diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 6ef99de5..d5145528 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -66,11 +66,12 @@ libcyclone.so.1: runtime.c include/cyclone/runtime.h
 	gcc $(CFLAGS) -c -fPIC runtime.c -o runtime.o
 	gcc -shared -Wl,-soname,libcyclone.so.1 -o libcyclone.so.1.0.1 runtime.o
 
-libcyclone.a: runtime.c include/cyclone/runtime.h include/cyclone/types.h gc.c dispatch.c
+libcyclone.a: runtime.c include/cyclone/runtime.h include/cyclone/types.h gc.c dispatch.c mem-streams.c
 #	echo $(CC_PROG)
 #	echo $(CC_EXEC)
 #	echo $(CC_LIB)
 	$(CC) $(CFLAGS) -c dispatch.c -o dispatch.o
+	$(CC) $(CFLAGS) -c mem-streams.c -o mem-streams.o
 	$(CC) $(CFLAGS) -std=gnu99 -c gc.c -o gc.o
 	$(CC) $(CFLAGS) -c \
                   -DCYC_INSTALL_DIR=\"$(PREFIX)\" \
@@ -81,7 +82,7 @@ libcyclone.a: runtime.c include/cyclone/runtime.h include/cyclone/types.h gc.c d
                   -DCYC_CC_EXEC=\"$(CC_EXEC)\" \
                   -DCYC_CC_LIB=\"$(CC_LIB)\" \
                   runtime.c -o runtime.o
-	$(AR) rcs libcyclone.a runtime.o gc.o dispatch.o
+	$(AR) rcs libcyclone.a runtime.o gc.o dispatch.o mem-streams.o
 # Instructions from: http://www.adp-gmbh.ch/cpp/gcc/create_lib.html
 # Note compiler will have to link to this, eg:
 #Linking against static library
@@ -103,6 +104,7 @@ bootstrap: icyc
 	cp srfi/*.sld $(BOOTSTRAP_DIR)/srfi
 	cp srfi/*.scm $(BOOTSTRAP_DIR)/srfi
 	cp runtime.c $(BOOTSTRAP_DIR)
+	cp mem-streams.c $(BOOTSTRAP_DIR)
 	cp gc.c $(BOOTSTRAP_DIR)
 	cp dispatch.c $(BOOTSTRAP_DIR)
 	cp scheme/base.c $(BOOTSTRAP_DIR)/scheme
@@ -163,6 +165,7 @@ tags:
 indent:
 	indent -linux -l80 -i2 -nut gc.c
 	indent -linux -l80 -i2 -nut runtime.c
+	indent -linux -l80 -i2 -nut mem-streams.c
 	indent -linux -l80 -i2 -nut include/cyclone/*.h
 
 .PHONY: clean
diff --git a/gc.c b/gc.c
index 6eab1c36..9ddf0d8b 100644
--- a/gc.c
+++ b/gc.c
@@ -425,6 +425,8 @@ char *gc_copy_obj(object dest, char *obj, gc_thread_data * thd)
       type_of(hp) = port_tag;
       hp->fp = ((port_type *) obj)->fp;
       hp->mode = ((port_type *) obj)->mode;
+      hp->mem_buf = ((port_type *)obj)->mem_buf;
+      hp->mem_buf_len = ((port_type *)obj)->mem_buf_len;
       return (char *)hp;
     }
   case cvar_tag:{
diff --git a/include/cyclone/runtime.h b/include/cyclone/runtime.h
index 92aec28d..7a8cbc2b 100644
--- a/include/cyclone/runtime.h
+++ b/include/cyclone/runtime.h
@@ -216,6 +216,8 @@ port_type Cyc_stdin(void);
 port_type Cyc_stderr(void);
 port_type Cyc_io_open_input_file(void *data, object str);
 port_type Cyc_io_open_output_file(void *data, object str);
+port_type Cyc_io_open_output_string(void *data);
+void Cyc_io_get_output_string(void *data, object cont, object port);
 object Cyc_io_close_port(void *data, object port);
 object Cyc_io_close_input_port(void *data, object port);
 object Cyc_io_close_output_port(void *data, object port);
diff --git a/include/cyclone/types.h b/include/cyclone/types.h
index 4de424d9..d5fd1535 100644
--- a/include/cyclone/types.h
+++ b/include/cyclone/types.h
@@ -410,14 +410,19 @@ typedef struct {
   tag_type tag;
   FILE *fp;
   int mode;
+  char *mem_buf;
+  size_t mem_buf_len;
 } port_type;
+
 #define make_port(p,f,m) \
   port_type p; \
   p.hdr.mark = gc_color_red; \
   p.hdr.grayed = 0; \
   p.tag = port_tag; \
   p.fp = f; \
-  p.mode = m;
+  p.mode = m; \
+  p.mem_buf = NULL; \
+  p.mem_buf_len = 0;
 
 /* Vector type */
 
diff --git a/runtime.c b/runtime.c
index 2257c14d..d3f81c4e 100644
--- a/runtime.c
+++ b/runtime.c
@@ -2537,35 +2537,6 @@ object Cyc_io_peek_char(void *data, object cont, object port)
   return Cyc_EOF;
 }
 
-// Hacky approach to a minimal string buffer implementation. This may change in the future
-// For background see: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/539537/memory-buffer-as-file
-port_type Cyc_io_open_output_string(void *data)
-
-// TODO: no, this is too hacky. fuck it, just use fmemopen or open_memstream
-// for non-supported platforms we'll raise an error and not do anything
-{
-    FILE *f = fopen("/dev/null", "w");
-    int i;
-    int written = 0;
-    char *buf = malloc(100000);
-    make_port(p, NULL, 0); // TODO: probably wrong params, need to add buf to port obj and type
-    //setbuffer(f, buf, 100000);
-    if (0 != setvbuf (f, buf, _IOFBF, 100000)){
-      // TODO: raise() instead?
-      fprintf(stderr, "Unable to setvbuf!\n");
-      exit(1);
-    }
-    for (i = 0; i < 1000; i++) {
-        written += fprintf(f, "Number %d\n", i);
-    }
-    for (i = 0; i < written; i++) {
-        printf("%c", buf[i]);
-    }
-    return p;
-}
-
-// END string buffers
-
 // Functions internal to the runtime that use malloc
 list malloc_make_pair(object a, object d)
 {