diff --git a/content/options.js b/content/options.js
index 5fda9478..149bb93a 100644
--- a/content/options.js
+++ b/content/options.js
@@ -289,16 +289,13 @@ liberator.Options = function () //{{{
         {
             if (!args)
             {
+                XML.prettyPrinting = false;
                 var str = <></>;
                 for (let [i, value] in Iterator(liberator.globalVariables))
                 {
-                    if (typeof value == "number")
-                        var prefix = "#";
-                    else if (typeof value == "function")
-                        var prefix = "*";
-                    else
-                        var prefix = "";
-
+                    let prefix = typeof value == "number"   ? "#" :
+                                 typeof value == "function" ? "*" :
+                                                              " ";
                     str += <tr><td style="width: 200px;">{i}</td><td>{prefix}{value}</td></tr>;
                 }
                 if (str.length())
@@ -362,12 +359,9 @@ liberator.Options = function () //{{{
                 }
 
                 var value = reference[0][reference[1]];
-                if (typeof value == "number")
-                    var prefix = "#";
-                else if (typeof value == "function")
-                    var prefix = "*";
-                else
-                    var prefix = "";
+                let prefix = typeof value == "number"   ? "#" :
+                             typeof value == "function" ? "*" :
+                                                          " ";
                 liberator.echo(reference[1] + "\t\t" + prefix + value);
             }
         });
diff --git a/content/tabs.js b/content/tabs.js
index 0e1fab7e..52b4ec06 100644
--- a/content/tabs.js
+++ b/content/tabs.js
@@ -710,11 +710,10 @@ liberator.Tabs = function () //{{{
         list: function ()
         {
             // TODO: move this to liberator.tabs.get()
-            var items = liberator.completion.buffer("")[1];
-            var number, indicator, title, url;
 
-            var list = ":" + (liberator.util.escapeHTML(liberator.commandline.getCommand()) || "buffers") + "<br/>" + "<table>";
-            for (let i = 0; i < items.length; i++)
+            XML.prettyPrinting = false;
+            let items = <></>;
+            for (let [i, item] in Iterator(liberator.completion.buffer("")[1]))
             {
                 if (i == liberator.tabs.index())
                    indicator = " <span style=\"color: blue\">%</span> ";
@@ -723,17 +722,17 @@ liberator.Tabs = function () //{{{
                 else
                    indicator = "   ";
 
-                [number, title] = items[i][0].split(/:\s+/, 2);
-                url = items[i][1];
-                url = liberator.util.escapeHTML(url);
-                title = liberator.util.escapeHTML(title);
-
-                list += "<tr><td align=\"right\">  " + number + "</td><td>" + indicator +
-                        "</td><td style=\"width: 250px; max-width: 500px; overflow: hidden;\">" + title +
-                        "</td><td><a href=\"#\" class=\"hl-URL buffer-list\">" + url + "</a></td></tr>";
+                let [number, title] = items[i][0].split(/:\s+/, 2);
+                items +=
+                    <tr>
+                        <td align="right">  {number}</td>
+                        <td><span style="color: blue"> {indicator} </span></td>
+                        <td style="width:250px; max-width: 500px; overflow: hidden">{title}</td>
+                        <td><a href="#" class="hl-URL buffer-list">{item[1]}</a></td>
+                    </tr>;
             }
-            list += "</table>";
 
+            let list = liberator.buffer.template.generic(<table>{items}</table>);
             liberator.commandline.echo(list, liberator.commandline.HL_NORMAL, liberator.commandline.FORCE_MULTILINE);
         },
 
diff --git a/content/ui.js b/content/ui.js
index 5d381021..ba9d254e 100644
--- a/content/ui.js
+++ b/content/ui.js
@@ -1256,7 +1256,11 @@ liberator.ItemList = function (id) //{{{
         var row = doc.createElement("tr");
         row.setAttribute("class", "liberator-compitem");
         var icon = doc.createElement("td");
-        icon.innerHTML = '<td style="vertical-align: middle"><img src="' + a + '" width="16px" height="16px"/></td><td style="vertical-align:middle">' + b + '  <br/><span style="color: green">' + c + '</span></td>';
+        XML.prettyPrinting = false;
+        icon.innerHTML = <>
+                <td style="vertical-align: middle"><img src={a} width="16px" height="16px"/></td>
+                <td style="vertical-align:middle">{b}<br/><span style="color: green">{c}</span></td>;
+            </>;
         row.appendChild(icon);
 
         return row;
diff --git a/content/util.js b/content/util.js
index 2ed7f54a..c26d7f73 100644
--- a/content/util.js
+++ b/content/util.js
@@ -67,13 +67,13 @@ liberator.util = { //{{{
                 // for java packages value.toString() would crash so badly
                 // that we cannot even try/catch it
                 if (/^\[JavaPackage.*\]$/.test(arg))
-                    return "[JavaPackage]";
+                    return <>[JavaPackage]</>;
 
                 var str = arg.toString();
                 if (typeof str == "string")  // can be "undefined"
                     return <>{str}</>;
                 else
-                    return "undefined";
+                    return <>undefined</>;
             }
         }
         catch (e)
@@ -201,6 +201,13 @@ liberator.util = { //{{{
     // if color = true it uses HTML markup to color certain items
     objectToString: function (object, color)
     {
+        /* Use E4X literals so html is automatically quoted
+         * only when it's asked for. Noone wants to see &lt;
+         * on their console or :map :foo in their buffer
+         * when they expect :map <C-f> :foo.
+         */
+        XML.prettyPrinting = false;
+
         if (object === null)
             return "null";
 
@@ -215,13 +222,12 @@ liberator.util = { //{{{
         }
         catch (e)
         {
-            obj = "&lt;Object&gt;";
+            obj = "<Object>";
         }
 
         if (color)
-            string += "<span class=\"hl-Title\">" + obj + "</span>::\n";
-        else
-            string += obj + "::\n";
+            obj = <span class="hl-Title">{obj}</span>.toXMLString();
+        string += obj + "::\n";
 
         try // window.content often does not want to be queried with "var i in object"
         {
@@ -234,16 +240,14 @@ liberator.util = { //{{{
                 }
                 catch (e)
                 {
-                    value = "&lt;no value&gt;";
+                    value = "<no value>";
                 }
 
-                if (color)
-                {
-                    value = this.colorize(value, true);
-                    string += "<span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">" + i + "</span>: " + value + "\n";
+                if (color) {
+                    value = this.colorize(value, true).toXMLString();
+                    i = <span style="font-weight: bold;">{i}</span>.toXMLString();
                 }
-                else
-                    string += i + ": " + value + "\n";
+                string += i + ": " + value + "\n";
             }
         }
         catch (e) {}