diff --git a/module/system/vm/load.scm b/module/system/vm/load.scm
index d10a5dd7f..6214cc95a 100644
--- a/module/system/vm/load.scm
+++ b/module/system/vm/load.scm
@@ -20,8 +20,8 @@
 ;;; Code:
 
 (define-module (system vm load)
-  :autoload (system base language) (compile-file-in lookup-language)
   :use-module (system vm core)
+  :autoload (system base language) (compile-file-in lookup-language)
   :use-module (ice-9 regex)
   :export (load/compile))
 
diff --git a/module/system/vm/slib.scm b/module/system/vm/slib.scm
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..22aca47b5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/module/system/vm/slib.scm
@@ -0,0 +1,251 @@
+;;;; slib.scm --- definitions needed to get SLIB to work with Guile
+;;;;
+;;;;  	Copyright (C) 1997, 1998, 2000 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
+;;;;
+;;;;   This file is part of GUILE.
+;;;;   
+;;;;   GUILE is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify
+;;;;   it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as
+;;;;   published by the Free Software Foundation; either version 2, or
+;;;;   (at your option) any later version.
+;;;;   
+;;;;   GUILE is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but
+;;;;   WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+;;;;   MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
+;;;;   GNU General Public License for more details.
+;;;;   
+;;;;   You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public
+;;;;   License along with GUILE; see the file COPYING.  If not, write
+;;;;   to the Free Software Foundation, Inc., 59 Temple Place, Suite
+;;;;   330, Boston, MA 02111-1307 USA
+;;;;
+(define-module (system vm slib)
+  :use-module (system vm load)
+  :no-backtrace)
+
+
+
+(define (eval-load <filename> evl)
+  (if (not (file-exists? <filename>))
+      (set! <filename> (string-append <filename> (scheme-file-suffix))))
+  (call-with-input-file <filename>
+    (lambda (port)
+      (let ((old-load-pathname *load-pathname*))
+	(set! *load-pathname* <filename>)
+	(do ((o (read port) (read port)))
+	    ((eof-object? o))
+	  (evl o))
+	(set! *load-pathname* old-load-pathname)))))
+
+
+
+(define slib:exit quit)
+(define slib:error error)
+(define slib:warn warn)
+(define slib:eval (lambda (x) (eval x slib-module)))
+(define defmacro:eval (lambda (x) (eval x (interaction-environment))))
+(define logical:logand logand)
+(define logical:logior logior)
+(define logical:logxor logxor)
+(define logical:lognot lognot)
+(define logical:ash ash)
+(define logical:logcount logcount)
+(define logical:integer-length integer-length)
+(define logical:bit-extract bit-extract)
+(define logical:integer-expt integer-expt)
+(define logical:ipow-by-squaring ipow-by-squaring)
+(define slib:eval-load eval-load)
+(define slib:tab #\tab)
+(define slib:form-feed #\page)
+
+(define slib-module (current-module))
+
+(define (defined? symbol)
+  (module-defined? slib-module symbol))
+
+(define slib:features
+  (append '(source
+	    eval
+	    abort
+	    alist
+	    defmacro
+	    delay
+	    dynamic-wind
+	    full-continuation
+	    hash
+	    hash-table
+	    line-i/o
+	    logical
+	    multiarg/and-
+	    multiarg-apply
+	    promise
+	    rev2-procedures
+	    rev4-optional-procedures
+	    string-port
+	    with-file)
+
+	  (if (defined? 'getenv)
+	      '(getenv)
+	      '())
+
+	  (if (defined? 'current-time)
+	      '(current-time)
+	      '())
+
+	  (if (defined? 'system)
+	      '(system)
+	      '())
+
+	  (if (defined? 'array?)
+	      '(array)
+	      '())
+
+	  (if (defined? 'char-ready?)
+	      '(char-ready?)
+	      '())
+
+	  (if (defined? 'array-for-each)
+	      '(array-for-each)
+	      '())
+
+	  (if (and (string->number "0.0") (inexact? (string->number "0.0")))
+	      '(inexact)
+	      '())
+
+	  (if (rational? (string->number "1/19"))
+	      '(rational)
+	      '())
+
+	  (if (real? (string->number "0.0"))
+	      '(real)
+	      ())
+
+	  (if (complex? (string->number "1+i"))
+	      '(complex)
+	      '())
+
+	  (let ((n (string->number "9999999999999999999999999999999")))
+	    (if (and n (exact? n))
+		'(bignum)
+		'()))))
+
+
+;;; FIXME: Because uers want require to search the path, this uses
+;;; load-from-path, which probably isn't a hot idea.  slib
+;;; doesn't expect this function to search a path, so I expect to get
+;;; bug reports at some point complaining that the wrong file gets
+;;; loaded when something accidentally appears in the path before
+;;; slib, etc. ad nauseum.  However, the right fix seems to involve
+;;; changing catalog:get in slib/require.scm, and I don't expect
+;;; Aubrey will integrate such a change.  So I'm just going to punt
+;;; for the time being.
+(define-public (slib:load name)
+  (save-module-excursion
+   (lambda ()
+     (define (try-load name)
+       (catch 'system-error
+	 (lambda () (load/compile (%search-load-path name)) #f)
+	 (lambda args args)))
+     ;; (set-current-module slib-module)
+     (let ((errinfo (try-load name)))
+       (if (and errinfo (try-load (string-append name ".scm")))
+	   (apply throw errinfo))))))
+
+(define slib:load-source slib:load)
+(define defmacro:load slib:load)
+
+(define slib-parent-dir
+  (let* ((path (%search-load-path "slib/require.scm")))
+    (if path
+	(substring path 0 (- (string-length path) 17))
+	(error "Could not find slib/require.scm in " %load-path))))
+
+(define-public (implementation-vicinity)
+  (string-append slib-parent-dir "/"))
+(define-public (library-vicinity)
+  (string-append (implementation-vicinity) "slib/"))
+(define-public home-vicinity
+  (let ((home-path (getenv "HOME")))
+    (lambda () home-path)))
+(define-public (scheme-implementation-type) 'guile)
+(define-public (scheme-implementation-version) "")
+
+(define (output-port-width . arg) 80)
+(define (output-port-height . arg) 24)
+(define (identity x) x)
+
+;;; {Random numbers}
+;;;
+(define-public (make-random-state . args)
+  (let ((seed (if (null? args) *random-state* (car args))))
+    (cond ((string? seed))
+	  ((number? seed) (set! seed (number->string seed)))
+	  (else (let ()
+		  (require 'object->string)
+		  (set! seed (object->limited-string seed 50)))))
+    (seed->random-state seed)))
+
+;;; {Time}
+;;;
+
+(define difftime -)
+(define offset-time +)
+
+
+(define %system-define define)
+
+(define define
+  (procedure->memoizing-macro
+   (lambda (exp env)
+     (if (= (length env) 1)
+	 `(define-public ,@(cdr exp))
+	 `(%system-define ,@(cdr exp))))))
+
+;;; Hack to make syncase macros work in the slib module
+(if (nested-ref the-root-module '(app modules ice-9 syncase))
+    (set-object-property! (module-local-variable (current-module) 'define)
+			  '*sc-expander*
+			  '(define)))
+
+(define (software-type)
+  "Return a symbol describing the current platform's operating system.
+This may be one of AIX, VMS, UNIX, COHERENT, WINDOWS, MS-DOS, OS/2,
+THINKC, AMIGA, ATARIST, MACH, or ACORN.
+
+Note that most varieties of Unix are considered to be simply \"UNIX\".
+That is because when a program depends on features that are not present
+on every operating system, it is usually better to test for the presence
+or absence of that specific feature.  The return value of
+@code{software-type} should only be used for this purpose when there is
+no other easy or unambiguous way of detecting such features."
+ 'UNIX)
+
+(slib:load (in-vicinity (library-vicinity) "require.scm"))
+
+(define-public require require:require)
+
+;; {Extensions to the require system so that the user can add new
+;;  require modules easily.}
+
+(define *vicinity-table*
+  (list
+   (cons 'implementation (implementation-vicinity))
+   (cons 'library (library-vicinity))))
+
+(define (install-require-vicinity name vicinity)
+  (let ((entry (assq name *vicinity-table*)))
+    (if entry
+	(set-cdr! entry vicinity)
+	(set! *vicinity-table*
+	      (acons name vicinity *vicinity-table*)))))
+
+(define (install-require-module name vicinity-name file-name)
+  (if (not *catalog*)	     ;Fix which loads catalog in slib
+      (catalog:get 'random)) ;(doesn't load the feature 'random)
+  (let ((entry (assq name *catalog*))
+	(vicinity (cdr (assq vicinity-name *vicinity-table*))))
+    (let ((path-name (in-vicinity vicinity file-name)))
+      (if entry
+	  (set-cdr! entry path-name)
+	  (set! *catalog*
+		(acons name path-name *catalog*))))))
diff --git a/module/system/vm/trace.scm b/module/system/vm/trace.scm
index e3e524c2d..d7b074cdc 100644
--- a/module/system/vm/trace.scm
+++ b/module/system/vm/trace.scm
@@ -25,22 +25,25 @@
   :use-module (system vm frame)
   :use-module (ice-9 format)
   :use-module (ice-9 and-let-star)
-  :export (vm-trace))
+  :export (vm-trace vm-trace-on vm-trace-off))
 
 (define (vm-trace vm bytes . opts)
   (dynamic-wind
-      (lambda ()
-	(set-vm-option! vm 'trace-first #t)
-	(if (memq :b opts) (add-hook! (vm-next-hook vm) trace-next))
-	(set-vm-option! vm 'trace-options opts)
-	(add-hook! (vm-apply-hook vm) trace-apply)
-	(add-hook! (vm-return-hook vm) trace-return))
-      (lambda ()
-	(vm-load vm bytes))
-      (lambda ()
-	(if (memq :b opts) (remove-hook! (vm-next-hook vm) trace-next))
-	(remove-hook! (vm-apply-hook vm) trace-apply)
-	(remove-hook! (vm-return-hook vm) trace-return))))
+      (lambda () (apply vm-trace-on vm opts))
+      (lambda () (vm-load vm bytes))
+      (lambda () (apply vm-trace-off vm opts))))
+
+(define (vm-trace-on vm . opts)
+  (set-vm-option! vm 'trace-first #t)
+  (if (memq :b opts) (add-hook! (vm-next-hook vm) trace-next))
+  (set-vm-option! vm 'trace-options opts)
+  (add-hook! (vm-apply-hook vm) trace-apply)
+  (add-hook! (vm-return-hook vm) trace-return))
+
+(define (vm-trace-off vm . opts)
+  (if (memq :b opts) (remove-hook! (vm-next-hook vm) trace-next))
+  (remove-hook! (vm-apply-hook vm) trace-apply)
+  (remove-hook! (vm-return-hook vm) trace-return))
 
 (define (trace-next vm)
   (let ((frame (vm-current-frame vm)))