,11 +1301,14 @@ proc getCharSet(c: var PegLexer, tok: var Token) =
       inc(pos)
     incl(tok.charset, ch)
     if buf[pos] == '-':
-      if buf[pos+1] == ']':
+      if pos+1 < c.buf.len and buf[pos+1] == ']':
         incl(tok.charset, '-')
         inc(pos)
       else:
-        inc(pos)
+        if pos+1 < c.buf.len:
+          inc(pos)
+        else:
+          break
         var ch2: char
         case buf[pos]
         of '\\':
@@ -1312,8 +1320,11 @@ proc getCharSet(c: var PegLexer, tok: var Token) =
           tok.kind = tkInvalid
           break
         else:
-          ch2 = buf[pos]
-          inc(pos)
+          if pos+1 < c.buf.len:
+            ch2 = buf[pos]
+            inc(pos)
+          else:
+            break
         for i in ord(ch)+1 .. ord(ch2):
           incl(tok.charset, chr(i))
   c.bufpos = pos
@@ -1322,15 +1333,15 @@ proc getCharSet(c: var PegLexer, tok: var Token) =
 proc getSymbol(c: var PegLexer, tok: var Token) =
   var pos = c.bufpos
   var buf = c.buf
-  while true:
+  while pos < c.buf.len:
     add(tok.literal, buf[pos])
     inc(pos)
-    if buf[pos] notin strutils.IdentChars: break
+    if pos < buf.len and buf[pos] notin strutils.IdentChars: break
   c.bufpos = pos
   tok.kind = tkIdentifier
 
 proc getBuiltin(c: var PegLexer, tok: var Token) =
-  if c.buf[c.bufpos+1] in strutils.Letters:
+  if c.bufpos+1 < c.buf.len and c.buf[c.bufpos+1] in strutils.Letters:
     inc(c.bufpos)
     getSymbol(c, tok)
     tok.kind = tkBuiltin
@@ -1343,10 +1354,12 @@ proc getTok(c: var PegLexer, tok: var Token) =
   tok.modifier = modNone
   setLen(tok.literal, 0)
   skip(c)
+
   case c.buf[c.bufpos]
   of '{':
     inc(c.bufpos)
-    if c.buf[c.bufpos] == '@' and c.buf[c.bufpos+1] == '}':
+    if c.buf[c.bufpos] == '@' and c.bufpos+2 < c.buf.len and
+      c.buf[c.bufpos+1] == '}':
       tok.kind = tkCurlyAt
       inc(c.bufpos, 2)
       add(tok.literal, "{@}")
@@ -1379,13 +1392,11 @@ proc getTok(c: var PegLexer, tok: var Token) =
     getBuiltin(c, tok)
   of '\'', '"': getString(c, tok)
   of '$': getDollar(c, tok)
-  of '\0':
-    tok.kind = tkEof
-    tok.literal = "[EOF]"
   of 'a'..'z', 'A'..'Z', '\128'..'\255':
     getSymbol(c, tok)
     if c.buf[c.bufpos] in {'\'', '"'} or
-        c.buf[c.bufpos] == '$' and c.buf[c.bufpos+1] in {'0'..'9'}:
+        c.buf[c.bufpos] == '$' and c.bufpos+1 < c.buf.len and
+        c.buf[c.bufpos+1] in {'0'..'9'}:
       case tok.literal
       of "i": tok.modifier = modIgnoreCase
       of "y": tok.modifier = modIgnoreStyle
@@ -1406,7 +1417,7 @@ proc getTok(c: var PegLexer, tok: var Token) =
     inc(c.bufpos)
     add(tok.literal, '+')
   of '<':
-    if c.buf[c.bufpos+1] == '-':
+    if c.bufpos+2 < c.buf.len and c.buf[c.bufpos+1] == '-':
       inc(c.bufpos, 2)
       tok.kind = tkArrow
       add(tok.literal, "<-")
@@ -1441,14 +1452,17 @@ proc getTok(c: var PegLexer, tok: var Token) =
     inc(c.bufpos)
     add(tok.literal, '^')
   else:
+    if c.bufpos >= c.buf.len:
+      tok.kind = tkEof
+      tok.literal = "[EOF]"
     add(tok.literal, c.buf[c.bufpos])
     inc(c.bufpos)
 
 proc arrowIsNextTok(c: PegLexer): bool =
   # the only look ahead we need
   var pos = c.bufpos
-  while c.buf[pos] in {'\t', ' '}: inc(pos)
-  result = c.buf[pos] == '<' and c.buf[pos+1] == '-'
+  while pos < c.buf.len and c.buf[pos] in {'\t', ' '}: inc(pos)
+  result = c.buf[pos] == '<' and (pos+1 < c.buf.len) and c.buf[pos+1] == '-'
 
 # ----------------------------- parser ----------------------------------------
 
@@ -1471,7 +1485,7 @@ proc pegError(p: PegParser, msg: string, line = -1, col = -1) =
 
 proc getTok(p: var PegParser) =
   getTok(p, p.tok)
-  if p.tok.kind == tkInvalid: pegError(p, "invalid token")
+  if p.tok.kind == tkInvalid: pegError(p, "'" & p.tok.literal & "' is invalid token")
 
 proc eat(p: var PegParser, kind: TokKind) =
   if p.tok.kind == kind: getTok(p)
diff --git a/lib/pure/streams.nim b/lib/pure/streams.nim
index 68922f7301..a0bba05a4f 100644
--- a/lib/pure/streams.nim
+++ b/lib/pure/streams.nim
@@ -86,18 +86,20 @@ proc readData*(s: Stream, buffer: pointer, bufLen: int): int =
   ## low level proc that reads data into an untyped `buffer` of `bufLen` size.
   result = s.readDataImpl(s, buffer, bufLen)
 
-proc readAll*(s: Stream): string =
-  ## Reads all available data.
-  const bufferSize = 1000
-  result = newString(bufferSize)
-  var r = 0
-  while true:
-    let readBytes = readData(s, addr(result[r]), bufferSize)
-    if readBytes < bufferSize:
-      setLen(result, r+readBytes)
-      break
-    inc r, bufferSize
-    setLen(result, r+bufferSize)
+when not defined(js):
+  proc readAll*(s: Stream): string =
+    ## Reads all available data.
+    const bufferSize = 1024
+    var buffer {.noinit.}: array[bufferSize, char]
+    while true:
+      let readBytes = readData(s, addr(buffer[0]), bufferSize)
+      if readBytes == 0:
+        break
+      let prevLen = result.len
+      result.setLen(prevLen + readBytes)
+      copyMem(addr(result[prevLen]), addr(buffer[0]), readBytes)
+      if readBytes < bufferSize:
+        break
 
 proc peekData*(s: Stream, buffer: pointer, bufLen: int): int =
   ## low level proc that reads data into an untyped `buffer` of `bufLen` size
@@ -131,7 +133,7 @@ proc write*(s: Stream, x: string) =
   when nimvm:
     writeData(s, cstring(x), x.len)
   else:
-    if x.len > 0: writeData(s, unsafeAddr x[0], x.len)
+    if x.len > 0: writeData(s, cstring(x), x.len)
 
 proc writeLine*(s: Stream, args: varargs[string, `$`]) =
   ## writes one or more strings to the the stream `s` followed
@@ -251,14 +253,14 @@ proc readStr*(s: Stream, length: int): TaintedString =
   ## reads a string of length `length` from the stream `s`. Raises `EIO` if
   ## an error occurred.
   result = newString(length).TaintedString
-  var L = readData(s, addr(string(result)[0]), length)
+  var L = readData(s, cstring(result), length)
   if L != length: setLen(result.string, L)
 
 proc peekStr*(s: Stream, length: int): TaintedString =
   ## peeks a string of length `length` from the stream `s`. Raises `EIO` if
   ## an error occurred.
   result = newString(length).TaintedString
-  var L = peekData(s, addr(string(result)[0]), length)
+  var L = peekData(s, cstring(result), length)
   if L != length: setLen(result.string, L)
 
 proc readLine*(s: Stream, line: var TaintedString): bool =
diff --git a/lib/pure/xmltree.nim b/lib/pure/xmltree.nim
index 8f85cb5c98..47658b59bb 100644
--- a/lib/pure/xmltree.nim
+++ b/lib/pure/xmltree.nim
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@
 
 ## A simple XML tree. More efficient and simpler than the DOM.
 
-import macros, strtabs
+import macros, strtabs, strutils
 
 type
   XmlNode* = ref XmlNodeObj ## an XML tree consists of ``XmlNode``'s.
@@ -217,8 +217,9 @@ proc escape*(s: string): string =
   result = newStringOfCap(s.len)
   addEscaped(result, s)
 
-proc addIndent(result: var string, indent: int) =
-  result.add("\n")
+proc addIndent(result: var string, indent: int, addNewLines: bool) =
+  if addNewLines:
+    result.add("\n")
   for i in 1..indent: result.add(' ')
 
 proc noWhitespace(n: XmlNode): bool =
@@ -227,7 +228,8 @@ proc noWhitespace(n: XmlNode): bool =
   for i in 0..n.len-1:
     if n[i].kind in {xnText, xnEntity}: return true
 
-proc add*(result: var string, n: XmlNode, indent = 0, indWidth = 2) =
+proc add*(result: var string, n: XmlNode, indent = 0, indWidth = 2,
+          addNewLines=true) =
   ## adds the textual representation of `n` to `result`.
 
   proc addEscapedAttr(result: var string, s: string) =
@@ -260,14 +262,15 @@ proc add*(result: var string, n: XmlNode, indent = 0, indWidth = 2) =
           # for mixed leaves, we cannot output whitespace for readability,
           # because this would be wrong. For example: ``a<b>b</b>`` is
           # different from ``a <b>b</b>``.
-          for i in 0..n.len-1: result.add(n[i], indent+indWidth, indWidth)
+          for i in 0..n.len-1:
+            result.add(n[i], indent+indWidth, indWidth, addNewLines)
         else:
           for i in 0..n.len-1:
-            result.addIndent(indent+indWidth)
-            result.add(n[i], indent+indWidth, indWidth)
-          result.addIndent(indent)
+            result.addIndent(indent+indWidth, addNewLines)
+            result.add(n[i], indent+indWidth, indWidth, addNewLines)
+          result.addIndent(indent, addNewLines)
       else:
-        result.add(n[0], indent+indWidth, indWidth)
+        result.add(n[0], indent+indWidth, indWidth, addNewLines)
       result.add("</")
       result.add(n.fTag)
       result.add(">")
@@ -316,7 +319,10 @@ proc xmlConstructor(a: NimNode): NimNode {.compileTime.} =
     var elements = newNimNode(nnkBracket, a)
     for i in 1..a.len-1:
       if a[i].kind == nnkExprEqExpr:
-        attrs.add(toStrLit(a[i][0]))
+        # In order to support attributes like `data-lang` we have to
+        # replace whitespace because `toStrLit` gives `data - lang`.
+        let attrName = toStrLit(a[i][0]).strVal.replace(" ", "")
+        attrs.add(newStrLitNode(attrName))
         attrs.add(a[i][1])
         #echo repr(attrs)
       else:
diff --git a/lib/system/channels.nim b/lib/system/channels.nim
index df6c6d41e1..3c5bda4b11 100644
--- a/lib/system/channels.nim
+++ b/lib/system/channels.nim
@@ -32,8 +32,6 @@ type
   PRawChannel = ptr RawChannel
   LoadStoreMode = enum mStore, mLoad
   Channel* {.gcsafe.}[TMsg] = RawChannel ## a channel for thread communication
-{.deprecated: [TRawChannel: RawChannel, TLoadStoreMode: LoadStoreMode,
-              TChannel: Channel].}
 
 const ChannelDeadMask = -2
 
diff --git a/lib/system/gc_regions.nim b/lib/system/gc_regions.nim
index e9efbdfb0e..a27aaaa883 100644
--- a/lib/system/gc_regions.nim
+++ b/lib/system/gc_regions.nim
@@ -144,7 +144,7 @@ proc allocSlowPath(r: var MemRegion; size: int) =
   r.tail = fresh
   r.remaining = s - sizeof(BaseChunk)
 
-proc alloc(r: var MemRegion; size: int): pointer =
+proc allocFast(r: var MemRegion; size: int): pointer =
   if size <= MaxSmallObject:
     var it = r.freeLists[size div MemAlign]
     if it != nil:
@@ -270,7 +270,7 @@ proc isOnHeap*(r: MemRegion; p: pointer): bool =
     it = it.next
 
 proc rawNewObj(r: var MemRegion, typ: PNimType, size: int): pointer =
-  var res = cast[ptr ObjHeader](alloc(r, size + sizeof(ObjHeader)))
+  var res = cast[ptr ObjHeader](allocFast(r, size + sizeof(ObjHeader)))
   res.typ = typ
   if typ.finalizer != nil:
     res.nextFinal = r.head.head
@@ -278,7 +278,7 @@ proc rawNewObj(r: var MemRegion, typ: PNimType, size: int): pointer =
   result = res +! sizeof(ObjHeader)
 
 proc rawNewSeq(r: var MemRegion, typ: PNimType, size: int): pointer =
-  var res = cast[ptr SeqHeader](alloc(r, size + sizeof(SeqHeader)))
+  var res = cast[ptr SeqHeader](allocFast(r, size + sizeof(SeqHeader)))
   res.typ = typ
   res.region = addr(r)
   result = res +! sizeof(SeqHeader)
@@ -351,6 +351,11 @@ proc alloc0(r: var MemRegion; size: Natural): pointer =
   # but incorrect in general. XXX
   result = alloc0(size)
 
+proc alloc(r: var MemRegion; size: Natural): pointer =
+  # ignore the region. That is correct for the channels module
+  # but incorrect in general. XXX
+  result = alloc(size)
+
 proc dealloc(r: var MemRegion; p: pointer) = dealloc(p)
 
 proc allocShared(size: Natural): pointer =
@@ -390,3 +395,6 @@ proc getTotalMem*(r: MemRegion): int =
   result = r.totalSize
 
 proc setStackBottom(theStackBottom: pointer) = discard
+
+proc nimGCref(x: pointer) {.compilerProc.} = discard
+proc nimGCunref(x: pointer) {.compilerProc.} = discard
diff --git a/lib/system/sysstr.nim b/lib/system/sysstr.nim
index c5c8a9cac6..7b81f54da9 100644
--- a/lib/system/sysstr.nim
+++ b/lib/system/sysstr.nim
@@ -576,18 +576,3 @@ proc nimBoolToStr(x: bool): string {.compilerRtl.} =
 proc nimCharToStr(x: char): string {.compilerRtl.} =
   result = newString(1)
   result[0] = x
-
-proc binaryStrSearch(x: openArray[string], y: string): int {.compilerproc.} =
-  var
-    a = 0
-    b = len(x)
-  while a < b:
-    var mid = (a + b) div 2
-    if x[mid] < y:
-      a = mid + 1
-    else:
-      b = mid
-  if a < len(x) and x[a] == y:
-    result = a
-  else:
-    result = -1
diff --git a/tests/threads/threadex.nim b/tests/threads/threadex.nim
index fb03cbfa8c..679bfcb128 100644
--- a/tests/threads/threadex.nim
+++ b/tests/threads/threadex.nim
@@ -5,9 +5,9 @@ discard """
 type
   TMsgKind = enum
     mLine, mEof
-  TMsg = object {.pure, final.}
+  TMsg = object
     case k: TMsgKind
-    of mEof: nil
+    of mEof: discard
     of mLine: data: string
 
 var
diff --git a/tools/niminst/buildbat.tmpl b/tools/niminst/buildbat.tmpl
index 278b6caeae..6767461e37 100644
--- a/tools/niminst/buildbat.tmpl
+++ b/tools/niminst/buildbat.tmpl
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 #? stdtmpl(subsChar='?') | standard
-#proc generateBuildBatchScript(c: ConfigData, winIndex, cpuIndex: int): string =
+#proc generateBuildBatchScript(c: ConfigData, winIndex, cpuIndex32, cpuIndex64: int): string =
 #  result = "@echo off\nREM Generated by niminst\n"
 SET CC=gcc
 SET LINKER=gcc
@@ -7,27 +7,63 @@ SET COMP_FLAGS=?{c.ccompiler.flags}
 SET LINK_FLAGS=?{c.linker.flags}
 SET BIN_DIR=?{firstBinPath(c).toWin}
 
+REM Detect gcc arch
+IF DEFINED ARCH (
+  ECHO Forcing %CC% arch
+) ELSE (
+  ECHO Detecting %CC% arch
+  ECHO int main^(^) { return sizeof^(void *^); } | gcc -xc - -o archtest && archtest
+  IF ERRORLEVEL 4 SET ARCH=32
+  IF ERRORLEVEL 8 SET ARCH=64
+  del archtest.*
+)
+ECHO Building with %ARCH% bit %CC%
+
 if EXIST ..\koch.nim SET BIN_DIR=..\bin
 
 if NOT EXIST %BIN_DIR%\nul mkdir %BIN_DIR%
 
 REM call the compiler:
 
+IF %ARCH% EQU 32 (
+
 #  block win32:
 #    var linkCmd = ""
-#    for ff in items(c.cfiles[winIndex][cpuIndex]):
-#      let f = ff.toWin
-ECHO %CC% %COMP_FLAGS% -Ic_code -c ?{f} -o ?{changeFileExt(f, "o")}
-CALL %CC% %COMP_FLAGS% -Ic_code -c ?{f} -o ?{changeFileExt(f, "o")}
-#      linkCmd.add(" " & changeFileExt(f, "o"))
-IF ERRORLEVEL 1 (GOTO:END)
-#    end for
+#    if cpuIndex32 != -1:
+#      for ff in items(c.cfiles[winIndex][cpuIndex32]):
+#        let f = ff.toWin
+  ECHO %CC% %COMP_FLAGS% -Ic_code -c ?{f} -o ?{changeFileExt(f, "o")}
+  CALL %CC% %COMP_FLAGS% -Ic_code -c ?{f} -o ?{changeFileExt(f, "o")}
+#        linkCmd.add(" " & changeFileExt(f, "o"))
+  IF ERRORLEVEL 1 (GOTO:END)
+#      end for
+#    end if
 
-ECHO %LINKER% -o ?{"%BIN_DIR%"\toLowerAscii(c.name)}.exe ?linkCmd %LINK_FLAGS%
-CALL %LINKER% -o ?{"%BIN_DIR%"\toLowerAscii(c.name)}.exe ?linkCmd %LINK_FLAGS%
+  ECHO %LINKER% -o ?{"%BIN_DIR%"\toLowerAscii(c.name)}.exe ?linkCmd %LINK_FLAGS%
+  CALL %LINKER% -o ?{"%BIN_DIR%"\toLowerAscii(c.name)}.exe ?linkCmd %LINK_FLAGS%
 
 #  end block
 
+) ELSE IF %ARCH% EQU 64 (
+
+#  block win64:
+#    var linkCmd = ""
+#    if cpuIndex64 != -1:
+#      for ff in items(c.cfiles[winIndex][cpuIndex64]):
+#        let f = ff.toWin
+  ECHO %CC% %COMP_FLAGS% -Ic_code -c ?{f} -o ?{changeFileExt(f, "o")}
+  CALL %CC% %COMP_FLAGS% -Ic_code -c ?{f} -o ?{changeFileExt(f, "o")}
+#        linkCmd.add(" " & changeFileExt(f, "o"))
+  IF ERRORLEVEL 1 (GOTO:END)
+#      end for
+#    end if
+
+  ECHO %LINKER% -o ?{"%BIN_DIR%"\toLowerAscii(c.name)}.exe ?linkCmd %LINK_FLAGS%
+  CALL %LINKER% -o ?{"%BIN_DIR%"\toLowerAscii(c.name)}.exe ?linkCmd %LINK_FLAGS%
+
+#  end block
+)
+
 :END
 IF ERRORLEVEL 1 (
     ECHO FAILURE
@@ -35,6 +71,8 @@ IF ERRORLEVEL 1 (
     ECHO CSource compilation failed. Please check that the gcc compiler is in
     ECHO the PATH environment variable, and that you are calling the batch script
     ECHO that matches the target architecture of the compiler.
+    ECHO.
+    ECHO Use build.bat to autodetect the compiler architecture.
 ) ELSE (
     ECHO SUCCESS
 )
diff --git a/tools/niminst/niminst.nim b/tools/niminst/niminst.nim
index c2816a0efd..e2cc8cf3a7 100644
--- a/tools/niminst/niminst.nim
+++ b/tools/niminst/niminst.nim
@@ -21,7 +21,8 @@ const
   maxOS = 20 # max number of OSes
   maxCPU = 20 # max number of CPUs
   buildShFile = "build.sh"
-  buildBatFile32 = "build.bat"
+  buildBatFile = "build.bat"
+  buildBatFile32 = "build32.bat"
   buildBatFile64 = "build64.bat"
   makeFile = "makefile"
   installShFile = "install.sh"
@@ -542,12 +543,13 @@ proc srcdist(c: var ConfigData) =
   inclFilePermissions(getOutputDir(c) / buildShFile, {fpUserExec, fpGroupExec, fpOthersExec})
   writeFile(getOutputDir(c) / makeFile, generateMakefile(c), "\10")
   if winIndex >= 0:
+    if intel32Index >= 0 or intel64Index >= 0:
+      writeFile(getOutputDir(c) / buildBatFile,
+                generateBuildBatchScript(c, winIndex, intel32Index, intel64Index), "\13\10")
     if intel32Index >= 0:
-      writeFile(getOutputDir(c) / buildBatFile32,
-                generateBuildBatchScript(c, winIndex, intel32Index), "\13\10")
+      writeFile(getOutputDir(c) / buildBatFile32, "SET ARCH=32\nCALL build.bat\n")
     if intel64Index >= 0:
-      writeFile(getOutputDir(c) / buildBatFile64,
-                generateBuildBatchScript(c, winIndex, intel64Index), "\13\10")
+      writeFile(getOutputDir(c) / buildBatFile64, "SET ARCH=64\nCALL build.bat\n")
   writeInstallScripts(c)
 
 # --------------------- generate inno setup -----------------------------------
@@ -593,6 +595,7 @@ when haveZipLib:
     else: n = c.outdir / n
     var z: ZipArchive
     if open(z, n, fmWrite):
+      addFile(z, proj / buildBatFile, "build" / buildBatFile)
       addFile(z, proj / buildBatFile32, "build" / buildBatFile32)
       addFile(z, proj / buildBatFile64, "build" / buildBatFile64)
       addFile(z, proj / buildShFile, "build" / buildShFile)
@@ -631,11 +634,12 @@ proc xzDist(c: var ConfigData; windowsZip=false) =
     if not dirExists(destDir): createDir(destDir)
     copyFileWithPermissions(src, dest)
 
-  if not windowsZip and not existsFile("build" / buildBatFile32):
+  if not windowsZip and not existsFile("build" / buildBatFile):
     quit("No C sources found in ./build/, please build by running " &
          "./koch csource -d:release.")
 
   if not windowsZip:
+    processFile(proj / buildBatFile, "build" / buildBatFile)
     processFile(proj / buildBatFile32, "build" / buildBatFile32)
     processFile(proj / buildBatFile64, "build" / buildBatFile64)
     processFile(proj / buildShFile, "build" / buildShFile)