diff --git a/compiler/semtempl.nim b/compiler/semtempl.nim
index e6e43944b..0c7c2eff4 100644
--- a/compiler/semtempl.nim
+++ b/compiler/semtempl.nim
@@ -359,6 +359,8 @@ proc semTemplBody(c: var TemplCtx, n: PNode): PNode =
           return symChoice(c.c, n, s, scClosed)
         elif Contains(c.toMixin, s.name.id):
           return symChoice(c.c, n, s, scForceOpen)
+        else:
+          return symChoice(c.c, n, s, scOpen)
     result = n
     for i in countup(0, sonsLen(n) - 1):
       result.sons[i] = semTemplBody(c, n.sons[i])
@@ -399,7 +401,7 @@ proc transformToExpr(n: PNode): PNode =
     for i in countup(0, sonsLen(n) - 1): 
       case n.sons[i].kind
       of nkCommentStmt, nkEmpty, nkNilLit: 
-        nil
+        discard
       else: 
         if realStmt == - 1: realStmt = i
         else: realStmt = - 2
@@ -409,7 +411,7 @@ proc transformToExpr(n: PNode): PNode =
     n.kind = nkBlockExpr
     #nkIfStmt: n.kind = nkIfExpr // this is not correct!
   else:
-    nil
+    discard
 
 proc semTemplateDef(c: PContext, n: PNode): PNode = 
   var s: PSym
@@ -476,8 +478,6 @@ proc semTemplateDef(c: PContext, n: PNode): PNode =
     SymTabReplace(c.currentScope.symbols, proto, s)
   if n.sons[patternPos].kind != nkEmpty:
     c.patterns.add(s)
-  #if s.name.s == "move":
-  #  echo renderTree(result)
 
 proc semPatternBody(c: var TemplCtx, n: PNode): PNode =
   template templToExpand(s: expr): expr =
@@ -522,7 +522,7 @@ proc semPatternBody(c: var TemplCtx, n: PNode): PNode =
     result = handleSym(c, n, s)
   of nkBindStmt:
     result = semBindStmt(c.c, n, c.toBind)
-  of nkEmpty, nkSym..nkNilLit: nil
+  of nkEmpty, nkSym..nkNilLit: discard
   of nkCurlyExpr:
     # we support '(pattern){x}' to bind a subpattern to a parameter 'x'; 
     # '(pattern){|x}' does the same but the matches will be gathered in 'x'
@@ -543,8 +543,8 @@ proc semPatternBody(c: var TemplCtx, n: PNode): PNode =
   of nkCallKinds:
     let s = QualifiedLookUp(c.c, n.sons[0], {})
     if s != nil:
-      if s.owner == c.owner and s.kind == skParam: nil
-      elif Contains(c.toBind, s.id): nil
+      if s.owner == c.owner and s.kind == skParam: discard
+      elif Contains(c.toBind, s.id): discard
       elif templToExpand(s):
         return semPatternBody(c, semTemplateExpr(c.c, n, s, false))
     
@@ -588,7 +588,7 @@ proc semPatternBody(c: var TemplCtx, n: PNode): PNode =
           return newIdentNode(s.name, n.info)
     of nkPar:
       if n.len == 1: return semPatternBody(c, n.sons[0])
-    else: nil
+    else: discard
     for i in countup(0, sonsLen(n) - 1):
       result.sons[i] = semPatternBody(c, n.sons[i])
 
diff --git a/lib/system/ansi_c.nim b/lib/system/ansi_c.nim
index 398656d0a..064597df6 100644
--- a/lib/system/ansi_c.nim
+++ b/lib/system/ansi_c.nim
@@ -13,12 +13,12 @@
 
 {.push hints:off}
 
-proc c_strcmp(a, b: CString): cint {.header: "<string.h>", 
+proc c_strcmp(a, b: cstring): cint {.header: "<string.h>", 
   noSideEffect, importc: "strcmp".}
-proc c_memcmp(a, b: CString, size: int): cint {.header: "<string.h>", 
+proc c_memcmp(a, b: cstring, size: int): cint {.header: "<string.h>", 
   noSideEffect, importc: "memcmp".}
-proc c_memcpy(a, b: CString, size: int) {.header: "<string.h>", importc: "memcpy".}
-proc c_strlen(a: CString): int {.header: "<string.h>", 
+proc c_memcpy(a, b: cstring, size: int) {.header: "<string.h>", importc: "memcpy".}
+proc c_strlen(a: cstring): int {.header: "<string.h>", 
   noSideEffect, importc: "strlen".}
 proc c_memset(p: pointer, value: cint, size: int) {.
   header: "<string.h>", importc: "memset".}
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@ when not defined(SIGINT):
         SIGINT = cint(2)

         SIGSEGV = cint(11)

         SIGTERM = cint(15)
-    elif defined(macosx):
+    elif defined(macosx) or defined(linux):
       const
         SIGABRT = cint(6)
         SIGFPE = cint(8)
@@ -92,27 +92,27 @@ proc c_fgetc(stream: C_TextFileStar): int {.importc: "fgetc",
   header: "<stdio.h>".}
 proc c_ungetc(c: int, f: C_TextFileStar) {.importc: "ungetc", 
   header: "<stdio.h>".}
-proc c_putc(c: Char, stream: C_TextFileStar) {.importc: "putc", 
+proc c_putc(c: char, stream: C_TextFileStar) {.importc: "putc", 
   header: "<stdio.h>".}
-proc c_fprintf(f: C_TextFileStar, frmt: CString) {.
+proc c_fprintf(f: C_TextFileStar, frmt: cstring) {.
   importc: "fprintf", header: "<stdio.h>", varargs.}
-proc c_printf(frmt: CString) {.
+proc c_printf(frmt: cstring) {.
   importc: "printf", header: "<stdio.h>", varargs.}
 
 proc c_fopen(filename, mode: cstring): C_TextFileStar {.
   importc: "fopen", header: "<stdio.h>".}
 proc c_fclose(f: C_TextFileStar) {.importc: "fclose", header: "<stdio.h>".}
 
-proc c_sprintf(buf, frmt: CString) {.header: "<stdio.h>", 
+proc c_sprintf(buf, frmt: cstring) {.header: "<stdio.h>", 
   importc: "sprintf", varargs, noSideEffect.}
   # we use it only in a way that cannot lead to security issues
 
-proc c_fread(buf: Pointer, size, n: int, f: C_BinaryFileStar): int {.
+proc c_fread(buf: pointer, size, n: int, f: C_BinaryFileStar): int {.
   importc: "fread", header: "<stdio.h>".}
 proc c_fseek(f: C_BinaryFileStar, offset: clong, whence: int): int {.
   importc: "fseek", header: "<stdio.h>".}
 
-proc c_fwrite(buf: Pointer, size, n: int, f: C_BinaryFileStar): int {.
+proc c_fwrite(buf: pointer, size, n: int, f: C_BinaryFileStar): int {.
   importc: "fwrite", header: "<stdio.h>".}
 
 proc c_exit(errorcode: cint) {.importc: "exit", header: "<stdlib.h>".}
diff --git a/lib/system/sysio.nim b/lib/system/sysio.nim
index 8d9400a7d..41dbcd817 100644
--- a/lib/system/sysio.nim
+++ b/lib/system/sysio.nim
@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@ when NoFakeVars:
     const
       IOFBF = cint(0)

       IONBF = cint(4)
-  elif defined(macosx):
+  elif defined(macosx) or defined(linux):
     const
       IOFBF = cint(0)
       IONBF = cint(2)
diff --git a/todo.txt b/todo.txt
index 160d8514c..5aaa15a4d 100644
--- a/todo.txt
+++ b/todo.txt
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 version 0.9.4
 =============
 
-- make new templating symbol binding rules work
 - document new templating symbol binding rules
 - convert all with "nimrod pretty"
 - make '--implicitStatic:on' the default