diff --git a/common/content/commands.js b/common/content/commands.js
index bf9f8207..f1bcd8e4 100644
--- a/common/content/commands.js
+++ b/common/content/commands.js
@@ -791,7 +791,7 @@ const Commands = Module("commands", {
         str.replace(/\s*".*$/, "");
 
         // 0 - count, 1 - cmd, 2 - special, 3 - args
-        let matches = str.match(/^([:\s]*(\d+|%)?([a-zA-Z]+|!)(!)?(\s*))(.*?)?$/);
+        let matches = str.match(/^([:\s]*(\d+|%)?([a-zA-Z]+|!)(!)?(\s*))((?:.|\n)*?)?$/);
         //var matches = str.match(/^:*(\d+|%)?([a-zA-Z]+|!)(!)?(?:\s*(.*?)\s*)?$/);
         if (!matches)
             return [];
@@ -1103,21 +1103,21 @@ const Commands = Module("commands", {
                         completion.ex(context);
                 },
                 options: [
-                    { names: ["-bang"],  description: "Command may be proceeded by a !" },
-                    { names: ["-count"], description: "Command may be preceeded by a count" },
+                    { names: ["-bang", "-b"],  description: "Command may be proceeded by a !" },
+                    { names: ["-count", "-c"], description: "Command may be preceeded by a count" },
                     {
-                        names: ["-description"],
+                        names: ["-description", "-desc", "-d"],
                         description: "A user-visible description of the command",
                         type: CommandOption.STRING
                     }, {
                         // TODO: "E180: invalid complete value: " + arg
-                        names: ["-complete"],
+                        names: ["-complete", "-C"],
                         description: "The argument completion function",
                         completer: function (context) [[k, ""] for ([k, v] in Iterator(completeOptionMap))],
                         type: CommandOption.STRING,
                         validator: function (arg) arg in completeOptionMap || /custom,\w+/.test(arg),
                     }, {
-                        names: ["-nargs"],
+                        names: ["-nargs", "-a"],
                         description: "The allowed number of arguments",
                         completer: [["0", "No arguments are allowed (default)"],
                                     ["1", "One argument is allowed"],
diff --git a/common/content/dactyl.js b/common/content/dactyl.js
index 65244f87..d0013a2c 100644
--- a/common/content/dactyl.js
+++ b/common/content/dactyl.js
@@ -2022,17 +2022,7 @@ const Dactyl = Module("dactyl", {
             // all gui options to their default values, if they have not been
             // set before by any RC file
             for (let option in values(options.needInit))
-                // FIXME:
-                // 'encoding' option should not be set at this timing.
-                // Probably a wrong value is set into the option,
-                // if current page's encoding is not UTF-8.
-                try {
-                    if (option.name != "encoding");
-                        option.value = option.value;
-                }
-                catch (e) {
-                    dactyl.reportError(e);
-                }
+                option.initValue();
 
             if (dactyl.commandLineOptions.postCommands)
                 dactyl.commandLineOptions.postCommands.forEach(function (cmd) {
diff --git a/common/content/hints.js b/common/content/hints.js
index 7ded7bb8..255d4e95 100644
--- a/common/content/hints.js
+++ b/common/content/hints.js
@@ -83,7 +83,7 @@ const Hints = Module("hints", {
             this._hintNumber = 0;
             this._hintString = "";
             statusline.updateInputBuffer("");
-            commandline.command = "";
+            commandline.widgets.command = "";
         }
         this._pageHints = [];
         this._validHints = [];
@@ -99,7 +99,7 @@ const Hints = Module("hints", {
         }
         if (this.__continue && this._validHints.length <= 1) {
             this._hintString = "";
-            commandline.command = this._hintString;
+            commandline.widgets.command = this._hintString;
             this._showHints();
         }
         this._updateStatusline();
diff --git a/common/content/io.js b/common/content/io.js
index 305023ed..28c57fef 100644
--- a/common/content/io.js
+++ b/common/content/io.js
@@ -358,10 +358,7 @@ lookup:
                 else if (/\.css$/.test(filename))
                     storage.styles.registerSheet(uri.spec, false, true);
                 else {
-                    let heredoc = "";
-                    let heredocEnd = null; // the string which ends the heredoc
-                    let str = file.read();
-                    let lines = str.split(/\r\n|[\r\n]/);
+                    let lines = file.read().split(/\r\n|[\r\n]/);
 
                     this.readHeredoc = function (end) {
                         let res = [];
@@ -382,21 +379,26 @@ lookup:
                     for (let [i, line] in iter) {
                         if (this.sourcing.finished)
                             break;
+
                         this.sourcing.line = i + 1;
-                        // skip line comments and blank lines
+
+                        // Deal with editors from Silly OSs.
                         line = line.replace(/\r$/, "");
 
-                        if (!/^\s*(".*)?$/.test(line))
-                            try {
-                                dactyl.execute(line, { setFrom: file });
-                            }
-                            catch (e) {
-                                if (!silent) {
-                                    dactyl.echoerr("Error detected while processing " + file.path);
-                                    dactyl.echomsg("line\t" + this.sourcing.line + ":");
-                                    dactyl.reportError(e, true);
-                                }
+                        // Process escaped new lines
+                        for (; i < lines.length && /^\s*\\/.test(lines[i + 1]); i++)
+                            line += "\n" + iter.next()[1].replace(/^\s*\\/, "");
+
+                        try {
+                            dactyl.execute(line, { setFrom: file });
+                        }
+                        catch (e) {
+                            if (!silent) {
+                                dactyl.echoerr("Error detected while processing " + file.path);
+                                dactyl.echomsg("line\t" + this.sourcing.line + ":");
+                                dactyl.reportError(e, true);
                             }
+                        }
                     }
                 }
 
diff --git a/common/content/options.js b/common/content/options.js
index 58ff5371..07914b99 100644
--- a/common/content/options.js
+++ b/common/content/options.js
@@ -71,6 +71,10 @@ const Option = Class("Option", {
             this.globalValue = this.parseValues(this.defaultValue);
     },
 
+    initValue: function () {
+        dactyl.trapErrors(function () this.values = this.values, this);
+    },
+
     /** @property {value} The option's global value. @see #scope */
     get globalValue() options.store.get(this.name, {}).value,
     set globalValue(val) { options.store.set(this.name, { value: val, time: Date.now() }); },
@@ -683,8 +687,11 @@ const Options = Module("options", {
         memoize(this._optionMap, name, function () Option(names, description, type, defaultValue, extraInfo));
         for (let alias in values(names.slice(1)))
             memoize(this._optionMap, alias, closure);
-        if (extraInfo.setter)
-            memoize(this.needInit, this.needInit.length, closure);
+        if (extraInfo.setter && (!extraInfo.scope || extraInfo.scope & Option.SCOPE_GLOBAL))
+            if (dactyl.initialized)
+                closure().initValue();
+            else
+                memoize(this.needInit, this.needInit.length, closure);
 
         // quickly access options with options["wildmode"]:
         this.__defineGetter__(name, function () this._optionMap[name].values);
diff --git a/pentadactyl/NEWS b/pentadactyl/NEWS
index df7b5ff8..ee5dc1bf 100644
--- a/pentadactyl/NEWS
+++ b/pentadactyl/NEWS
@@ -18,7 +18,12 @@
       - Backtracks to the first successful match after pressing
         backspace.
       - Supports reverse incremental search.
-    * Multiple Ex commands may now be separated by |
+    * Ex command parsing improvements, including:
+      - Multiple Ex commands may now be separated by |
+      - Commands can continue over multiple lines in RC files by
+        prefixing the continues lines with a \
+      - The \ character is no longer treated specially within single
+	quotes, i.e., 'fo\o''bar' ⇒ fo\o'bar
     * Command-line is now hidden by default. Added C and M to
       'guioptions'.
     * Hint mode improvements, including:
@@ -41,8 +46,6 @@
       directory in 'runtimepath' rather than 'plugin/'.
     * IMPORTANT: 'loadplugins' is now a regexlist option rather than
       a boolean.
-    * IMPORTANT: Single quotes no longer treat \ specially.
-      I.e., 'fo\o''bar' ≡ fo\o'bar
     * IMPORTANT: 'cdpath' and 'runtimepath' no longer treat ",,"
       specially. Use "." instead.
     * IMPORTANT: Option value quoting has changed. List options will