diff --git a/Zend/zend_API.c b/Zend/zend_API.c
index b54996bcae3..23a9139c8e2 100644
--- a/Zend/zend_API.c
+++ b/Zend/zend_API.c
@@ -300,6 +300,45 @@ static int parse_arg_object_to_string(zval *arg, char **p, int *pl, int type TSR
 }
 /* }}} */
 
+static int parse_arg_object_to_str(zval *arg, zend_string **str, int type TSRMLS_DC) /* {{{ */
+{
+	if (Z_OBJ_HANDLER_P(arg, cast_object)) {
+		zval obj;
+		if (Z_OBJ_HANDLER_P(arg, cast_object)(arg, &obj, type TSRMLS_CC) == SUCCESS) {
+			zval_ptr_dtor(arg);
+			ZVAL_COPY_VALUE(arg, &obj);
+			*str = Z_STR_P(arg);
+			return SUCCESS;
+		}
+	}
+	/* Standard PHP objects */
+	if (Z_OBJ_HT_P(arg) == &std_object_handlers || !Z_OBJ_HANDLER_P(arg, cast_object)) {
+		SEPARATE_ZVAL_IF_NOT_REF(arg);
+		if (zend_std_cast_object_tostring(arg, arg, type TSRMLS_CC) == SUCCESS) {
+			*str = Z_STR_P(arg);
+			return SUCCESS;
+		}
+	}
+	if (!Z_OBJ_HANDLER_P(arg, cast_object) && Z_OBJ_HANDLER_P(arg, get)) {
+		int use_copy;
+		zval *z = Z_OBJ_HANDLER_P(arg, get)(arg TSRMLS_CC);
+		Z_ADDREF_P(z);
+		if(Z_TYPE_P(z) != IS_OBJECT) {
+			zval_dtor(arg);
+			Z_TYPE_P(arg) = IS_NULL;
+			zend_make_printable_zval(z, arg, &use_copy);
+			if (!use_copy) {
+				ZVAL_ZVAL(arg, z, 1, 1);
+			}
+			*str = Z_STR_P(arg);
+			return SUCCESS;
+		}
+		zval_ptr_dtor(z);
+	}
+	return FAILURE;
+}
+/* }}} */
+
 static const char *zend_parse_arg_impl(int arg_num, zval *arg, va_list *va, const char **spec, char **error, int *severity TSRMLS_DC) /* {{{ */
 {
 	const char *spec_walk = *spec;
@@ -498,11 +537,7 @@ static const char *zend_parse_arg_impl(int arg_num, zval *arg, va_list *va, cons
 						break;
 
 					case IS_OBJECT: {
-						char *p;
-						int pl;
-
-						if (parse_arg_object_to_string(arg, &p, &pl, IS_STRING TSRMLS_CC) == SUCCESS) {
-							*str = STR_INIT(p, pl, 0);
+						if (parse_arg_object_to_str(arg, str, IS_STRING TSRMLS_CC) == SUCCESS) {
 							break;
 						}
 					}
diff --git a/ext/standard/cyr_convert.c b/ext/standard/cyr_convert.c
index bc482367afa..280aba5ceca 100644
--- a/ext/standard/cyr_convert.c
+++ b/ext/standard/cyr_convert.c
@@ -273,17 +273,16 @@ PHP_FUNCTION(convert_cyr_string)
 {
 	char *input, *fr_cs, *to_cs;
 	int input_len, fr_cs_len, to_cs_len;
-	unsigned char *str;
+	zend_string *str;
 
 	if (zend_parse_parameters(ZEND_NUM_ARGS() TSRMLS_CC, "sss", &input, &input_len, &fr_cs, &fr_cs_len, &to_cs, &to_cs_len) == FAILURE) {
 		return;
 	}
 
-	str = (unsigned char*) estrndup(input, input_len);
+	str = STR_INIT(input, input_len, 0);
 
-	php_convert_cyr_string(str, input_len, fr_cs[0], to_cs[0] TSRMLS_CC);
-//???	RETVAL_STRING((char *)str, 0);
-	RETVAL_STRING((char *)str);
+	php_convert_cyr_string(str->val, str->len, fr_cs[0], to_cs[0] TSRMLS_CC);
+	RETVAL_STR(str);
 }
 /* }}} */
 
diff --git a/ext/standard/string.c b/ext/standard/string.c
index 90391ab14ed..3eab9a06233 100644
--- a/ext/standard/string.c
+++ b/ext/standard/string.c
@@ -1080,39 +1080,36 @@ PHPAPI void php_explode_negative_limit(zval *delim, zval *str, zval *return_valu
    Splits a string on string separator and return array of components. If limit is positive only limit number of components is returned. If limit is negative all components except the last abs(limit) are returned. */
 PHP_FUNCTION(explode)
 {
-	char *str, *delim;
-	int str_len = 0, delim_len = 0;
+	zend_string *str, *delim;
 	long limit = LONG_MAX; /* No limit */
 	zval zdelim, zstr;
 
-	if (zend_parse_parameters(ZEND_NUM_ARGS() TSRMLS_CC, "ss|l", &delim, &delim_len, &str, &str_len, &limit) == FAILURE) {
+	if (zend_parse_parameters(ZEND_NUM_ARGS() TSRMLS_CC, "SS|l", &delim, &str, &limit) == FAILURE) {
 		return;
 	}
 
-	if (delim_len == 0) {
+	if (delim->len == 0) {
 		php_error_docref(NULL TSRMLS_CC, E_WARNING, "Empty delimiter");
 		RETURN_FALSE;
 	}
 
 	array_init(return_value);
 
-	if (str_len == 0) {
+	if (str->len == 0) {
 	  	if (limit >= 0) {
 			add_next_index_stringl(return_value, "", sizeof("") - 1, 1);
 		}
 		return;
 	}
 
-//???	ZVAL_STRINGL(&zstr, str, str_len, 0);
-//???	ZVAL_STRINGL(&zdelim, delim, delim_len, 0);
-	ZVAL_STRINGL(&zstr, str, str_len);
-	ZVAL_STRINGL(&zdelim, delim, delim_len);
+	ZVAL_STR(&zstr, str);
+	ZVAL_STR(&zdelim, delim);
 	if (limit > 1) {
 		php_explode(&zdelim, &zstr, return_value, limit);
 	} else if (limit < 0) {
 		php_explode_negative_limit(&zdelim, &zstr, return_value, limit);
 	} else {
-		add_index_stringl(return_value, 0, str, str_len, 1);
+		add_index_stringl(return_value, 0, str->val, str->len, 1);
 	}
 }
 /* }}} */
@@ -4363,7 +4360,10 @@ PHP_FUNCTION(setlocale)
 		if (retval) {
 			/* Remember if locale was changed */
 			if (loc) {
-//???				STR_FREE(BG(locale_string));
+//???			STR_FREE(BG(locale_string));
+				if (BG(locale_string)) {
+					efree(BG(locale_string));
+				}
 				BG(locale_string) = estrdup(retval);
 			}