diff --git a/core/multi_line_edit_text_view.js b/core/multi_line_edit_text_view.js
index 822f3730..1009cf53 100644
--- a/core/multi_line_edit_text_view.js
+++ b/core/multi_line_edit_text_view.js
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ var ansi			= require('./ansi_term.js');
 
 var assert			= require('assert');
 var _				= require('lodash');
+var GapBuffer		= require('gapbuffer').GapBuffer;
 
 
 //
@@ -47,14 +48,21 @@ function MultiLineEditTextView(options) {
 
 	View.call(this, options);
 
-	if(0 !== this.position.col) {
-		//	:TODO: experimental - log this as warning if kept
-		this.position.col = 0;	
-	}
-	
+	//
+	//	defualt tabWidth is 4
+	//	See the following:
+	//	* http://www.ansi-bbs.org/ansi-bbs2/control_chars/
+	//	* http://www.bbsdocumentary.com/library/PROGRAMS/GRAPHICS/ANSI/bansi.txt
+	//
+	this.tabWidth	= _.isNumber(options.tabWidth) ? options.tabWidth : 8;
+	this.tabString	= new Array(self.tabWidth).join(' ');
+
 
 	var self = this;
 
+	this.renderBuffer	= [];
+	this.textBuffer		= new GapBuffer(1024);
+
 	this.lines			= [];				//	a given line is text...until EOL
 	this.topLineIndex	= 0;
 	this.cursorPos		= { x : 0, y : 0 };	//	relative to view window
@@ -97,23 +105,24 @@ function MultiLineEditTextView(options) {
 	};
 	*/
 
+	/*
 	this.createScrollRegion = function() {
 		self.client.term.write(ansi.setScrollRegion(self.position.row, self.position.row + 5));//self.dimens.height));
 	};
+	*/
 
 	this.redrawViewableText = function() {
-		var x		= self.position.row;
-		var bottom	= x + self.dimens.height;
-		var index	= self.topLineIndex;
+		var row		= self.position.row;
+		var bottom	= row + self.dimens.height;
+		var i		= self.topLineIndex;
 
 		self.client.term.write(self.getSGR());
 
-		while(index < self.lines.length && x < bottom) {
-			self.client.term.write(ansi.goto(x, this.position.col));
-			self.writeLine(self.lines[index]);
-			console.log(self.lines[index])
-			++x;
-			++index;
+		while(i < self.renderBuffer.length && row < bottom) {
+			self.client.term.write(ansi.goto(row, this.position.col));
+			self.client.term.write(self.renderBuffer[i]);
+			++row; 
+			++i;
 		}
 	};
 
@@ -130,18 +139,32 @@ function MultiLineEditTextView(options) {
 		return line.match(re) || [];
 	};
 
-	this.writeLine = function(s) {
-		//
-		//	Hello, World\n
-		//	\tThis is a test, it is only a test!
-		//
-		//	Loop through |s| finding control characters & processing them
-		//	with our own internal handling.
+	this.regenerateRenderBuffer = function() {
+		self.renderBuffer = [];
 
-		var clean = s.replace(/[\x00-\x1F\x7F-\x9F]/g, '');
-		self.client.term.write(clean);
+		//	:TODO: optimize this by only rending what is visible -- or at least near there, e.g. topindex -> maxchars that can fit at most
+
+		//	:TODO: asArray() should take a optional scope, e.g. asArray(beg, end)
+		var lines = self.textBuffer.asArray()
+			.join('')
+			.replace(/\t/g, self.tabString)
+			.split(/\r\n|\n|\r/g);
+
+		var maxLines = self.dimens.height - self.position.row;
+		
+		for(var i = 0; i < lines.length && self.renderBuffer.length < maxLines; ++i) {
+			if(0 === lines[i].length) {
+				self.renderBuffer.push('');
+			} else {
+				Array.prototype.push.apply(self.renderBuffer, self.wordWrap(lines[i]));
+			}
+		}
 	};
 
+	this.getTextBufferPosition = function(row, col) {
+		
+	};
+	
 	this.scrollUp = function(count) {
 
 	};
@@ -150,7 +173,7 @@ function MultiLineEditTextView(options) {
 
 	};
 
-	this.keyUp = function() {
+	this.cursorUp = function() {
 		if(self.cursorPos.row > 0) {
 			self.cursorPos.row--;
 			console.log(self.lines[self.getLineIndex()])
@@ -181,8 +204,8 @@ MultiLineEditTextView.prototype.setPosition = function(pos) {
 MultiLineEditTextView.prototype.redraw = function() {
 	MultiLineEditTextView.super_.prototype.redraw.call(this);
 
-	//this.redrawViewableText();
-	this.client.term.write(this.text);
+	this.redrawViewableText();
+	//this.client.term.write(this.text);
 };
 
 /*MultiLineEditTextView.prototype.setFocus = function(focused) {
@@ -192,19 +215,36 @@ MultiLineEditTextView.prototype.redraw = function() {
 */
 
 MultiLineEditTextView.prototype.setText = function(text) {
-	//	:TODO: text.split(/\r\n|\n|\r/))
-	//this.lines = text.split(/\r?\n/);
-
 	//this.cursorPos.row = this.position.row + this.dimens.height;
-	this.lines = this.wordWrap(text);
-	this.createScrollRegion();
+	//this.lines = this.wordWrap(text);
 
-	this.text = text;
+	if(this.textBuffer.length > 0) {	//	:TODO: work around GapBuffer bug: if it's already empty this will cause gapEnd to be undefined
+		this.textBuffer.clear();
+	}
+
+	//this.textBuffer.insertAll(0, text);
+	text = text.replace(/\b/g, '');
+
+	var c;
+	for(var i = 0; i < text.length; ++i) {
+		c = text[i];
+
+		//	:TODO: what should really be removed here??? Any non-printable besides \t and \r\n?
+		if('\b' === c) {
+			continue;
+		}
+
+		this.textBuffer.insert(i, c);
+	}
+
+	this.regenerateRenderBuffer();
+
+	console.log(this.renderBuffer)
 }
 
 MultiLineEditTextView.prototype.onSpecialKeyPress = function(keyName) {
 	if(this.isSpecialKeyMapped('up', keyName)) {
-		this.keyUp();
+		this.cursorUp();
 	} else if(this.isSpecialKeyMapped('down', keyName)) {
 
 	} else if(this.isSpecialKeyMapped('left', keyName)) {
diff --git a/mods/menu.json b/mods/menu.json
index 015627b0..7cae818d 100644
--- a/mods/menu.json
+++ b/mods/menu.json
@@ -371,7 +371,7 @@
 							"MT1" : {
 								"width"		: 67,
 								"height"	: 17,
-								"text"		: "Hints:\n  * Press CTRL-Y to clear a line\n  * Arrow keys to move around\n\nTry editing the text below:\nLet me be sick... I want to get up. Get me something to be sick in... Stop the film... Please stop it... I can't stand it any more. Stop it please... please.\n\nWell, that was a very promising start. By my calculations, you should be starting to feel alright again. Yes? Dr. Brodsky's pleased with you. Now tomorrow there'll be two sessions, of course, morning and afternoon.\n\nYou mean, I have to viddy two sessions in one day?\n\nI imagine you'll be feeling a little bit limp by the end of the day. But we have to be hard on you. You have to be cured.\n",
+								"text"		: "Hints:\n  * Press CTRL-Y to clear a line\n  * Arrow keys to move around\n\nTry editing the text below:\nThis\tis\ttabbbed!\nLet me be sick... I want to get up. Get me something to be sick in... Stop the film... Please stop it... I can't stand it any more. Stop it please... please.\n\nWell, that was a very promising start. By my calculations, you should be starting to feel alright again. Yes? Dr. Brodsky's pleased with you. Now tomorrow there'll be two sessions, of course, morning and afternoon.\n\nYou mean, I have to viddy two sessions in one day?\n\nI imagine you'll be feeling a little bit limp by the end of the day. But we have to be hard on you. You have to be cured.\n",
 								"focus"		: true
 							},
 							"BT5" : {