diff --git a/include/wx/buffer.h b/include/wx/buffer.h
index d64ed386e6..6556f39cd6 100644
--- a/include/wx/buffer.h
+++ b/include/wx/buffer.h
@@ -54,6 +54,7 @@ public:
      return *this;
    }
 
+   const char *data() const { return m_str; }
    operator const char *() const { return m_str; }
    char operator[](size_t n) const { return m_str[n]; }
 
@@ -103,6 +104,7 @@ public:
      return *this;
    }
 
+   const wchar_t *data() const { return m_wcs; }
    operator const wchar_t *() const { return m_wcs; }
    wchar_t operator[](size_t n) const { return m_wcs[n]; }
 
diff --git a/include/wx/ffile.h b/include/wx/ffile.h
index d2957097ad..969aa40039 100644
--- a/include/wx/ffile.h
+++ b/include/wx/ffile.h
@@ -67,9 +67,9 @@ public:
     // returns true on success
   bool Write(const wxString& s, wxMBConv& conv = wxConvLibc)
   {
-      wxCharBuffer buf = s.mb_str(conv);
+      const wxWX2MBbuf buf = s.mb_str(conv);
       size_t size = strlen(buf);
-      return Write((const char *) buf, size) == size;
+      return Write((const char *)buf, size) == size;
   }
     // flush data not yet written
   bool Flush();
diff --git a/include/wx/log.h b/include/wx/log.h
index c2312466e4..1c3d39e411 100644
--- a/include/wx/log.h
+++ b/include/wx/log.h
@@ -471,7 +471,7 @@ DECLARE_LOG_FUNCTION2(SysError, long lErrCode);
 
     // this second version will only log the message if the mask had been
     // added to the list of masks with AddTraceMask()
-    DECLARE_LOG_FUNCTION2(Trace, const char *mask);
+    DECLARE_LOG_FUNCTION2(Trace, const wxChar *mask);
 
     // the last one does nothing if all of level bits are not set
     // in wxLog::GetActive()->GetTraceMask() - it's deprecated in favour of
diff --git a/include/wx/string.h b/include/wx/string.h
index 2858280b3a..80760a45bf 100644
--- a/include/wx/string.h
+++ b/include/wx/string.h
@@ -428,18 +428,30 @@ public:
     operator const wxChar*() const { return m_pchData; }
     // explicit conversion to C string (use this with printf()!)
     const wxChar* c_str()   const { return m_pchData; }
-    // (and this with [wx]Printf()!)
+    // identical to c_str()
     const wxChar* wx_str()  const { return m_pchData; }
     // identical to c_str()
     const wxChar* GetData() const { return m_pchData; }
 
     // conversions with (possible) format convertions: have to return a
     // buffer with temporary data
+    //
+    // the functions defined (in either Unicode or ANSI) mode are mb_str() to
+    // return an ANSI (multibyte) string, wc_str() to return a wide string and
+    // fn_str() to return a string which should be used with the OS APIs
+    // accepting the file names. The return value is always the same, but the
+    // type differs because a function may either return pointer to the buffer
+    // directly or have to use intermediate buffer for translation.
 #if wxUSE_UNICODE
-    const wxCharBuffer mb_str(wxMBConv& conv = wxConvLibc) const { return conv.cWC2MB(m_pchData); }
+    const wxCharBuffer mb_str(wxMBConv& conv = wxConvLibc) const
+        { return conv.cWC2MB(m_pchData); }
+
     const wxWX2MBbuf mbc_str() const { return mb_str(*wxConvCurrent); }
 
-    const wxChar* wc_str(wxMBConv& WXUNUSED(conv) = wxConvLibc) const { return m_pchData; }
+    const wxChar* wc_str() const { return m_pchData; }
+
+    // for compatibility with !wxUSE_UNICODE version
+    const wxChar* wc_str(wxMBConv& WXUNUSED(conv)) const { return m_pchData; }
 
 #if wxMBFILES
     const wxCharBuffer fn_str() const { return mb_str(wxConvFile); }
@@ -447,17 +459,18 @@ public:
     const wxChar* fn_str() const { return m_pchData; }
 #endif // wxMBFILES/!wxMBFILES
 #else // ANSI
-#if wxUSE_MULTIBYTE
-    const wxChar* mb_str(wxMBConv& WXUNUSED(conv) = wxConvLibc) const
-        { return m_pchData; }
-    const wxWX2MBbuf mbc_str() const { return mb_str(*wxConvCurrent); }
-#else // !mmultibyte
-    const wxChar* mb_str(wxMBConv& WXUNUSED(con) = wxConvLibc) const { return m_pchData; }
+    const wxChar* mb_str() const { return m_pchData; }
+
+    // for compatibility with wxUSE_UNICODE version
+    const wxChar* mb_str(wxMBConv& WXUNUSED(conv)) const { return m_pchData; }
+
     const wxWX2MBbuf mbc_str() const { return mb_str(); }
-#endif // multibyte/!multibyte
+
 #if wxUSE_WCHAR_T
-    const wxWCharBuffer wc_str(wxMBConv& conv) const { return conv.cMB2WC(m_pchData); }
+    const wxWCharBuffer wc_str(wxMBConv& conv) const
+        { return conv.cMB2WC(m_pchData); }
 #endif // wxUSE_WCHAR_T
+
     const wxChar* fn_str() const { return m_pchData; }
 #endif // Unicode/ANSI
 
diff --git a/include/wx/version.h b/include/wx/version.h
index 812786990c..64c42cba39 100644
--- a/include/wx/version.h
+++ b/include/wx/version.h
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@
 // Created:     29/01/98
 // RCS-ID:      $Id$
 // Copyright:   (c) 1998 Julian Smart
-// Licence:   	wxWindows license
+// Licence:     wxWindows license
 /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
 
 #ifndef _WX_VERSIONH__
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@
 #define wxMAJOR_VERSION    2
 #define wxMINOR_VERSION    1
 #define wxRELEASE_NUMBER   15
-#define wxVERSION_STRING "wxWindows 2.1.15"
+#define wxVERSION_STRING   _T("wxWindows 2.1.15")
 #define wxVERSION_NUMBER (wxMAJOR_VERSION * 1000) + (wxMINOR_VERSION * 100) + wxRELEASE_NUMBER
 #define wxBETA_NUMBER      0
 #define wxVERSION_FLOAT wxMAJOR_VERSION + (wxMINOR_VERSION/10.0) + (wxRELEASE_NUMBER/100.0) + (wxBETA_NUMBER/10000.0)
diff --git a/setup.h.in b/setup.h.in
index e4b173047b..78a1cc6ecd 100644
--- a/setup.h.in
+++ b/setup.h.in
@@ -428,20 +428,15 @@
 #define wxUSE_POSTSCRIPT 0
 
 /*
- * Compile wxString with some Unicode support?
+ * Compile wxString with some Unicode (wide character) support?
  */
 #define wxUSE_WCHAR_T 0
 
 /*
- * Compile wxString in wide character (Unicode) mode?
+ * Compile wxWindows in Unicode mode (Win32 only for now)?
  */
 #define wxUSE_UNICODE 0
 
-/*
- * Compile wxString with (limited) multibyte char support?
- */
-#define wxUSE_MULTIBYTE 0
-
 /*
  * Work around a bug in GNU libc 5.x wcstombs() implementation.
  *
diff --git a/src/common/file.cpp b/src/common/file.cpp
index 822729b486..1d28ba4975 100644
--- a/src/common/file.cpp
+++ b/src/common/file.cpp
@@ -360,7 +360,7 @@ off_t wxFile::Tell() const
 {
     wxASSERT( IsOpened() );
 
-    int iRc = tell(m_fd);
+    int iRc = wxTell(m_fd);
     if ( iRc == -1 ) {
         wxLogSysError(_("can't get seek position on file descriptor %d"), m_fd);
         return wxInvalidOffset;
@@ -377,7 +377,7 @@ off_t wxFile::Length() const
 #ifdef __VISUALC__
     int iRc = _filelength(m_fd);
 #else // !VC++
-    int iRc = tell(m_fd);
+    int iRc = wxTell(m_fd);
     if ( iRc != -1 ) {
         // @ have to use const_cast :-(
         int iLen = ((wxFile *)this)->SeekEnd();
diff --git a/wxBase.dsp b/wxBase.dsp
index 4ef0f85a84..12a295aa98 100644
--- a/wxBase.dsp
+++ b/wxBase.dsp
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ RSC=rc.exe
 # PROP Intermediate_Dir "BaseRelease"
 # PROP Target_Dir ""
 # ADD BASE CPP /nologo /MT /W3 /GX /O2 /D "WIN32" /D "NDEBUG" /D "_WINDOWS" /D "_MT" /YX /FD /c
-# ADD CPP /nologo /MT /W3 /Zi /O2 /I "$(wx)\include" /I "$(wx)\src\zlib" /D "NDEBUG" /D wxUSE_GUI=0 /D WIN95=1 /D "__WIN95__" /D "WIN32" /D "_WIN32" /D WINVER=0x400 /D "__WINDOWS__" /D "__WXMSW__" /D "__WIN32__" /D "_MT" /Yu"wx/wxprec.h" /FD /c
+# ADD CPP /nologo /MT /W4 /Zi /O2 /I "$(wx)\include" /I "$(wx)\src\zlib" /D "NDEBUG" /D wxUSE_GUI=0 /D WIN95=1 /D "__WIN95__" /D "WIN32" /D "_WIN32" /D WINVER=0x400 /D "__WINDOWS__" /D "__WXMSW__" /D "__WIN32__" /D "_MT" /Yu"wx/wxprec.h" /FD /c
 # ADD BASE RSC /l 0x409
 # ADD RSC /l 0x409
 BSC32=bscmake.exe
@@ -117,6 +117,10 @@ SOURCE=.\src\common\dynlib.cpp
 # End Source File
 # Begin Source File
 
+SOURCE=.\src\common\encconv.cpp
+# End Source File
+# Begin Source File
+
 SOURCE=.\src\common\event.cpp
 # End Source File
 # Begin Source File
@@ -141,6 +145,10 @@ SOURCE=.\src\common\filesys.cpp
 # End Source File
 # Begin Source File
 
+SOURCE=.\src\common\fontmap.cpp
+# End Source File
+# Begin Source File
+
 SOURCE=.\src\common\fs_inet.cpp
 # End Source File
 # Begin Source File