diff --git a/extra/io/serial/serial.factor b/extra/io/serial/serial.factor
index f7324acd05..293d0e8ad6 100644
--- a/extra/io/serial/serial.factor
+++ b/extra/io/serial/serial.factor
@@ -2,10 +2,10 @@
 ! See http://factorcode.org/license.txt for BSD license.
 USING: accessors alien.c-types assocs combinators destructors
 kernel math math.bitwise math.parser sequences summary system
-vocabs.loader ;
+vocabs.loader io ;
 IN: io.serial
 
-TUPLE: serial stream path baud 
+TUPLE: serial-port < disposable stream path baud 
     termios iflag oflag cflag lflag ;
 
 ERROR: invalid-baud baud ;
@@ -15,7 +15,20 @@ M: invalid-baud summary ( invalid-baud -- string )
 
 HOOK: lookup-baud os ( m -- n )
 HOOK: open-serial os ( serial -- serial' )
-M: serial dispose ( serial -- ) stream>> dispose ;
+HOOK: default-serial-flags os ( m -- n )
+M: serial-port dispose* ( serial -- ) stream>> dispose ;
+
+: <serial-port> ( path baud -- obj )
+    serial-port new
+        swap >>baud
+        swap >>path
+        default-serial-flags ;
+
+: with-duplex-stream ( duplex-stream quot -- )
+    [ [ in>> ] [ out>> ] bi ] dip with-streams ; inline
+
+: with-serial-port ( serial-port quot -- )
+    [ open-serial ] dip with-duplex-stream ; inline
 
 {
     { [ os unix? ] [ "io.serial.unix" ] } 
diff --git a/extra/io/serial/unix/unix-tests.factor b/extra/io/serial/unix/unix-tests.factor
index 422844ab82..f9b047c87b 100644
--- a/extra/io/serial/unix/unix-tests.factor
+++ b/extra/io/serial/unix/unix-tests.factor
@@ -1,25 +1,20 @@
 ! Copyright (C) 2008 Doug Coleman.
 ! See http://factorcode.org/license.txt for BSD license.
-USING: accessors kernel math.bitwise io.serial io.serial.unix
-literals ;
+USING: accessors io io.serial io.serial.unix kernel literals
+math.bitwise tools.test ;
 IN: io.serial.unix
 
-: serial-obj ( -- obj )
-    serial new
-    "/dev/ttyS0" >>path ! linux
-    ! "/dev/dty00" >>path ! netbsd
-    ! "/dev/ttyd0" >>path ! freebsd
-    ! "/dev/ttyU0" >>path ! openbsd
-    19200 >>baud
-    flags{ IGNPAR ICRNL } >>iflag
-    flags{ } >>oflag
-    flags{ CS8 CLOCAL CREAD } >>cflag
-    flags{ ICANON } >>lflag ;
+! "/dev/ttyS0" ! netbsd
+! "/dev/dty00" ! netbsd
+! "/dev/ttyd0" ! freebsd
+! "/dev/ttyU0" ! openbsd
 
-: serial-test ( -- serial )
-    serial-obj
-    open-serial
-    dup get-termios >>termios
-    dup configure-termios
-    dup tciflush
-    dup apply-termios ;
+: <serial-port-test> ( -- serial-port )
+    "/dev/ttyS0" 19200 <serial-port> ;
+
+: with-serial-port-test ( quot -- )
+    [ <serial-port-test> ] dip with-serial-port ; inline
+
+! [ ] [
+    ! [ "hello" over stream-write stream-flush ] with-serial-port-test
+! ] unit-test
diff --git a/extra/io/serial/unix/unix.factor b/extra/io/serial/unix/unix.factor
index f2dec1972e..6bf7a85e16 100644
--- a/extra/io/serial/unix/unix.factor
+++ b/extra/io/serial/unix/unix.factor
@@ -30,19 +30,23 @@ FUNCTION: int cfsetspeed ( termios* t, speed_t s ) ;
     [ <input-port> ] [ <output-port> ] bi <duplex-stream> ;
 
 : open-rw ( path -- fd ) O_RDWR file-mode open-file  ;
+
 : <file-rw> ( path -- stream ) open-rw fd>duplex-stream ;
 
-M: unix open-serial ( serial -- serial' )
-    dup
-    path>> flags{ O_RDWR O_NOCTTY O_NDELAY } file-mode open-file
-    fd>duplex-stream >>stream ;
+: open-unix-serial-port ( serial-port -- )
+    [
+        path>> flags{ O_RDWR O_NOCTTY O_NDELAY } file-mode open-file
+        fd>duplex-stream
+    ] keep stream<< ;
 
 : serial-fd ( serial -- fd )
     stream>> in>> handle>> fd>> ;
 
-: get-termios ( serial -- termios )
-    serial-fd
-    termios <struct> [ tcgetattr io-error ] keep ;
+: set-termios ( serial -- )
+    [
+        serial-fd
+        termios <struct> [ tcgetattr io-error ] keep
+    ] keep termios<< ;
 
 : configure-termios ( serial -- )
     dup termios>>
@@ -63,3 +67,19 @@ M: unix open-serial ( serial -- serial' )
 : apply-termios ( serial -- )
     [ serial-fd TCSANOW ]
     [ termios>> ] bi tcsetattr io-error ;
+
+M: unix open-serial ( serial -- serial' )
+    {
+        [ open-unix-serial-port ]
+        [ set-termios ]
+        [ configure-termios ]
+        [ tciflush ]
+        [ apply-termios ]
+        [ ]
+    } cleave ;
+
+M: unix default-serial-flags
+    flags{ IGNPAR ICRNL } >>iflag
+    flags{ } >>oflag
+    flags{ CS8 CLOCAL CREAD } >>cflag
+    flags{ ICANON } >>lflag ;