diff --git a/moo/kernel/Http.moo b/moo/kernel/Http.moo
index 9c502a2..cf94f90 100644
--- a/moo/kernel/Http.moo
+++ b/moo/kernel/Http.moo
@@ -134,7 +134,7 @@ class HttpSocket(SyncSocket)
 	}
 }
 
-class HttpListener(ServerSocket)
+class HttpListener(AsyncServerSocket)
 {
 	var(#get) server := nil.
 	var(#get) rid := -1.
@@ -274,7 +274,7 @@ class MyObject(Object)
 	method(#class) start_server_socket
 	{
 		| s2 buf |
-		s2 := ServerSocket family: Socket.Family.INET type: Socket.Type.STREAM.
+		s2 := AsyncServerSocket family: Socket.Family.INET type: Socket.Type.STREAM.
 		buf := ByteArray new: 128.
 
 		s2 onEvent: #accepted do: [ :sck :clisck :cliaddr |
@@ -311,7 +311,7 @@ class MyObject(Object)
 	method(#class) start_client_socket
 	{
 		| s buf count |
-		s := ClientSocket family: Socket.Family.INET type: Socket.Type.STREAM.
+		s := AsyncClientSocket family: Socket.Family.INET type: Socket.Type.STREAM.
 		buf := ByteArray new: 128.
 
 		count := 0.
@@ -407,7 +407,17 @@ class MyObject(Object)
 	
 	method(#class) main
 	{
-		| httpd |
+		| httpd addr |
+
+(*
+[
+addr := SocketAddress fromString: '1.2.3.4:5555'.
+##addr := SocketAddress fromString: '127.0.0.1:22'.
+httpd := SyncSocket family: (addr family) type: Socket.Type.STREAM.
+httpd timeout: 5.
+httpd connect: addr.
+] on: Exception do: [:ex | ].
+*)
 
 		[ self another_proc: 5000 ] fork.
 		[ self another_proc: 5100 ] fork.
@@ -434,7 +444,6 @@ class MyObject(Object)
 
 		] on: Exception do: [:ex | ('Exception - '  & ex messageText) dump].
 
-
 		'----- END OF MAIN ------' dump.
 	}
 }
diff --git a/moo/kernel/Socket.moo b/moo/kernel/Socket.moo
index d47c988..304c685 100644
--- a/moo/kernel/Socket.moo
+++ b/moo/kernel/Socket.moo
@@ -225,7 +225,7 @@ class(#byte) SocketAddress(Object) from 'sck.addr'
 	}
 }
 
-class CoreSocket(Object) from 'sck'
+class Socket(Object) from 'sck'
 {
 	## the handle must be the first field in this object to match
 	## the internal representation used by various modules. (e.g. sck)
@@ -243,11 +243,28 @@ class CoreSocket(Object) from 'sck'
 	method(#primitive) _connect: addr.
 	method(#primitive) _socketError.
 
-	method(#primitive) readBytes: bytes.
-	method(#primitive) readBytes: bytes offset: offset length: length.
+	method(#primitive) _readBytes: bytes.
+	method(#primitive) _readBytes: bytes offset: offset length: length.
 	method(#primitive) _writeBytes: bytes.
 	method(#primitive) _writeBytes: bytes offset: offset length: length.
 
+	method(#class) new { self messageProhibited: #new }
+	method(#class) new: size { self messageProhibited: #new: }
+
+	method(#class) __with: handle
+	{
+		###self addToBeFinalized.
+		^(self _basicNew initialize) __open(handle)
+	}
+
+	method(#class) family: family type: type
+	{
+		###self addToBeFinalized.
+
+		## new is prohibited. so use _basicNew with initialize.
+		##^(self new) open(family, type, 0)
+		^(self _basicNew initialize) open(family, type, 0)
+	}
 
 	method close
 	{
@@ -267,7 +284,20 @@ class CoreSocket(Object) from 'sck'
 	}
 }
 
-class SyncSocket(CoreSocket)
+(* TODO: generate these family and type from the C header *)
+pooldic Socket.Family
+{
+	INET := 2.
+	INET6 := 10.
+}
+
+pooldic Socket.Type
+{
+	STREAM := 1.
+	DGRAM  := 2.
+}
+
+class SyncSocket(Socket)
 {
 	var iosem, tmoutsem, sg.
 	var tmoutsecs, tmoutnsecs.
@@ -335,12 +365,33 @@ class SyncSocket(CoreSocket)
 		if (s == self.tmoutsem) { Exception signal: 'timed out' }.
 	}
 
+	method connect: addr
+	{
+		| soerr |
+
+		## an exception is thrown upon exception failure.
+		if ((super _connect: addr) <= -1)
+		{
+			## connection in progress
+			while (true)
+			{
+				self __wait_for_output.
+				soerr := self _socketError.
+				if (soerr == 0) { break }
+				elsif (soerr > 0)
+				{
+					Exception signal: ('unable to connect - error ' & soerr asString).
+				}.
+			}.
+		}.
+	}
+
 	method readBytes: bytes
 	{
 		| n |
 		while (true)
 		{
-			n := super readBytes: bytes.
+			n := super _readBytes: bytes.
 			if (n >= 0) { ^n }.
 			self __wait_for_input.
 		}
@@ -351,7 +402,7 @@ class SyncSocket(CoreSocket)
 		| n |
 		while (true)
 		{
-			n := super readBytes: bytes offset: offset length: length.
+			n := super _readBytes: bytes offset: offset length: length.
 			if (n >= 0) { ^n }.
 			self __wait_for_input.
 		}
@@ -380,44 +431,10 @@ class SyncSocket(CoreSocket)
 	}
 }
 
-class Socket(CoreSocket)
+class AsyncSocket(Socket)
 {
 	var pending_bytes, pending_offset, pending_length.
 	var outreadysem, outdonesem, inreadysem.
-}
-
-(* TODO: generate these family and type from the C header *)
-pooldic Socket.Family
-{
-	INET := 2.
-	INET6 := 10.
-}
-
-pooldic Socket.Type
-{
-	STREAM := 1.
-	DGRAM  := 2.
-}
-
-extend Socket
-{
-	method(#class) new { self messageProhibited: #new }
-	method(#class) new: size { self messageProhibited: #new: }
-
-	method(#class) __with: handle
-	{
-		###self addToBeFinalized.
-		^(self _basicNew initialize) __open(handle)
-	}
-
-	method(#class) family: family type: type
-	{
-		###self addToBeFinalized.
-
-		## new is prohibited. so use _basicNew with initialize.
-		##^(self new) open(family, type, 0)
-		^(self _basicNew initialize) open(family, type, 0)
-	}
 
 	(* -------------------
 	socket call-back methods
@@ -512,6 +529,16 @@ extend Socket
 		thisProcess addAsyncSemaphore: self.outdonesem.
 	}
 
+	method readBytes: bytes
+	{
+		^super _readBytes: bytes.
+	}
+
+	method readBytes: bytes offset: offset length: length
+	{
+		^super _readBytes: bytes offset: offset length: length.
+	}
+
 	method writeBytes: bytes offset: offset length: length
 	{
 		| n pos rem |
@@ -569,7 +596,7 @@ extend Socket
 	}
 }
 
-class ClientSocket(Socket)
+class AsyncClientSocket(AsyncSocket)
 {
 	var(#get) connectedEventAction.
 	var connsem.
@@ -633,7 +660,7 @@ class ClientSocket(Socket)
 	}
 }
 
-class ServerSocket(Socket)
+class AsyncServerSocket(AsyncSocket)
 {
 	method initialize
 	{
diff --git a/moo/lib/exec.c b/moo/lib/exec.c
index aa83912..2d86264 100644
--- a/moo/lib/exec.c
+++ b/moo/lib/exec.c
@@ -815,7 +815,9 @@ static moo_oop_process_t signal_semaphore (moo_t* moo, moo_oop_semaphore_t sem)
 			MOO_ASSERT (moo, MOO_OOP_TO_SMOOI(proc->sp) < (moo_ooi_t)(MOO_OBJ_GET_SIZE(proc) - MOO_PROCESS_NAMED_INSTVARS));
 			proc->slot[MOO_OOP_TO_SMOOI(proc->sp)] = (moo_oop_t)sem;
 
-			if (sem->subtype == MOO_SMOOI_TO_OOP(MOO_SEMAPHORE_SUBTYPE_IO)) moo->sem_io_wait_count--;
+			/* i should decrement the counter as long as the group being 
+			 * signaled contains an IO semaphore */
+			if (MOO_OOP_TO_SMOOI(sg->sem_io_count) > 0) moo->sem_io_wait_count--;
 			return proc;
 		}
 	}
@@ -881,7 +883,7 @@ static MOO_INLINE void await_semaphore (moo_t* moo, moo_oop_semaphore_t sem)
 
 	semgrp = sem->group;
 
-	/* the caller of this function ensure that the semaphore doesn't belong to a group */
+	/* the caller of this function must ensure that the semaphore doesn't belong to a group */
 	MOO_ASSERT (moo, (moo_oop_t)semgrp == moo->_nil);
 
 	count = MOO_OOP_TO_SMOOI(sem->count);