diff --git a/base64/base64.rs b/base64/base64.rs
index 7ac2e032a..2dc8c9188 100644
--- a/base64/base64.rs
+++ b/base64/base64.rs
@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@ mod util;
 static NAME: &'static str = "base64";
 
 fn main() {
-    let args: Vec<StrBuf> = os::args().iter().map(|x| x.to_strbuf()).collect();
+    let args = os::args();
     let opts = ~[
         optflag("d", "decode", "decode data"),
         optflag("i", "ignore-garbage", "when decoding, ignore non-alphabetic characters"),
diff --git a/cat/cat.rs b/cat/cat.rs
index a86fee6c0..41003714b 100644
--- a/cat/cat.rs
+++ b/cat/cat.rs
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ use std::io::stdio::{stdout_raw, stdin_raw};
 use std::io::{BufferedWriter};
 
 fn main() {
-    let args: Vec<StrBuf> = os::args().iter().map(|x| x.to_strbuf()).collect();
+    let args = os::args();
     let program = args.get(0).as_slice();
     let opts = ~[
         getopts::optflag("A", "show-all", "equivalent to -vET"),
diff --git a/cksum/cksum.rs b/cksum/cksum.rs
index 259d0eaee..b7fc3da5c 100644
--- a/cksum/cksum.rs
+++ b/cksum/cksum.rs
@@ -78,7 +78,7 @@ fn open_file(name: &str) -> IoResult<Box<Reader>> {
 }
 
 pub fn main() {
-    let args: Vec<StrBuf> = os::args().iter().map(|x| x.to_strbuf()).collect();
+    let args = os::args();
     let opts = [
         getopts::optflag("h", "help", "display this help and exit"),
         getopts::optflag("V", "version", "output version information and exit"),
diff --git a/comm/comm.rs b/comm/comm.rs
index dfe8bfc42..238e859af 100644
--- a/comm/comm.rs
+++ b/comm/comm.rs
@@ -88,7 +88,7 @@ fn open_file(name: &str) -> IoResult<Box<Buffer>> {
 }
 
 pub fn main() {
-    let args: Vec<StrBuf> = os::args().iter().map(|x| x.to_strbuf()).collect();
+    let args = os::args();
     let opts = [
         getopts::optflag("1", "", "suppress column 1 (lines uniq to FILE1)"),
         getopts::optflag("2", "", "suppress column 2 (lines uniq to FILE2)"),
diff --git a/cp/cp.rs b/cp/cp.rs
index 404722935..af0c35e5f 100644
--- a/cp/cp.rs
+++ b/cp/cp.rs
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ pub enum Mode {
 }
 
 fn main() {
-    let args: Vec<StrBuf> = os::args().iter().map(|x| x.to_strbuf()).collect();
+    let args = os::args();
     let opts = ~[
         optflag("h", "help", "display this help and exit"),
         optflag("", "version", "output version information and exit"),
diff --git a/dirname/dirname.rs b/dirname/dirname.rs
index 0afdde371..11df43cab 100644
--- a/dirname/dirname.rs
+++ b/dirname/dirname.rs
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ use std::io::print;
 static VERSION: &'static str = "1.0.0";
 
 fn main() {
-    let args: Vec<StrBuf> = os::args().iter().map(|x| x.to_strbuf()).collect();
+    let args = os::args();
     let program = args.get(0).clone();
     let opts = ~[
         getopts::optflag("z", "zero", "separate output with NUL rather than newline"),
diff --git a/du/du.rs b/du/du.rs
index 8f65145f7..3c18cdfd9 100644
--- a/du/du.rs
+++ b/du/du.rs
@@ -91,7 +91,7 @@ fn du(path: &Path, mut my_stat: Stat,
 }
 
 fn main() {
-    let args: Vec<StrBuf> = os::args().iter().map(|x| x.to_strbuf()).collect();
+    let args = os::args();
     let program = args.get(0).as_slice();
     let opts = ~[
         // In task
diff --git a/echo/echo.rs b/echo/echo.rs
index c1979d61d..17da759a3 100644
--- a/echo/echo.rs
+++ b/echo/echo.rs
@@ -70,7 +70,7 @@ fn convert_str(string: &str, index: uint, base: uint) -> (char, int) {
 }
 
 fn main() {
-    let args: Vec<StrBuf> = os::args().iter().map(|x| x.to_strbuf()).collect();
+    let args = os::args();
     let program = args.get(0).clone();
     let opts = ~[
         getopts::optflag("n", "", "do not output the trailing newline"),
diff --git a/fold/fold.rs b/fold/fold.rs
index 483d212e4..ffc597c9a 100644
--- a/fold/fold.rs
+++ b/fold/fold.rs
@@ -28,9 +28,9 @@ static VERSION: &'static str = "1.0.0";
 
 fn main() {
 
-    let (args, obs_width) = handle_obsolete(os::args().as_slice().to_owned());
+    let args = os::args();
+    let (args, obs_width) = handle_obsolete(args.as_slice());
     let program = args.get(0).clone();
-    let args: Vec<StrBuf> = os::args().iter().map(|x| x.to_strbuf()).collect();
 
     let opts = [
         getopts::optflag("b", "bytes", "count using bytes rather than columns (meaning control characters such as newline are not treated specially)"),
diff --git a/groups/groups.rs b/groups/groups.rs
index d267cf252..d46ac19d1 100644
--- a/groups/groups.rs
+++ b/groups/groups.rs
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ use c_types::{get_pw_from_args, group};
 static NAME: &'static str = "groups";
 
 fn main () {
-    let args: Vec<StrBuf> = os::args().iter().map(|x| x.to_strbuf()).collect();
+    let args = os::args();
     let options = [
             optflag("h", "", "Help")
         ];
diff --git a/head/head.rs b/head/head.rs
index 8b6ed08f4..6b3dbb035 100644
--- a/head/head.rs
+++ b/head/head.rs
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ fn main () {
         (args, None) => args
     };
 
-    let args: Vec<StrBuf> = options.iter().map(|x| x.to_strbuf()).collect();
+    let args = options;
 
     let possible_options = [
         optopt("n", "number", "Number of lines to print", "n"),
diff --git a/hostname/hostname.rs b/hostname/hostname.rs
index 9155d7b5d..b09c6084d 100644
--- a/hostname/hostname.rs
+++ b/hostname/hostname.rs
@@ -24,8 +24,8 @@ extern {
 }
 
 fn main () {
-    let args: Vec<StrBuf> = os::args().iter().map(|x| x.to_strbuf()).collect();
-    let program = args.get(0).to_owned();
+    let args = os::args();
+    let program = args.get(0);
 
     let options = [
         optflag("f", "full", "Default option to show full name"),
diff --git a/id/id.rs b/id/id.rs
index b9e79b790..a19815c79 100644
--- a/id/id.rs
+++ b/id/id.rs
@@ -88,7 +88,7 @@ extern {
 static NAME: &'static str = "id";
 
 fn main () {
-    let args: Vec<StrBuf> = os::args().iter().map(|x| x.to_strbuf()).collect();
+    let args = os::args();
     let args_t = args.tail();
 
     let options = [
diff --git a/kill/kill.rs b/kill/kill.rs
index 97e2e681a..df7010f27 100644
--- a/kill/kill.rs
+++ b/kill/kill.rs
@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@ pub enum Mode {
 
 
 fn main() {
-    let args: Vec<StrBuf> = os::args().iter().map(|x| x.to_strbuf()).collect();
+    let args = os::args();
 
     let opts = ~[
         optflag("h", "help", "display this help and exit"),
diff --git a/logname/logname.rs b/logname/logname.rs
index 72aff7554..f543d9083 100644
--- a/logname/logname.rs
+++ b/logname/logname.rs
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ fn version() {
 }
 
 fn main() {
-    let args: Vec<StrBuf> = os::args().iter().map(|x| x.to_strbuf()).collect();
+    let args = os::args();
     let program = args.get(0).clone();
 
     //