diff --git a/System/Hardware/Blink1.hs b/System/Hardware/Blink1.hs
--- a/System/Hardware/Blink1.hs
+++ b/System/Hardware/Blink1.hs
@@ -1,21 +1,22 @@
 module System.Hardware.Blink1
   ( RGB(..)
-  , Delay
-  , Pos
+  , Delay(..)
+  , PatternStep
 
   , getVersion
-  , set
-  , fade
-  , serverDown
-  , play
+  , setColor
+  , fadeToColor
+  , setServerDown
+  , playPattern
   , setPattern
   , getPattern
   , getSerialNum
   , setSerialNum
+  , testBlink1
   ) where
 
 import Control.Concurrent (threadDelay)
-import Control.Monad (guard, liftM)
+import Control.Monad (liftM)
 import Data.Bits (shiftR, shiftL, (.|.))
 import Data.Char (chr, ord)
 import Data.List (foldl')
@@ -60,30 +61,30 @@
   t = truncate (100 * d) :: Word16
   i = fi :: Word16 -> Word8
 
-pos :: Pos -> [Word8]
+pos :: PatternStep -> [Word8]
 pos p = [fi (fromEnum p)]
 
 -- | set the given color now
-set :: Blink1 b => b -> RGB -> IO ()
-set b c = command b 'n' $ rgb c
+setColor :: Blink1 b => b -> RGB -> IO ()
+setColor b c = command b 'n' $ rgb c
 
-fade :: Blink1 b => b -> Delay -> RGB -> IO ()
-fade b d c = command b 'c' $ rgb c ++ delay d
+fadeToColor :: Blink1 b => b -> Delay -> RGB -> IO ()
+fadeToColor b d c = command b 'c' $ rgb c ++ delay d
 
 -- | enable/disable serverdown mode
-serverDown :: Blink1 b => b -> Bool -> Delay -> IO ()
-serverDown b o d = command b 'D' $ fi (fromEnum o) : delay d
+setServerDown :: Blink1 b => b -> Bool -> Delay -> IO ()
+setServerDown b o d = command b 'D' $ fi (fromEnum o) : delay d
 
 -- | stop or start playing the sequence at the given position
-play :: Blink1 b => b -> Maybe Pos -> IO ()
-play b Nothing = command b 'p' [0]
-play b (Just p) = command b 'p' $ 1 : pos p
+playPattern :: Blink1 b => b -> Maybe PatternStep -> IO ()
+playPattern b Nothing = command b 'p' [0]
+playPattern b (Just p) = command b 'p' $ 1 : pos p
 
 -- | set the sequence pattern for the given position
-setPattern :: Blink1 b => b -> Pos -> Delay -> RGB -> IO ()
+setPattern :: Blink1 b => b -> PatternStep -> Delay -> RGB -> IO ()
 setPattern b p d c = command b 'P' $ rgb c ++ delay d ++ pos p
 
-getPattern :: Blink1 b => b -> Pos -> IO (Delay, RGB)
+getPattern :: Blink1 b => b -> PatternStep -> IO (Delay, RGB)
 getPattern b p = do
   _:r:g:b:d1:d2:_ <- request b 'R' $ rgb black ++ delay 0 ++ pos p
   return (fi (i d1 `shiftL` 8 .|. i d2) / 100, RGB r g b)
@@ -109,7 +110,9 @@
 setSerialNum b s = mapM_ w [0..pred serialNumLen] where
   w i = writeEEPROM b (EESerialNum i) $ fi $ s `shiftR` (8*(3-fi i))
 
-test :: Blink1 b => b -> IO (Maybe Bool)
-test b = do
-  x:y:u:_ <- request b '!' []
-  return $ guard (x == 0x55 && y == 0xAA) >> return (u /= 0)
+testBlink1 :: Blink1 b => b -> IO (Either [Word8] Bool)
+testBlink1 b = do
+  r <- request b '!' []
+  return $ case r of
+    0x55:0xAA:u:_ -> Right (u /= 0)
+    _ -> Left r
diff --git a/System/Hardware/Blink1/Linux.hs b/System/Hardware/Blink1/Linux.hs
--- a/System/Hardware/Blink1/Linux.hs
+++ b/System/Hardware/Blink1/Linux.hs
@@ -11,9 +11,8 @@
 import Data.List (isPrefixOf, genericLength)
 import Foreign.C.Error (errnoToIOError, eFTYPE) -- hack
 import Numeric (readHex)
-import System.IO.Error (ioError, mkIOError, fullErrorType, doesNotExistErrorType)
+import System.IO.Error (mkIOError, fullErrorType, doesNotExistErrorType)
 import System.Posix.IO
-import System.Posix.IOCtl
 import System.Posix.Directory (openDirStream, readDirStream, closeDirStream)
 import System.Posix.Types (Fd)
 import Foreign.Marshal.Array
@@ -43,13 +42,14 @@
       e <- readDirStream d
       if null e then return mzero else liftM2 mplus (f e) (r d)
   dp f | null (do
-      (_,':':vs) <- readHex f
-      (v,':':ps) <- readHex vs
+      (_,':':vs) <- rh f
+      (v,':':ps) <- rh vs
       guard (v == blink1Vendor)
-      (p,'.':_) <- readHex ps
+      (p,'.':_) <- rh ps
       guard (p == blink1Product)) = return mzero
     | otherwise = pds fp (hiddir ++ '/' : f ++ "/hidraw")
   fp f = return $ guard ("hidraw" `isPrefixOf` f) >> return f
+  rh = readHex
 
 -- | Search for and open the first blink(1) hidraw device
 openRawHID :: IO Blink1Raw
diff --git a/System/Hardware/Blink1/Types.hs b/System/Hardware/Blink1/Types.hs
--- a/System/Hardware/Blink1/Types.hs
+++ b/System/Hardware/Blink1/Types.hs
@@ -1,17 +1,17 @@
-{-# LANGUAGE GeneralizedNewtypeDeriving #-}
+{-# LANGUAGE CPP, GeneralizedNewtypeDeriving #-}
 module System.Hardware.Blink1.Types
   ( Word8
   , RGB(..)
   , black
   , Delay(..)
-  , Pos(..)
+  , PatternStep(..)
   , EEPROMAddr(..)
   , serialNumLen
   ) where
 
 import Data.Word (Word8)
 import Data.Fixed (Centi)
-import Numeric (showHex)
+import Numeric (showHex, readHex)
 
 data RGB = RGB { red, green, blue :: !Word8 }
 
@@ -26,6 +26,19 @@
 instance Show RGB where
   showsPrec _ (RGB r g b) = showChar '#' . showHex2 r . showHex2 g . showHex2 b
 
+instance Read RGB where
+  readsPrec _ ('#':c) = rc2 c ++ rc1 c where
+    rc1 (r:g:b:s) = rc (0x11*) [r] [g] [b] s
+    rc1 _ = []
+    rc2 (r1:r2:g1:g2:b1:b2:s) = rc id [r1,r2] [g1,g2] [b1,b2] s
+    rc2 _ = []
+    rc f r g b s = do
+      (r,"") <- readHex r
+      (g,"") <- readHex g
+      (b,"") <- readHex b
+      return (RGB (f r) (f g) (f b), s)
+  readsPrec _ _ = []
+
 -- | time is counted in centiseconds
 newtype Delay = Delay { delayCentiseconds :: Centi } deriving (Eq, Ord, Num, Real, Fractional, RealFrac)
 
@@ -35,13 +48,19 @@
 
 instance Show Delay where
   showsPrec p (Delay s) = showsPrec p s . showChar 's'
+#if MIN_VERSION_base(4,4,0)
+instance Read Delay where
+  readsPrec p = map f . readsPrec p where
+    f (x,'s':s) = (Delay x, s)
+    f (x,s) = (Delay x, s)
+#endif
 
 -- | positions are counted 0-11
-newtype Pos = Pos Word8 deriving (Eq, Ord, Enum, Num)
+newtype PatternStep = PatternStep Word8 deriving (Eq, Ord, Enum, Num, Show, Read)
 
-instance Bounded Pos where
-  minBound = Pos 0
-  maxBound = Pos 11
+instance Bounded PatternStep where
+  minBound = PatternStep 0
+  maxBound = PatternStep 11
 
 data EEPROMAddr
   = EEOSCCAL
@@ -70,8 +89,3 @@
 instance Bounded EEPROMAddr where
   minBound = EEOSCCAL
   maxBound = EEPatternStart
-
-data BootMode
-  = BootNormal
-  | BootNightLight
-  deriving (Eq, Ord, Enum, Bounded)
diff --git a/System/Linux/HIDRaw.hsc b/System/Linux/HIDRaw.hsc
--- a/System/Linux/HIDRaw.hsc
+++ b/System/Linux/HIDRaw.hsc
@@ -11,16 +11,22 @@
 import Data.Word (Word8, Word16, Word32)
 import Foreign.C.Error
 import Foreign.C.Types
-import Foreign.Ptr (Ptr, castPtr)
+import Foreign.Ptr (Ptr)
+import Foreign.Marshal.Alloc (alloca)
 import Foreign.Marshal.Array
 import Foreign.Storable
-import System.IO.Error (ioError)
 import System.Posix.Types (Fd)
-import System.Posix.IOCtl
 
 #include <sys/ioctl.h>
 #include <linux/hidraw.h>
 
+-- the ioctl package doesn't support variable-length data, so we call them directly
+
+foreign import ccall unsafe "ioctl" c_ioctl :: CInt -> CInt -> Ptr a -> IO CInt
+
+ioctl :: Storable p => Fd -> CInt -> Ptr p -> IO ()
+ioctl f r p = throwErrnoIfMinus1_ "ioctl" $ c_ioctl (fromIntegral f) r p
+
 data DevInfo = DevInfo 
   { devBustype :: Word32
   , devVendor :: Word16
@@ -40,21 +46,13 @@
     #{poke struct hidraw_devinfo, vendor} p v
     #{poke struct hidraw_devinfo, product} p i
 
-data HIDIOCGRAWINFO = HIDIOCGRAWINFO
-instance IOControl HIDIOCGRAWINFO DevInfo where
-  ioctlReq _ = #const HIDIOCGRAWINFO
-
 devInfo :: Fd -> IO DevInfo
-devInfo d = ioctl' d HIDIOCGRAWINFO
-
--- the ioctl package doesn't support variable-length data, so we call them directly
-
-foreign import ccall unsafe "ioctl" c_ioctl :: CInt -> CInt -> Ptr () -> IO CInt
+devInfo d = alloca $ \p -> ioctl d #{const HIDIOCGRAWINFO} p >> peek p
 
 ioctlLen :: Storable p => Fd -> CInt -> Int -> Ptr p -> IO ()
 ioctlLen f r l p 
   | len > mask = ioError $ errnoToIOError "ioctlLen" eMSGSIZE Nothing Nothing
-  | otherwise = throwErrnoIfMinus1_ "ioctl" $ c_ioctl (fromIntegral f) (r .|. (len `shiftL` shift)) (castPtr p)
+  | otherwise = ioctl f (r .|. (len `shiftL` shift)) p
   where 
     len = fromIntegral $ l * sizeOf (ptrType p)
     ptrType :: Ptr p -> p
diff --git a/blink1.cabal b/blink1.cabal
--- a/blink1.cabal
+++ b/blink1.cabal
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 Name:		blink1
-Version:	0.2
+Version:	0.3
 Author:		Dylan Simon
 Maintainer:     dylan@dylex.net
 License:        BSD3
@@ -16,15 +16,16 @@
     Location:   http://github.com/dylex/blink
 
 Flag usb
-    Description:        Enable libusb-based usb interface
+    Description:        Enable libusb-based usb backend
 
 Library
     Build-Depends:	base == 4.*
     Exposed-Modules:    System.Hardware.Blink1
     Other-Modules:      System.Hardware.Blink1.Types, System.Hardware.Blink1.Class
+    ghc-options:        -Wall -fno-warn-name-shadowing
 
     if os(linux)
-        Build-Depends:	unix, ioctl
+        Build-Depends:	unix
         Exposed-Modules: System.Hardware.Blink1.Linux
         Other-Modules:	System.Linux.HIDRaw