diff --git a/compiler/cgen.nim b/compiler/cgen.nim
index 619caf2508..61cd36c42d 100755
--- a/compiler/cgen.nim
+++ b/compiler/cgen.nim
@@ -210,7 +210,7 @@ proc ropecg(m: BModule, frmt: TFormatStr, args: openarray[PRope]): PRope =
       inc(i)
       var j = i
       while frmt[j] in IdentChars: inc(j)
-      var ident = copy(frmt, i, j-1)
+      var ident = substr(frmt, i, j-1)
       i = j
       app(result, cgsym(m, ident))
     elif frmt[i] == '#' and frmt[i+1] == '$':
@@ -225,7 +225,7 @@ proc ropecg(m: BModule, frmt: TFormatStr, args: openarray[PRope]): PRope =
       if frmt[i] != '$' and frmt[i] != '#': inc(i)
       else: break 
     if i - 1 >= start: 
-      app(result, copy(frmt, start, i - 1))
+      app(result, substr(frmt, start, i - 1))
 
 proc appcg(m: BModule, c: var PRope, frmt: TFormatStr, 
            args: openarray[PRope]) = 
@@ -489,9 +489,9 @@ proc libCandidates(s: string, dest: var TStringSeq) =
   var le = strutils.find(s, '(')
   var ri = strutils.find(s, ')', le+1)
   if le >= 0 and ri > le: 
-    var prefix = copy(s, 0, le - 1)
-    var suffix = copy(s, ri + 1)
-    for middle in split(copy(s, le + 1, ri - 1), '|'):
+    var prefix = substr(s, 0, le - 1)
+    var suffix = substr(s, ri + 1)
+    for middle in split(substr(s, le + 1, ri - 1), '|'):
       libCandidates(prefix & middle & suffix, dest)
   else: 
     add(dest, s)
diff --git a/compiler/commands.nim b/compiler/commands.nim
index d3eaf94a93..a4763d6b26 100755
--- a/compiler/commands.nim
+++ b/compiler/commands.nim
@@ -172,7 +172,7 @@ proc splitSwitch(switch: string, cmd, arg: var string, pass: TCmdLinePass,
     else: break 
     inc(i)
   if i >= len(switch): arg = ""
-  elif switch[i] in {':', '=', '['}: arg = copy(switch, i + 1)
+  elif switch[i] in {':', '=', '['}: arg = substr(switch, i + 1)
   else: InvalidCmdLineOption(pass, switch, info)
   
 proc ProcessOnOffSwitch(op: TOptions, arg: string, pass: TCmdlinePass, 
@@ -215,7 +215,7 @@ proc ProcessSpecificNote(arg: string, state: TSpecialWord, pass: TCmdlinePass,
     var x = findStr(msgs.WarningsToStr, id)
     if x >= 0: n = TNoteKind(x + ord(warnMin))
     else: InvalidCmdLineOption(pass, arg, info)
-  case whichKeyword(copy(arg, i))
+  case whichKeyword(substr(arg, i))
   of wOn: incl(gNotes, n)
   of wOff: excl(gNotes, n)
   else: LocalError(info, errOnOrOffExpectedButXFound, arg)
diff --git a/compiler/docgen.nim b/compiler/docgen.nim
index eeb40f2566..64973cdddd 100755
--- a/compiler/docgen.nim
+++ b/compiler/docgen.nim
@@ -156,7 +156,7 @@ proc ropeFormatNamedVars(frmt: TFormatStr, varnames: openarray[string],
     while i < L: 
       if (frmt[i] != '$'): inc(i)
       else: break 
-    if i - 1 >= start: app(result, copy(frmt, start, i - 1))
+    if i - 1 >= start: app(result, substr(frmt, start, i - 1))
   
 proc addXmlChar(dest: var string, c: Char) = 
   case c
@@ -581,10 +581,10 @@ proc renderCodeBlock(d: PDoc, n: PRstNode): PRope =
       case g.kind
       of gtEof: break 
       of gtNone, gtWhitespace: 
-        app(result, copy(m.text, g.start + 0, g.length + g.start - 1 + 0))
+        app(result, substr(m.text, g.start + 0, g.length + g.start - 1))
       else: 
         dispA(result, "<span class=\"$2\">$1</span>", "\\span$2{$1}", [
-            toRope(esc(copy(m.text, g.start + 0, g.length + g.start - 1 + 0))), 
+            toRope(esc(substr(m.text, g.start + 0, g.length + g.start - 1))), 
             toRope(tokenClassToStr[g.kind])])
     deinitGeneralTokenizer(g)
   if result != nil: 
diff --git a/compiler/filter_tmpl.nim b/compiler/filter_tmpl.nim
index 0bb4028746..e56a08552e 100755
--- a/compiler/filter_tmpl.nim
+++ b/compiler/filter_tmpl.nim
@@ -93,14 +93,14 @@ proc parseLine(p: var TTmplParser) =
     of wIf, wWhen, wTry, wWhile, wFor, wBlock, wCase, wProc, wIterator, 
        wConverter, wMacro, wTemplate, wMethod: 
       LLStreamWrite(p.outp, repeatChar(p.indent))
-      LLStreamWrite(p.outp, copy(p.x, d))
+      LLStreamWrite(p.outp, substr(p.x, d))
       inc(p.indent, 2)
     of wElif, wOf, wElse, wExcept, wFinally: 
       LLStreamWrite(p.outp, repeatChar(p.indent - 2))
-      LLStreamWrite(p.outp, copy(p.x, d))
+      LLStreamWrite(p.outp, substr(p.x, d))
     else: 
       LLStreamWrite(p.outp, repeatChar(p.indent))
-      LLStreamWrite(p.outp, copy(p.x, d))
+      LLStreamWrite(p.outp, substr(p.x, d))
     p.state = psDirective
   else: 
     # data line
diff --git a/compiler/llstream.nim b/compiler/llstream.nim
index 8dfa1e78ea..2da56bccd6 100755
--- a/compiler/llstream.nim
+++ b/compiler/llstream.nim
@@ -216,7 +216,7 @@ proc LLStreamReadAll(s: PLLStream): string =
     result = ""
   of llsString: 
     if s.rd == 0: result = s.s
-    else: result = copy(s.s, s.rd + 0)
+    else: result = substr(s.s, s.rd)
     s.rd = len(s.s)
   of llsFile: 
     result = newString(bufSize)
diff --git a/compiler/nimrod.nim b/compiler/nimrod.nim
index d9580d9554..e4a9d88275 100755
--- a/compiler/nimrod.nim
+++ b/compiler/nimrod.nim
@@ -33,8 +33,8 @@ proc ProcessCmdLine(pass: TCmdLinePass, command, filename: var string) =
       # we fix this here
       var bracketLe = strutils.find(p.key, '[')
       if bracketLe >= 0: 
-        var key = copy(p.key, 0, bracketLe - 1)
-        var val = copy(p.key, bracketLe + 1) & ':' & p.val
+        var key = substr(p.key, 0, bracketLe - 1)
+        var val = substr(p.key, bracketLe + 1) & ':' & p.val
         ProcessSwitch(key, val, pass, cmdLineInfo)
       else: 
         ProcessSwitch(p.key, p.val, pass, cmdLineInfo)
diff --git a/compiler/nstrtabs.nim b/compiler/nstrtabs.nim
index 811e461ccd..cd30887c57 100755
--- a/compiler/nstrtabs.nim
+++ b/compiler/nstrtabs.nim
@@ -153,13 +153,13 @@ proc `%`(f: string, t: PStringTable, flags: TFormatFlags = {}): string =
       of '{': 
         var j = i + 1
         while (j <= len(f) + 0 - 1) and (f[j] != '}'): inc(j)
-        var key = copy(f, i + 2 + 0 - 1, j - 1 + 0 - 1)
+        var key = substr(f, i + 2 + 0 - 1, j - 1 + 0 - 1)
         add(result, getValue(t, flags, key))
         i = j + 1
       of 'a'..'z', 'A'..'Z', '\x80'..'\xFF', '_': 
         var j = i + 1
         while (j <= len(f) + 0 - 1) and (f[j] in PatternChars): inc(j)
-        var key = copy(f, i + 1 + 0 - 1, j - 1 + 0 - 1)
+        var key = substr(f, i + 1 + 0 - 1, j - 1 + 0 - 1)
         add(result, getValue(t, flags, key))
         i = j
       else: 
@@ -168,4 +168,4 @@ proc `%`(f: string, t: PStringTable, flags: TFormatFlags = {}): string =
     else: 
       add(result, f[i])
       inc(i)
-  
\ No newline at end of file
+  
diff --git a/compiler/options.nim b/compiler/options.nim
index 9dec044759..b4ee8cf670 100755
--- a/compiler/options.nim
+++ b/compiler/options.nim
@@ -138,19 +138,19 @@ proc shortenDir(dir: string): string =
   # returns the interesting part of a dir
   var prefix = getPrefixDir() & dirSep
   if startsWith(dir, prefix): 
-    return copy(dir, len(prefix))
+    return substr(dir, len(prefix))
   prefix = getCurrentDir() & dirSep
   if startsWith(dir, prefix): 
-    return copy(dir, len(prefix))
+    return substr(dir, len(prefix))
   prefix = projectPath & dirSep #writeln(output, prefix);
                                 #writeln(output, dir);
   if startsWith(dir, prefix): 
-    return copy(dir, len(prefix))
+    return substr(dir, len(prefix))
   result = dir
 
 proc removeTrailingDirSep*(path: string): string = 
   if (len(path) > 0) and (path[len(path) - 1] == dirSep): 
-    result = copy(path, 0, len(path) - 2)
+    result = substr(path, 0, len(path) - 2)
   else: 
     result = path
   
diff --git a/compiler/pragmas.nim b/compiler/pragmas.nim
index c94b8b68bb..7c78570e2f 100755
--- a/compiler/pragmas.nim
+++ b/compiler/pragmas.nim
@@ -119,7 +119,7 @@ proc processMagic(c: PContext, n: PNode, s: PSym) =
   # treat them as imported, instead of modifing a lot of working code
   # BUGFIX: magic does not imply ``lfNoDecl`` anymore!
   for m in countup(low(TMagic), high(TMagic)): 
-    if copy($m, 1) == v: 
+    if substr($m, 1) == v: 
       s.magic = m
       return 
   Message(n.info, warnUnknownMagic, v)
@@ -333,12 +333,12 @@ proc semAsmOrEmit*(con: PContext, n: PNode, marker: char): PNode =
     var a = 0
     while true: 
       var b = strutils.find(str, marker, a)
-      var sub = if b < 0: copy(str, a) else: copy(str, a, b - 1)
+      var sub = if b < 0: substr(str, a) else: substr(str, a, b - 1)
       if sub != "": addSon(result, newStrNode(nkStrLit, sub))
       if b < 0: break 
       var c = strutils.find(str, marker, b + 1)
-      if c < 0: sub = copy(str, b + 1)
-      else: sub = copy(str, b + 1, c - 1)
+      if c < 0: sub = substr(str, b + 1)
+      else: sub = substr(str, b + 1, c - 1)
       if sub != "": 
         var e = SymtabGet(con.tab, getIdent(sub))
         if e != nil: 
diff --git a/compiler/renderer.nim b/compiler/renderer.nim
index 2167c8e5dd..3ee8450b2d 100755
--- a/compiler/renderer.nim
+++ b/compiler/renderer.nim
@@ -1106,7 +1106,7 @@ proc getNextTok(r: var TSrcGen, kind: var TTokType, literal: var string) =
   if r.idx < len(r.tokens): 
     kind = r.tokens[r.idx].kind
     var length = r.tokens[r.idx].length
-    literal = copy(r.buf, r.pos + 0, r.pos + 0 + length - 1)
+    literal = substr(r.buf, r.pos + 0, r.pos + 0 + length - 1)
     inc(r.pos, length)
     inc(r.idx)
   else: 
diff --git a/compiler/ropes.nim b/compiler/ropes.nim
index 9c4c5e7006..01ca5c81e8 100755
--- a/compiler/ropes.nim
+++ b/compiler/ropes.nim
@@ -328,7 +328,7 @@ proc ropef(frmt: TFormatStr, args: openarray[PRope]): PRope =
       if (frmt[i] != '$'): inc(i)
       else: break 
     if i - 1 >= start: 
-      app(result, copy(frmt, start, i - 1))
+      app(result, substr(frmt, start, i - 1))
   assert(RopeInvariant(result))
 
 proc appf(c: var PRope, frmt: TFormatStr, args: openarray[PRope]) = 
diff --git a/compiler/semfold.nim b/compiler/semfold.nim
index 5b7f5603d5..dbd5d34e5b 100755
--- a/compiler/semfold.nim
+++ b/compiler/semfold.nim
@@ -189,9 +189,9 @@ proc evalOp(m: TMagic, n, a, b, c: PNode): PNode =
   of mBoolToStr: 
     if getOrdValue(a) == 0: result = newStrNodeT("false", n)
     else: result = newStrNodeT("true", n)
-  of mCopyStr: result = newStrNodeT(copy(getStr(a), int(getOrdValue(b))), n)
+  of mCopyStr: result = newStrNodeT(substr(getStr(a), int(getOrdValue(b))), n)
   of mCopyStrLast: 
-    result = newStrNodeT(copy(getStr(a), int(getOrdValue(b)), 
+    result = newStrNodeT(substr(getStr(a), int(getOrdValue(b)), 
                                          int(getOrdValue(c))), n)
   of mFloatToStr: result = newStrNodeT($(getFloat(a)), n)
   of mCStrToStr, mCharToStr: result = newStrNodeT(getStrOrChar(a), n)
diff --git a/compiler/sigmatch.nim b/compiler/sigmatch.nim
index a6c5092b8f..5b397167a6 100755
--- a/compiler/sigmatch.nim
+++ b/compiler/sigmatch.nim
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ import
   ast, astalgo, semdata, types, msgs, renderer, lookups, semtypinst, 
   magicsys
 
-type 
+type
   TCandidateState* = enum 
     csEmpty, csMatch, csNoMatch
   TCandidate* {.final.} = object 
@@ -222,7 +222,7 @@ proc typeRel(mapping: var TIdTable, f, a: PType): TTypeRelation =
   of tyFloat64:  result = handleFloatRange(f, a)
   of tyFloat128: result = handleFloatRange(f, a)
   of tyVar: 
-    if (a.kind == f.kind): result = typeRel(mapping, base(f), base(a))
+    if a.kind == f.kind: result = typeRel(mapping, base(f), base(a))
     else: result = typeRel(mapping, base(f), a)
   of tyArray, tyArrayConstr: 
     # tyArrayConstr cannot happen really, but
diff --git a/compiler/syntaxes.nim b/compiler/syntaxes.nim
index b098e48175..14f7d7f032 100755
--- a/compiler/syntaxes.nim
+++ b/compiler/syntaxes.nim
@@ -98,7 +98,7 @@ proc parsePipe(filename: string, inputStream: PLLStream): PNode =
       inc(i, 2)
       while line[i] in WhiteSpace: inc(i)
       var q: TParser
-      OpenParser(q, filename, LLStreamOpen(copy(line, i)))
+      OpenParser(q, filename, LLStreamOpen(substr(line, i)))
       result = parser.parseAll(q)
       CloseParser(q)
     LLStreamClose(s)
diff --git a/doc/apis.txt b/doc/apis.txt
index f0d4db045b..260ce159bd 100755
--- a/doc/apis.txt
+++ b/doc/apis.txt
@@ -70,6 +70,7 @@ coordinate              coord
 rectangle               rect
 point                   point
 symbol                  sym
+string                  str
 identifier              ident
 indentation             indent
 -------------------     ------------   --------------------------------------
diff --git a/lib/impure/re.nim b/lib/impure/re.nim
index 36adf5d1ff..ccc13248ab 100755
--- a/lib/impure/re.nim
+++ b/lib/impure/re.nim
@@ -88,7 +88,7 @@ proc matchOrFind(s: string, pattern: TRegEx, matches: var openarray[string],
   for i in 1..int(res)-1:
     var a = rawMatches[i * 2]
     var b = rawMatches[i * 2 + 1]
-    if a >= 0'i32: matches[i-1] = copy(s, int(a), int(b)-1)
+    if a >= 0'i32: matches[i-1] = substr(s, int(a), int(b)-1)
     else: matches[i-1] = ""
   return rawMatches[1] - rawMatches[0]
   
@@ -106,7 +106,7 @@ proc findBounds*(s: string, pattern: TRegEx, matches: var openarray[string],
   for i in 1..int(res)-1:
     var a = rawMatches[i * 2]
     var b = rawMatches[i * 2 + 1]
-    if a >= 0'i32: matches[i-1] = copy(s, int(a), int(b)-1)
+    if a >= 0'i32: matches[i-1] = substr(s, int(a), int(b)-1)
     else: matches[i-1] = ""
   return (rawMatches[0].int, rawMatches[1].int - 1)
   
@@ -186,7 +186,7 @@ proc find*(s: string, pattern: TRegEx, matches: var openarray[string],
   for i in 1..int(res)-1:
     var a = rawMatches[i * 2]
     var b = rawMatches[i * 2 + 1]
-    if a >= 0'i32: matches[i-1] = copy(s, int(a), int(b)-1)
+    if a >= 0'i32: matches[i-1] = substr(s, int(a), int(b)-1)
     else: matches[i-1] = ""
   return rawMatches[0]
 
@@ -277,10 +277,10 @@ proc replace*(s: string, sub: TRegEx, by = ""): string =
   while true:
     var match = findBounds(s, sub, prev)
     if match.first < 0: break
-    add(result, copy(s, prev, match.first-1))
+    add(result, substr(s, prev, match.first-1))
     add(result, by)
     prev = match.last + 1
-  add(result, copy(s, prev))
+  add(result, substr(s, prev))
   
 proc replacef*(s: string, sub: TRegEx, by: string): string =
   ## Replaces `sub` in `s` by the string `by`. Captures can be accessed in `by`
@@ -300,10 +300,10 @@ proc replacef*(s: string, sub: TRegEx, by: string): string =
   while true:
     var match = findBounds(s, sub, caps, prev)
     if match.first < 0: break
-    add(result, copy(s, prev, match.first-1))
+    add(result, substr(s, prev, match.first-1))
     addf(result, by, caps)
     prev = match.last + 1
-  add(result, copy(s, prev))
+  add(result, substr(s, prev))
   when false:
     result = ""
     var i = 0
@@ -316,8 +316,8 @@ proc replacef*(s: string, sub: TRegEx, by: string): string =
       else:
         addf(result, by, caps)
         inc(i, x)
-    # copy the rest:
-    add(result, copy(s, i))
+    # substr the rest:
+    add(result, substr(s, i))
   
 proc parallelReplace*(s: string, subs: openArray[
                       tuple[pattern: TRegEx, repl: string]]): string = 
@@ -337,7 +337,7 @@ proc parallelReplace*(s: string, subs: openArray[
       add(result, s[i])
       inc(i)
   # copy the rest:
-  add(result, copy(s, i))  
+  add(result, substr(s, i))  
   
 proc transformFile*(infile, outfile: string,
                     subs: openArray[tuple[pattern: TRegEx, repl: string]]) =
@@ -385,7 +385,7 @@ iterator split*(s: string, sep: TRegEx): string =
       x = matchLen(s, sep, last)
       if x > 0: break
     if first < last:
-      yield copy(s, first, last-1)
+      yield substr(s, first, last-1)
 
 proc split*(s: string, sep: TRegEx): seq[string] =
   ## Splits the string `s` into substrings.
diff --git a/lib/pure/cookies.nim b/lib/pure/cookies.nim
index eed6c7512a..8e5de008c0 100755
--- a/lib/pure/cookies.nim
+++ b/lib/pure/cookies.nim
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 #
 #
 #            Nimrod's Runtime Library
-#        (c) Copyright 2010 Andreas Rumpf
+#        (c) Copyright 2011 Andreas Rumpf
 #
 #    See the file "copying.txt", included in this
 #    distribution, for details about the copyright.
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ proc parseCookies*(s: string): PStringTable =
     inc(i) # skip '='
     var valstart = i
     while s[i] != ';' and s[i] != '\0': inc(i)
-    result[copy(s, keystart, keyend)] = copy(s, valstart, i-1)
+    result[substr(s, keystart, keyend)] = substr(s, valstart, i-1)
     if s[i] == '\0': break
     inc(i) # skip ';'
 
diff --git a/lib/pure/httpclient.nim b/lib/pure/httpclient.nim
index 39ceb5f685..73a8cb8539 100755
--- a/lib/pure/httpclient.nim
+++ b/lib/pure/httpclient.nim
@@ -109,7 +109,7 @@ proc parseChunks(d: var string, start: int, s: TSocket): string =
     if charAt(d, i, s) == '\L': inc(i)
     else: httpError("CR-LF after chunksize expected")
     
-    var x = copy(d, i, i+chunkSize-1)
+    var x = substr(d, i, i+chunkSize-1)
     var size = x.len
     result.add(x)
     inc(i, size)
@@ -133,7 +133,7 @@ proc parseBody(d: var string, start: int, s: TSocket,
   if headers["Transfer-Encoding"] == "chunked":
     result = parseChunks(d, start, s)
   else:
-    result = copy(d, start)
+    result = substr(d, start)
     # -REGION- Content-Length
     # (http://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc2616#section-4.4) NR.3
     var contentLengthHeader = headers["Content-Length"]
@@ -236,7 +236,7 @@ proc request*(url: string, httpMethod = httpGET, extraHeaders = "",
   ## | Extra headers can be specified and must be seperated by ``\c\L``
   var r = parseUrl(url)
   
-  var headers = copy($httpMethod, len("http"))
+  var headers = substr($httpMethod, len("http"))
   headers.add(" /" & r.path & r.query)
   headers.add(" HTTP/1.1\c\L")
   
diff --git a/lib/pure/httpserver.nim b/lib/pure/httpserver.nim
index f8368a6311..eb5dd7d732 100755
--- a/lib/pure/httpserver.nim
+++ b/lib/pure/httpserver.nim
@@ -121,7 +121,7 @@ proc executeCgi(client: TSocket, path, query: string, meth: TRequestMethod) =
       if L.startsWith("content-length:"):
         var i = len("content-length:")
         while L[i] in Whitespace: inc(i)
-        contentLength = parseInt(copy(L, i))
+        contentLength = parseInt(substr(L, i))
 
     if contentLength < 0:
       badRequest(client)
@@ -165,7 +165,7 @@ proc acceptRequest(client: TSocket) =
   # extract path
   if q >= 0:
     # strip "?..." from path, this may be found in both POST and GET
-    path = "." & data[1].copy(0, q-1)
+    path = "." & data[1].substr(0, q-1)
   else:
     path = "." & data[1]
   # path starts with "/", by adding "." in front of it we serve files from cwd
@@ -173,7 +173,7 @@ proc acceptRequest(client: TSocket) =
   if cmpIgnoreCase(data[0], "GET") == 0:
     if q >= 0:
       cgi = true
-      query = data[1].copy(q+1)
+      query = data[1].substr(q+1)
   elif cmpIgnoreCase(data[0], "POST") == 0:
     cgi = true
     meth = reqPost
@@ -250,11 +250,11 @@ proc next*(s: var TServer) =
     if data[last] == '?' and query == 0: query = last
     inc(last)
   if query > 0:
-    s.query = data.copy(query+1, last-1)
-    s.path = data.copy(i, query-1)
+    s.query = data.substr(query+1, last-1)
+    s.path = data.substr(i, query-1)
   else:
     s.query = ""
-    s.path = data.copy(i, last-1)
+    s.path = data.substr(i, last-1)
 
 proc close*(s: TServer) =
   ## closes the server (and the socket the server uses).
diff --git a/lib/pure/os.nim b/lib/pure/os.nim
index 7847fa3325..2b2cb1ba77 100755
--- a/lib/pure/os.nim
+++ b/lib/pure/os.nim
@@ -330,7 +330,7 @@ proc JoinPath*(head, tail: string): string {.
     result = tail
   elif head[len(head)-1] in {DirSep, AltSep}:
     if tail[0] in {DirSep, AltSep}:
-      result = head & copy(tail, 1)
+      result = head & substr(tail, 1)
     else:
       result = head & tail
   else:
@@ -362,8 +362,8 @@ proc SplitPath*(path: string, head, tail: var string) {.noSideEffect,
       sepPos = i
       break
   if sepPos >= 0:
-    head = copy(path, 0, sepPos-1)
-    tail = copy(path, sepPos+1)
+    head = substr(path, 0, sepPos-1)
+    tail = substr(path, sepPos+1)
   else:
     head = ""
     tail = path # make a string copy here
@@ -388,8 +388,8 @@ proc SplitPath*(path: string): tuple[head, tail: string] {.
       sepPos = i
       break
   if sepPos >= 0:
-    result.head = copy(path, 0, sepPos-1)
-    result.tail = copy(path, sepPos+1)
+    result.head = substr(path, 0, sepPos-1)
+    result.tail = substr(path, sepPos+1)
   else:
     result.head = ""
     result.tail = path
@@ -412,7 +412,7 @@ proc parentDir*(path: string): string {.
       sepPos = i
       break
   if sepPos >= 0:
-    result = copy(path, 0, sepPos-1)
+    result = substr(path, 0, sepPos-1)
   else:
     result = path
 
@@ -462,9 +462,9 @@ proc splitFile*(path: string): tuple[dir, name, ext: string] {.
       elif path[i] in {dirsep, altsep}:
         sepPos = i
         break
-    result.dir = copy(path, 0, sepPos-1)
-    result.name = copy(path, sepPos+1, dotPos-1)
-    result.ext = copy(path, dotPos)
+    result.dir = substr(path, 0, sepPos-1)
+    result.name = substr(path, sepPos+1, dotPos-1)
+    result.ext = substr(path, dotPos)
 
 proc extractDir*(path: string): string {.noSideEffect, deprecated.} =
   ## Extracts the directory of a given path. This is almost the
@@ -507,8 +507,8 @@ proc SplitFilename*(filename: string, name, extension: var string) {.
   ## **Deprecated since version 0.8.2**: Use ``splitFile(filename)`` instead.
   var extPos = searchExtPos(filename)
   if extPos >= 0:
-    name = copy(filename, 0, extPos-1)
-    extension = copy(filename, extPos)
+    name = substr(filename, 0, extPos-1)
+    extension = substr(filename, extPos)
   else:
     name = filename # make a string copy here
     extension = ""
@@ -537,7 +537,7 @@ proc ChangeFileExt*(filename, ext: string): string {.
   ## of none such beast.)
   var extPos = searchExtPos(filename)
   if extPos < 0: result = filename & normExt(ext)
-  else: result = copy(filename, 0, extPos-1) & normExt(ext)
+  else: result = substr(filename, 0, extPos-1) & normExt(ext)
 
 proc addFileExt*(filename, ext: string): string {.
   noSideEffect, rtl, extern: "nos$1".} =
@@ -748,7 +748,7 @@ proc getEnv*(key: string): string =
   ## `existsEnv(key)`.
   var i = findEnvVar(key)
   if i >= 0:
-    return copy(environment[i], find(environment[i], '=')+1)
+    return substr(environment[i], find(environment[i], '=')+1)
   else:
     var env = cgetenv(key)
     if env == nil: return ""
@@ -788,7 +788,7 @@ iterator iterOverEnvironment*(): tuple[key, value: string] {.deprecated.} =
   getEnvVarsC()
   for i in 0..high(environment):
     var p = find(environment[i], '=')
-    yield (copy(environment[i], 0, p-1), copy(environment[i], p+1))
+    yield (substr(environment[i], 0, p-1), substr(environment[i], p+1))
 
 iterator envPairs*(): tuple[key, value: string] =
   ## Iterate over all `environments variables`:idx:. In the first component 
@@ -797,7 +797,7 @@ iterator envPairs*(): tuple[key, value: string] =
   getEnvVarsC()
   for i in 0..high(environment):
     var p = find(environment[i], '=')
-    yield (copy(environment[i], 0, p-1), copy(environment[i], p+1))
+    yield (substr(environment[i], 0, p-1), substr(environment[i], p+1))
 
 iterator walkFiles*(pattern: string): string =
   ## Iterate over all the files that match the `pattern`. On POSIX this uses
@@ -944,14 +944,14 @@ proc createDir*(dir: string) {.rtl, extern: "nos$1".} =
   ## fail if the path already exists because for most usages this does not 
   ## indicate an error.
   for i in 1.. dir.len-1:
-    if dir[i] in {dirsep, altsep}: rawCreateDir(copy(dir, 0, i-1))
+    if dir[i] in {dirsep, altsep}: rawCreateDir(substr(dir, 0, i-1))
   rawCreateDir(dir)
 
 proc copyDir*(source, dest: string) {.rtl, extern: "nos$1".} =
   ## Copies a directory from `source` to `dest`. If this fails, `EOS` is raised.
   createDir(dest)
   for kind, path in walkDir(source):
-    var noSource = path.copy(source.len()+1)
+    var noSource = path.substr(source.len()+1)
     case kind
     of pcFile:
       copyFile(path, dest / noSource)
diff --git a/lib/pure/parseopt.nim b/lib/pure/parseopt.nim
index 1b09934f2d..c4625c1610 100755
--- a/lib/pure/parseopt.nim
+++ b/lib/pure/parseopt.nim
@@ -126,7 +126,7 @@ proc next*(p: var TOptParser) {.
 proc cmdLineRest*(p: TOptParser): string {.
   rtl, extern: "npo$1".} = 
   ## retrieves the rest of the command line that has not been parsed yet.
-  result = strip(copy(p.cmd, p.pos, len(p.cmd) - 1)) 
+  result = strip(substr(p.cmd, p.pos, len(p.cmd) - 1)) 
 
 proc getRestOfCommandLine*(p: TOptParser): string {.deprecated.} = 
   ## **Deprecated since version 0.8.2**: Use `cmdLineRest` instead.
diff --git a/lib/pure/parseutils.nim b/lib/pure/parseutils.nim
index 90bb5d79f6..a7776bd5fd 100755
--- a/lib/pure/parseutils.nim
+++ b/lib/pure/parseutils.nim
@@ -73,7 +73,7 @@ proc parseIdent*(s: string, ident: var string, start = 0): int =
   if s[i] in IdentStartChars:
     inc(i)
     while s[i] in IdentChars: inc(i)
-    ident = copy(s, start, i-1)
+    ident = substr(s, start, i-1)
     result = i-start
 
 proc parseToken*(s: string, token: var string, validChars: set[char],
@@ -86,7 +86,7 @@ proc parseToken*(s: string, token: var string, validChars: set[char],
   var i = start
   while s[i] in validChars: inc(i)
   result = i-start
-  token = copy(s, start, i-1)
+  token = substr(s, start, i-1)
 
 proc skipWhitespace*(s: string, start = 0): int {.inline.} =
   ## skips the whitespace starting at ``s[start]``. Returns the number of
@@ -120,7 +120,7 @@ proc parseUntil*(s: string, token: var string, until: set[char],
   var i = start
   while s[i] notin until: inc(i)
   result = i-start
-  token = copy(s, start, i-1)
+  token = substr(s, start, i-1)
 
 proc parseWhile*(s: string, token: var string, validChars: set[char],
                  start = 0): int {.inline.} =
@@ -130,7 +130,7 @@ proc parseWhile*(s: string, token: var string, validChars: set[char],
   var i = start
   while s[i] in validChars: inc(i)
   result = i-start
-  token = copy(s, start, i-1)
+  token = substr(s, start, i-1)
 
 {.push overflowChecks: on.}
 # this must be compiled with overflow checking turned on:
diff --git a/lib/pure/pegs.nim b/lib/pure/pegs.nim
index 9b2606b330..988e510e3b 100755
--- a/lib/pure/pegs.nim
+++ b/lib/pure/pegs.nim
@@ -736,7 +736,7 @@ proc rawMatch*(s: string, p: TPeg, start: int, c: var TCaptures): int {.
     var (a, b) = c.matches[p.index]
     var n: TPeg
     n.kind = succ(pkTerminal, ord(p.kind)-ord(pkBackRef)) 
-    n.term = s.copy(a, b)
+    n.term = s.substr(a, b)
     result = rawMatch(s, n, start, c)
   of pkStartAnchor:
     if c.origStart == start: result = 0
@@ -754,7 +754,7 @@ proc match*(s: string, pattern: TPeg, matches: var openarray[string],
   result = rawMatch(s, pattern, start, c) == len(s) - start
   if result:
     for i in 0..c.ml-1:
-      matches[i] = copy(s, c.matches[i][0], c.matches[i][1])
+      matches[i] = substr(s, c.matches[i][0], c.matches[i][1])
 
 proc match*(s: string, pattern: TPeg, 
             start = 0): bool {.nosideEffect, rtl, extern: "npegs$1".} =
@@ -774,7 +774,7 @@ proc matchLen*(s: string, pattern: TPeg, matches: var openarray[string],
   result = rawMatch(s, pattern, start, c)
   if result >= 0:
     for i in 0..c.ml-1:
-      matches[i] = copy(s, c.matches[i][0], c.matches[i][1])
+      matches[i] = substr(s, c.matches[i][0], c.matches[i][1])
 
 proc matchLen*(s: string, pattern: TPeg, 
                start = 0): int {.nosideEffect, rtl, extern: "npegs$1".} =
@@ -903,7 +903,7 @@ proc replacef*(s: string, sub: TPeg, by: string): string {.
     else:
       addf(result, by, caps)
       inc(i, x)
-  add(result, copy(s, i))
+  add(result, substr(s, i))
 
 proc replace*(s: string, sub: TPeg, by = ""): string {.
   nosideEffect, rtl, extern: "npegs$1".} =
@@ -920,7 +920,7 @@ proc replace*(s: string, sub: TPeg, by = ""): string {.
     else:
       addf(result, by, caps)
       inc(i, x)
-  add(result, copy(s, i))
+  add(result, substr(s, i))
   
 proc parallelReplace*(s: string, subs: openArray[
                       tuple[pattern: TPeg, repl: string]]): string {.
@@ -941,7 +941,7 @@ proc parallelReplace*(s: string, subs: openArray[
       add(result, s[i])
       inc(i)
   # copy the rest:
-  add(result, copy(s, i))  
+  add(result, substr(s, i))  
   
 proc transformFile*(infile, outfile: string,
                     subs: openArray[tuple[pattern: TPeg, repl: string]]) {.
@@ -990,7 +990,7 @@ iterator split*(s: string, sep: TPeg): string =
       x = matchLen(s, sep, last)
       if x > 0: break
     if first < last:
-      yield copy(s, first, last-1)
+      yield substr(s, first, last-1)
 
 proc split*(s: string, sep: TPeg): seq[string] {.
   nosideEffect, rtl, extern: "npegs$1".} =
@@ -1688,7 +1688,7 @@ when isMainModule:
   assert rawMatch(s, expr.rule, 0, c) == len(s)
   var a = ""
   for i in 0..c.ml-1:
-    a.add(copy(s, c.matches[i][0], c.matches[i][1]))
+    a.add(substr(s, c.matches[i][0], c.matches[i][1]))
   assert a == "abcdef"
   #echo expr.rule
 
diff --git a/lib/pure/regexprs.nim b/lib/pure/regexprs.nim
index fb9601c183..3524aac0a8 100755
--- a/lib/pure/regexprs.nim
+++ b/lib/pure/regexprs.nim
@@ -84,7 +84,7 @@ proc matchOrFind(s: string, pattern: PPcre, matches: var openarray[string],
     var
       a = rawMatches[i * 2]
       b = rawMatches[i * 2 + 1]
-    if a >= 0'i32: matches[i] = copy(s, a, int(b)-1)
+    if a >= 0'i32: matches[i] = substr(s, a, int(b)-1)
     else: matches[i] = ""
   return res
 
diff --git a/lib/pure/ropes.nim b/lib/pure/ropes.nim
index 52406d4d1c..69737576f5 100755
--- a/lib/pure/ropes.nim
+++ b/lib/pure/ropes.nim
@@ -287,7 +287,7 @@ when false:
         if frmt[i] != '$': inc(i)
         else: break 
       if i - 1 >= start: 
-        add(result, copy(frmt, start, i-1))
+        add(result, substr(frmt, start, i-1))
   
 proc `%`*(frmt: string, args: openarray[PRope]): PRope {. 
   rtl, extern: "nroFormat".} =
@@ -330,7 +330,7 @@ proc `%`*(frmt: string, args: openarray[PRope]): PRope {.
       if frmt[i] != '$': inc(i)
       else: break 
     if i - 1 >= start: 
-      add(result, copy(frmt, start, i - 1))
+      add(result, substr(frmt, start, i - 1))
 
 proc addf*(c: var PRope, frmt: string, args: openarray[PRope]) {.
   rtl, extern: "nro$1".} =
diff --git a/lib/pure/strtabs.nim b/lib/pure/strtabs.nim
index 78f4896155..2028daa507 100755
--- a/lib/pure/strtabs.nim
+++ b/lib/pure/strtabs.nim
@@ -181,12 +181,12 @@ proc `%`*(f: string, t: PStringTable, flags: set[TFormatFlag] = {}): string {.
       of '{':
         var j = i + 1
         while j < f.len and f[j] != '}': inc(j)
-        add(result, getValue(t, flags, copy(f, i+2, j-1)))
+        add(result, getValue(t, flags, substr(f, i+2, j-1)))
         i = j + 1
       of 'a'..'z', 'A'..'Z', '\x80'..'\xFF', '_':
         var j = i + 1
         while j < f.len and f[j] in PatternChars: inc(j)
-        add(result, getValue(t, flags, copy(f, i+1, j-1)))
+        add(result, getValue(t, flags, substr(f, i+1, j-1)))
         i = j
       else:
         add(result, f[i])
diff --git a/lib/pure/strutils.nim b/lib/pure/strutils.nim
index f13910dbf2..7ed224b67c 100755
--- a/lib/pure/strutils.nim
+++ b/lib/pure/strutils.nim
@@ -83,7 +83,7 @@ proc capitalize*(s: string): string {.noSideEffect, procvar,
   rtl, extern: "nsuCapitalize".} =
   ## Converts the first character of `s` into upper case.
   ## This works only for the letters a-z.
-  result = toUpper(s[0]) & copy(s, 1)
+  result = toUpper(s[0]) & substr(s, 1)
 
 proc normalize*(s: string): string {.noSideEffect, procvar,
   rtl, extern: "nsuNormalize".} =
@@ -175,14 +175,14 @@ proc addf*(s: var string, formatstr: string, a: openarray[string]) {.
       of '{':
         var j = i+1
         while formatstr[j] notin {'\0', '}'}: inc(j)
-        var x = findNormalized(copy(formatstr, i+2, j-1), a)
+        var x = findNormalized(substr(formatstr, i+2, j-1), a)
         if x >= 0 and x < high(a): add s, a[x+1]
         else: raise newException(EInvalidValue, "invalid format string")
         i = j+1
       of 'a'..'z', 'A'..'Z', '\128'..'\255', '_':
         var j = i+1
         while formatstr[j] in PatternChars: inc(j)
-        var x = findNormalized(copy(formatstr, i+1, j-1), a)
+        var x = findNormalized(substr(formatstr, i+1, j-1), a)
         if x >= 0 and x < high(a): add s, a[x+1]
         else: raise newException(EInvalidValue, "invalid format string")
         i = j
@@ -253,7 +253,7 @@ proc strip*(s: string, leading = true, trailing = true): string {.noSideEffect,
     while s[first] in chars: inc(first)
   if trailing:
     while last >= 0 and s[last] in chars: dec(last)
-  result = copy(s, first, last)
+  result = substr(s, first, last)
 
 proc toOctal*(c: char): string {.noSideEffect, rtl, extern: "nsuToOctal".} =
   ## Converts a character `c` to its octal representation. The resulting
@@ -293,7 +293,7 @@ iterator split*(s: string, seps: set[char] = Whitespace): string =
     var first = last
     while last < len(s) and s[last] not_in seps: inc(last) # BUGFIX!
     if first <= last-1:
-      yield copy(s, first, last-1)
+      yield substr(s, first, last-1)
 
 iterator split*(s: string, sep: char): string =
   ## Splits the string `s` into substrings.
@@ -326,7 +326,7 @@ iterator split*(s: string, sep: char): string =
     while last <= len(s):
       var first = last
       while last < len(s) and s[last] != sep: inc(last)
-      yield copy(s, first, last-1)
+      yield substr(s, first, last-1)
       inc(last)
 
 iterator splitLines*(s: string): string =
@@ -354,7 +354,7 @@ iterator splitLines*(s: string): string =
   var last = 0
   while true:
     while s[last] notin {'\0', '\c', '\l'}: inc(last)
-    yield copy(s, first, last-1)
+    yield substr(s, first, last-1)
     # skip newlines:
     if s[last] == '\l': inc(last)
     elif s[last] == '\c':
@@ -504,7 +504,7 @@ iterator tokenize*(s: string, seps: set[char] = Whitespace): tuple[
     var isSep = s[j] in seps
     while j < s.len and (s[j] in seps) == isSep: inc(j)
     if j > i:
-      yield (copy(s, i, j-1), isSep)
+      yield (substr(s, i, j-1), isSep)
     else:
       break
     i = j
@@ -520,14 +520,14 @@ proc wordWrap*(s: string, maxLineWidth = 80,
   for word, isSep in tokenize(s, seps):
     if len(word) > SpaceLeft:
       if splitLongWords and len(word) > maxLineWidth:
-        result.add(copy(word, 0, spaceLeft-1))
+        result.add(substr(word, 0, spaceLeft-1))
         var w = spaceLeft+1
         var wordLeft = len(word) - spaceLeft
         while wordLeft > 0: 
           result.add(newLine)
           var L = min(maxLineWidth, wordLeft)
           SpaceLeft = maxLineWidth - L
-          result.add(copy(word, w, w+L-1))
+          result.add(substr(word, w, w+L-1))
           inc(w, L)
           dec(wordLeft, L)
       else:
@@ -705,11 +705,11 @@ proc replace*(s, sub: string, by = ""): string {.noSideEffect,
   while true:
     var j = findAux(s, sub, i, a)
     if j < 0: break
-    add result, copy(s, i, j - 1)
+    add result, substr(s, i, j - 1)
     add result, by
     i = j + len(sub)
   # copy the rest:
-  add result, copy(s, i)
+  add result, substr(s, i)
 
 proc replace*(s: string, sub, by: char): string {.noSideEffect,
   rtl, extern: "nsuReplaceChar".} =
@@ -843,7 +843,7 @@ proc validEmailAddress*(s: string): bool {.noSideEffect,
   while s[i] in {'0'..'9', 'a'..'z', '-', '.'}: inc(i) 
   if s[i] != '\0': return false
   
-  var x = copy(s, j+1)
+  var x = substr(s, j+1)
   if len(x) == 2 and x[0] in Letters and x[1] in Letters: return true
   case toLower(x)
   of "com", "org", "net", "gov", "mil", "biz", "info", "mobi", "name",
diff --git a/lib/pure/xmldom.nim b/lib/pure/xmldom.nim
index bf031fb88e..923fc9e18e 100755
--- a/lib/pure/xmldom.nim
+++ b/lib/pure/xmldom.nim
@@ -1021,9 +1021,9 @@ proc splitData*(TextNode: PText, offset: int): PText =
   if offset > TextNode.data.len():
     raise newException(EIndexSizeErr, "Index out of bounds")
   
-  var left: string = TextNode.data.copy(0, offset)
+  var left: string = TextNode.data.substr(0, offset)
   TextNode.data = left
-  var right: string = TextNode.data.copy(offset, TextNode.data.len())
+  var right: string = TextNode.data.substr(offset, TextNode.data.len())
   
   if TextNode.FParentNode != nil:
     for i in low(TextNode.FParentNode.childNodes)..high(TextNode.FParentNode.childNodes):
diff --git a/lib/system.nim b/lib/system.nim
index a184127902..21da9d6ff4 100755
--- a/lib/system.nim
+++ b/lib/system.nim
@@ -909,8 +909,19 @@ proc addQuitProc*(QuitProc: proc {.noconv.}) {.importc: "atexit", nodecl.}
 # not be called explicitly! The user may decide to do this manually though.
 
 proc copy*(s: string, first = 0): string {.
-  magic: "CopyStr", importc: "copyStr", noSideEffect.}
+  magic: "CopyStr", importc: "copyStr", noSideEffect, deprecated.}
 proc copy*(s: string, first, last: int): string {.
+  magic: "CopyStrLast", importc: "copyStrLast", noSideEffect, 
+  deprecated.}
+  ## copies a slice of `s` into a new string and returns this new
+  ## string. The bounds `first` and `last` denote the indices of
+  ## the first and last characters that shall be copied. If ``last``
+  ## is omitted, it is treated as ``high(s)``.
+  ## **Deprecated since version 0.8.12**: Use ``substr`` instead.
+
+proc substr*(s: string, first = 0): string {.
+  magic: "CopyStr", importc: "copyStr", noSideEffect.}
+proc substr*(s: string, first, last: int): string {.
   magic: "CopyStrLast", importc: "copyStrLast", noSideEffect.}
   ## copies a slice of `s` into a new string and returns this new
   ## string. The bounds `first` and `last` denote the indices of
@@ -1783,7 +1794,7 @@ template `-|`(b, s: expr): expr =
 
 proc `[]`*(s: string, x: TSlice[int]): string {.inline.} =
   ## slice operation for strings. Negative indexes are supported.
-  result = s.copy(x.a-|s, x.b-|s)
+  result = s.substr(x.a-|s, x.b-|s)
 
 proc `[]=`*(s: var string, x: TSlice[int], b: string) = 
   ## slice assignment for strings. Negative indexes are supported.
diff --git a/tests/accept/compile/tlibs.nim b/tests/accept/compile/tlibs.nim
index 1f81a5edea..d4080eafd0 100755
--- a/tests/accept/compile/tlibs.nim
+++ b/tests/accept/compile/tlibs.nim
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ import
   lua, lualib, lauxlib, mysql, sqlite3, python, tcl,
   db_postgres, db_mysql, db_sqlite, ropes, sockets, browsers, httpserver,
   httpclient, parseutils, unidecode, xmldom, xmldomparser, xmltree, xmlparser,
-  htmlparser, re, graphics, colors
+  htmlparser, re, graphics, colors, pegs
   
 when defined(linux):
   import
diff --git a/web/news.txt b/web/news.txt
index 62851a9a7e..dcfa6e363a 100755
--- a/web/news.txt
+++ b/web/news.txt
@@ -31,6 +31,7 @@ Changes affecting backwards compatibility
   priority.
 - Deprecated ``os.getApplicationFilename``: Use ``os.getAppFilename`` instead.
 - Deprecated ``os.getApplicationDir``: Use ``os.getAppDir`` instead.
+- Deprecated ``system.copy``: Use ``substr`` or string slicing instead.
 - Changed and documented how generalized string literals work: The syntax
   ``module.re"abc"`` is now supported.
 - Changed the behaviour of ``strutils.%``, ``ropes.%``