diff --git a/core/parser/parser.factor b/core/parser/parser.factor
index 6825029a8e..2643ea95d9 100755
--- a/core/parser/parser.factor
+++ b/core/parser/parser.factor
@@ -1,12 +1,11 @@
-! Copyright (C) 2005, 2007 Slava Pestov.
+! Copyright (C) 2005, 2008 Slava Pestov.
 ! See http://factorcode.org/license.txt for BSD license.
 USING: arrays definitions generic assocs kernel math
 namespaces prettyprint sequences strings vectors words
 quotations inspector io.styles io combinators sorting
 splitting math.parser effects continuations debugger 
 io.files io.streams.string io.streams.lines vocabs
-source-files classes hashtables compiler.errors compiler.units
-ascii ;
+source-files classes hashtables compiler.errors compiler.units ;
 IN: parser
 
 TUPLE: lexer text line column ;
@@ -55,8 +54,9 @@ t parser-notes set-global
     0 over set-lexer-column
     dup lexer-line 1+ swap set-lexer-line ;
 
-: skip ( i seq quot -- n )
-    over >r find* drop
+: skip ( i seq ? -- n )
+    over >r
+    [ swap CHAR: \s eq? xor ] curry find* drop
     [ r> drop ] [ r> length ] if* ; inline
 
 : change-column ( lexer quot -- )
@@ -67,14 +67,13 @@ t parser-notes set-global
 GENERIC: skip-blank ( lexer -- )
 
 M: lexer skip-blank ( lexer -- )
-    [ [ blank? not ] skip ] change-column ;
+    [ t skip ] change-column ;
 
 GENERIC: skip-word ( lexer -- )
 
 M: lexer skip-word ( lexer -- )
     [
-        2dup nth CHAR: " =
-        [ drop 1+ ] [ [ blank? ] skip ] if
+        2dup nth CHAR: " = [ drop 1+ ] [ f skip ] if
     ] change-column ;
 
 : still-parsing? ( lexer -- ? )
diff --git a/core/prettyprint/backend/backend.factor b/core/prettyprint/backend/backend.factor
index a5d0cee6c5..e64295cc0c 100755
--- a/core/prettyprint/backend/backend.factor
+++ b/core/prettyprint/backend/backend.factor
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ USING: arrays byte-arrays byte-vectors bit-arrays bit-vectors
 generic hashtables io assocs kernel math namespaces sequences
 strings sbufs io.styles vectors words prettyprint.config
 prettyprint.sections quotations io io.files math.parser effects
-tuples classes float-arrays float-vectors ascii ;
+tuples classes float-arrays float-vectors ;
 IN: prettyprint.backend
 
 GENERIC: pprint* ( obj -- )
@@ -58,24 +58,17 @@ M: f pprint* drop \ f pprint-word ;
 ! Strings
 : ch>ascii-escape ( ch -- str )
     H{
-        { CHAR: \e "\\e"  }
-        { CHAR: \n "\\n"  }
-        { CHAR: \r "\\r"  }
-        { CHAR: \t "\\t"  }
-        { CHAR: \0 "\\0"  }
-        { CHAR: \\ "\\\\" }
-        { CHAR: \" "\\\"" }
+        { CHAR: \e CHAR: \\e  }
+        { CHAR: \n CHAR: \\n  }
+        { CHAR: \r CHAR: \\r  }
+        { CHAR: \t CHAR: \\t  }
+        { CHAR: \0 CHAR: \\0  }
+        { CHAR: \\ CHAR: \\\\ }
+        { CHAR: \" CHAR: \\\" }
     } at ;
 
-: ch>unicode-escape ( ch -- str )
-    >hex 6 CHAR: 0 pad-left "\\u" swap append ;
-
 : unparse-ch ( ch -- )
-    dup quotable? [
-        ,
-    ] [
-        dup ch>ascii-escape [ ] [ ch>unicode-escape ] ?if %
-    ] if ;
+    dup ch>ascii-escape [ ] [ ] ?if , ;
 
 : do-string-limit ( str -- trimmed )
     string-limit get [
diff --git a/core/ascii/ascii-docs.factor b/extra/ascii/ascii-docs.factor
similarity index 100%
rename from core/ascii/ascii-docs.factor
rename to extra/ascii/ascii-docs.factor
diff --git a/core/ascii/ascii-tests.factor b/extra/ascii/ascii-tests.factor
similarity index 100%
rename from core/ascii/ascii-tests.factor
rename to extra/ascii/ascii-tests.factor
diff --git a/core/ascii/ascii.factor b/extra/ascii/ascii.factor
similarity index 96%
rename from core/ascii/ascii.factor
rename to extra/ascii/ascii.factor
index 019db5f3b2..e4a365cd1b 100755
--- a/core/ascii/ascii.factor
+++ b/extra/ascii/ascii.factor
@@ -24,5 +24,3 @@ IN: ascii
 
 : alpha? ( ch -- ? )
     dup Letter? [ drop t ] [ digit? ] if ; inline
-
-
diff --git a/core/ascii/authors.txt b/extra/ascii/authors.txt
similarity index 100%
rename from core/ascii/authors.txt
rename to extra/ascii/authors.txt
diff --git a/core/ascii/summary.txt b/extra/ascii/summary.txt
similarity index 100%
rename from core/ascii/summary.txt
rename to extra/ascii/summary.txt
diff --git a/core/ascii/tags.txt b/extra/ascii/tags.txt
similarity index 100%
rename from core/ascii/tags.txt
rename to extra/ascii/tags.txt