diff --git a/core/includes/bootstrap.inc b/core/includes/bootstrap.inc
index ab06260..ed3c729 100644
--- a/core/includes/bootstrap.inc
+++ b/core/includes/bootstrap.inc
@@ -3,6 +3,8 @@
 use Symfony\Component\ClassLoader\UniversalClassLoader;
 use Symfony\Component\ClassLoader\ApcUniversalClassLoader;
 
+use Drupal\Core\Request;
+
 /**
  * @file
  * Functions that need to be loaded on every Drupal request.
@@ -578,11 +580,11 @@ function conf_path($require_settings = TRUE, $reset = FALSE) {
     return $conf;
   }
 
-  $script_name = $_SERVER['SCRIPT_NAME'];
+  $script_name = request()->server->get('SCRIPT_NAME');
   if (!$script_name) {
-    $script_name = $_SERVER['SCRIPT_FILENAME'];
+    $script_name = request()->server->get('SCRIPT_FILENAME');
   }
-  $http_host = $_SERVER['HTTP_HOST'];
+  $http_host = request()->server->get('HTTP_HOST');
   $conf = find_conf_path($http_host, $script_name, $require_settings);
   return $conf;
 }
@@ -667,10 +669,10 @@ function drupal_override_server_variables($variables = array()) {
   if (isset($variables['url'])) {
     $url = parse_url($variables['url']);
     if (isset($url['host'])) {
-      $_SERVER['HTTP_HOST'] = $url['host'];
+      request()->server->set('HTTP_HOST', $url['host']);
     }
     if (isset($url['path'])) {
-      $_SERVER['SCRIPT_NAME'] = $url['path'];
+      request()->server->set('SCRIPT_NAME', $url['path']);
     }
     unset($variables['url']);
   }
@@ -687,44 +689,40 @@ function drupal_override_server_variables($variables = array()) {
     'HTTP_USER_AGENT' => NULL,
   );
   // Replace elements of the $_SERVER array, as appropriate.
-  $_SERVER = $variables + $_SERVER + $defaults;
+  request()->server->replace($variables + request()->server->all() + $defaults);
 }
 
 /**
  * Initializes the PHP environment.
  */
+//@TODO - maybe make the $_SERVER/request()->server stuff be part of this
+// function be in the Core\Drupal\Request
 function drupal_environment_initialize() {
-  if (!isset($_SERVER['HTTP_REFERER'])) {
-    $_SERVER['HTTP_REFERER'] = '';
+  if (!request()->server->has('HTTP_REFERER')) {
+    request()->server->set('HTTP_REFERER','');
   }
-  if (!isset($_SERVER['SERVER_PROTOCOL']) || ($_SERVER['SERVER_PROTOCOL'] != 'HTTP/1.0' && $_SERVER['SERVER_PROTOCOL'] != 'HTTP/1.1')) {
-    $_SERVER['SERVER_PROTOCOL'] = 'HTTP/1.0';
+  if (!request()->server->has('SERVER_PROTOCOL') || (request()->server->get('SERVER_PROTOCOL') != 'HTTP/1.0' && request()->server->get('SERVER_PROTOCOL') != 'HTTP/1.1')) {
+    request()->server->set('SERVER_PROTOCOL', 'HTTP/1.0');
   }
 
-  if (isset($_SERVER['HTTP_HOST'])) {
+  if (request()->server->has('HTTP_HOST')) {
     // As HTTP_HOST is user input, ensure it only contains characters allowed
     // in hostnames. See RFC 952 (and RFC 2181).
     // $_SERVER['HTTP_HOST'] is lowercased here per specifications.
-    $_SERVER['HTTP_HOST'] = strtolower($_SERVER['HTTP_HOST']);
-    if (!drupal_valid_http_host($_SERVER['HTTP_HOST'])) {
+    request()->server->set('HTTP_HOST', strtolower(request()->server->get('HTTP_HOST')));
+    //@TODO drupal_valid_http_host function should probably be part of Core\Drupal\Request
+    if (!drupal_valid_http_host(request()->server->get('HTTP_HOST'))) {
       // HTTP_HOST is invalid, e.g. if containing slashes it may be an attack.
-      header($_SERVER['SERVER_PROTOCOL'] . ' 400 Bad Request');
+      header(request()->server->get('SERVER_PROTOCOL') . ' 400 Bad Request');
       exit;
     }
   }
   else {
     // Some pre-HTTP/1.1 clients will not send a Host header. Ensure the key is
     // defined for E_ALL compliance.
-    $_SERVER['HTTP_HOST'] = '';
+    request()->server->set('HTTP_HOST', '');
   }
 
-  // When clean URLs are enabled, emulate ?q=foo/bar using REQUEST_URI. It is
-  // not possible to append the query string using mod_rewrite without the B
-  // flag (this was added in Apache 2.2.8), because mod_rewrite unescapes the
-  // path before passing it on to PHP. This is a problem when the path contains
-  // e.g. "&" or "%" that have special meanings in URLs and must be encoded.
-  $_GET['q'] = request_path();
-
   // Enforce E_STRICT, but allow users to set levels not part of E_STRICT.
   error_reporting(E_STRICT | E_ALL | error_reporting());
 
@@ -755,6 +753,7 @@ function drupal_environment_initialize() {
  * @return
  *  TRUE if only containing valid characters, or FALSE otherwise.
  */
+//@TODO - consider moving to Core\Drupal\Request
 function drupal_valid_http_host($host) {
   return preg_match('/^\[?(?:[a-zA-Z0-9-:\]_]+\.?)+$/', $host);
 }
@@ -762,6 +761,12 @@ function drupal_valid_http_host($host) {
 /**
  * Sets the base URL, cookie domain, and session name from configuration.
  */
+//@TODO - it seems to me that we duplicate some work already done in request object here
+// have to investigate what values from request could be used instead of some of the code here
+// we just have to make sure to honour settings.php base url
+// maybe by adding setBaseUrl method to \Core\Drupal\Request since request->baseUrl is protected
+// look at why $cookie_domain is global - if sensible add to Drupal request object.
+// Also we're starting to intersect on discussion of using symfony's session object
 function drupal_settings_initialize() {
   global $base_url, $base_path, $base_root;
 
@@ -772,7 +777,7 @@ function drupal_settings_initialize() {
   if (file_exists(DRUPAL_ROOT . '/' . conf_path() . '/settings.php')) {
     include_once DRUPAL_ROOT . '/' . conf_path() . '/settings.php';
   }
-  $is_https = isset($_SERVER['HTTPS']) && strtolower($_SERVER['HTTPS']) == 'on';
+  $is_https = request()->isSecure();
 
   if (isset($base_url)) {
     // Parse fixed base URL from settings.php.
@@ -787,14 +792,13 @@ function drupal_settings_initialize() {
   }
   else {
     // Create base URL
-    $http_protocol = $is_https ? 'https' : 'http';
-    $base_root = $http_protocol . '://' . $_SERVER['HTTP_HOST'];
+    $base_root = request()->getScheme() . '://' . request()->server->get('HTTP_HOST');
 
     $base_url = $base_root;
 
     // $_SERVER['SCRIPT_NAME'] can, in contrast to $_SERVER['PHP_SELF'], not
     // be modified by a visitor.
-    if ($dir = rtrim(dirname($_SERVER['SCRIPT_NAME']), '\/')) {
+    if ($dir = rtrim(dirname(request()->server->get('SCRIPT_NAME')), '\/')) {
       // Remove "core" directory if present, allowing install.php, update.php,
       // cron.php and others to auto-detect a base path.
       $core_position = strrpos($dir, '/core');
@@ -824,8 +828,8 @@ function drupal_settings_initialize() {
     list( , $session_name) = explode('://', $base_url, 2);
     // HTTP_HOST can be modified by a visitor, but we already sanitized it
     // in drupal_settings_initialize().
-    if (!empty($_SERVER['HTTP_HOST'])) {
-      $cookie_domain = $_SERVER['HTTP_HOST'];
+    if (request()->server->get('HTTP_HOST') != '') {
+      $cookie_domain = request()->server->get('HTTP_HOST');
       // Strip leading periods, www., and port numbers from cookie domain.
       $cookie_domain = ltrim($cookie_domain, '.');
       if (strpos($cookie_domain, 'www.') === 0) {
@@ -1116,7 +1120,7 @@ function drupal_page_is_cacheable($allow_caching = NULL) {
     $allow_caching_static = $allow_caching;
   }
 
-  return $allow_caching_static && ($_SERVER['REQUEST_METHOD'] == 'GET' || $_SERVER['REQUEST_METHOD'] == 'HEAD')
+  return $allow_caching_static && (request()->getMethod() == 'GET' || request()->getMethod() == 'HEAD')
     && !drupal_is_cli();
 }
 
@@ -1278,7 +1282,7 @@ function drupal_send_headers($default_headers = array(), $only_default = FALSE)
   }
   foreach ($headers as $name_lower => $value) {
     if ($name_lower == 'status') {
-      header($_SERVER['SERVER_PROTOCOL'] . ' ' . $value);
+      header(request()->server->get('SERVER_PROTOCOL') . ' ' . $value);
     }
     // Skip headers that have been unset.
     elseif ($value) {
@@ -1344,7 +1348,7 @@ function drupal_page_header() {
 function drupal_serve_page_from_cache(stdClass $cache) {
   // Negotiate whether to use compression.
   $page_compression = variable_get('page_compression', TRUE) && extension_loaded('zlib');
-  $return_compressed = $page_compression && isset($_SERVER['HTTP_ACCEPT_ENCODING']) && strpos($_SERVER['HTTP_ACCEPT_ENCODING'], 'gzip') !== FALSE;
+  $return_compressed = $page_compression && request()->server->has('HTTP_ACCEPT_ENCODING') && strpos(request()->server->get('HTTP_ACCEPT_ENCODING'), 'gzip') !== FALSE;
 
   // Get headers set in hook_boot(). Keys are lower-case.
   $hook_boot_headers = drupal_get_http_header();
@@ -1377,13 +1381,13 @@ function drupal_serve_page_from_cache(stdClass $cache) {
   header('Etag: ' . $etag);
 
   // See if the client has provided the required HTTP headers.
-  $if_modified_since = isset($_SERVER['HTTP_IF_MODIFIED_SINCE']) ? strtotime($_SERVER['HTTP_IF_MODIFIED_SINCE']) : FALSE;
-  $if_none_match = isset($_SERVER['HTTP_IF_NONE_MATCH']) ? stripslashes($_SERVER['HTTP_IF_NONE_MATCH']) : FALSE;
+  $if_modified_since = request()->server->has('HTTP_IF_MODIFIED_SINCE') ? strtotime(request()->server->get('HTTP_IF_MODIFIED_SINCE')) : FALSE;
+  $if_none_match = request()->server->has('HTTP_IF_NONE_MATCH') ? stripslashes(request()->server->get('HTTP_IF_NONE_MATCH')) : FALSE;
 
   if ($if_modified_since && $if_none_match
       && $if_none_match == $etag // etag must match
       && $if_modified_since == $cache->created) {  // if-modified-since must match
-    header($_SERVER['SERVER_PROTOCOL'] . ' 304 Not Modified');
+    header(request()->server->get('SERVER_PROTOCOL') . ' 304 Not Modified');
     drupal_send_headers($default_headers);
     return;
   }
@@ -1654,19 +1658,20 @@ function drupal_validate_utf8($text) {
  * Because $_SERVER['REQUEST_URI'] is only available on Apache, we generate an
  * equivalent using other environment variables.
  */
+//@TODO - see if we even need this - request()->getRequestUri should return what we need
 function request_uri() {
-  if (isset($_SERVER['REQUEST_URI'])) {
-    $uri = $_SERVER['REQUEST_URI'];
+  if (request()->server->has('REQUEST_URI')) {
+    $uri = request()->server->get('REQUEST_URI');
   }
   else {
-    if (isset($_SERVER['argv'])) {
-      $uri = $_SERVER['SCRIPT_NAME'] . '?' . $_SERVER['argv'][0];
+    if (request()->server->has('argv')) {
+      $uri = request()->server->get('SCRIPT_NAME') . '?' . request()->server->get('argv[0]','',true);
     }
-    elseif (isset($_SERVER['QUERY_STRING'])) {
-      $uri = $_SERVER['SCRIPT_NAME'] . '?' . $_SERVER['QUERY_STRING'];
+    elseif (request()->server->has('QUERY_STRING')) {
+      $uri = request()->server->get('SCRIPT_NAME') . '?' . request()->server->get('QUERY_STRING');
     }
     else {
-      $uri = $_SERVER['SCRIPT_NAME'];
+      $uri = request()->server->get('SCRIPT_NAME');
     }
   }
   // Prevent multiple slashes to avoid cross site requests via the Form API.
@@ -1759,8 +1764,8 @@ function watchdog($type, $message, $variables = array(), $severity = WATCHDOG_NO
       'severity'    => $severity,
       'link'        => $link,
       'user'        => $user,
-      'request_uri' => $base_root . request_uri(),
-      'referer'     => isset($_SERVER['HTTP_REFERER']) ? $_SERVER['HTTP_REFERER'] : '',
+      'request_uri' => $base_root . request()->getRequestUri(),
+      'referer'     => request()->server->get('HTTP_REFERER', ''),
       'ip'          => ip_address(),
       'timestamp'   => REQUEST_TIME,
     );
@@ -1936,7 +1941,7 @@ function drupal_is_denied($ip) {
 function drupal_block_denied($ip) {
   // Deny access to blocked IP addresses - t() is not yet available.
   if (drupal_is_denied($ip)) {
-    header($_SERVER['SERVER_PROTOCOL'] . ' 403 Forbidden');
+    header(request()->server->get('SERVER_PROTOCOL') . ' 403 Forbidden');
     print 'Sorry, ' . check_plain(ip_address()) . ' has been banned.';
     exit();
   }
@@ -1959,7 +1964,7 @@ function drupal_random_bytes($count)  {
   // Initialize on the first call. The contents of $_SERVER includes a mix of
   // user-specific and system information that varies a little with each page.
   if (!isset($random_state)) {
-    $random_state = print_r($_SERVER, TRUE);
+    $random_state = print_r(request()->server->all(), TRUE);
     if (function_exists('getmypid')) {
       // Further initialize with the somewhat random PHP process ID.
       $random_state .= getmypid();
@@ -2287,19 +2292,9 @@ function _drupal_exception_handler($exception) {
  * Sets up the script environment and loads settings.php.
  */
 function _drupal_bootstrap_configuration() {
-  // Set the Drupal custom error handler.
-  set_error_handler('_drupal_error_handler');
-  set_exception_handler('_drupal_exception_handler');
-
-  drupal_environment_initialize();
-  // Start a page timer:
-  timer_start('page');
-  // Initialize the configuration, including variables from settings.php.
-  drupal_settings_initialize();
 
   // Include and activate the class loader.
   $loader = drupal_classloader();
-
   // Register explicit vendor namespaces.
   $loader->registerNamespaces(array(
     // All Symfony-borrowed code lives in /core/vendor/Symfony.
@@ -2315,6 +2310,17 @@ function _drupal_bootstrap_configuration() {
     // All Drupal-namespaced code in core lives in /core/lib/Drupal.
     'Drupal' => DRUPAL_ROOT . '/core/lib',
   ));
+
+  // Set the Drupal custom error handler.
+  set_error_handler('_drupal_error_handler');
+  set_exception_handler('_drupal_exception_handler');
+
+  drupal_environment_initialize();
+  // Start a page timer:
+  timer_start('page');
+  // Initialize the configuration, including variables from settings.php.
+  drupal_settings_initialize();
+
 }
 
 /**
@@ -2482,7 +2488,7 @@ function drupal_valid_test_ua() {
     return $test_prefix;
   }
 
-  if (isset($_SERVER['HTTP_USER_AGENT']) && preg_match("/^(simpletest\d+);(.+);(.+);(.+)$/", $_SERVER['HTTP_USER_AGENT'], $matches)) {
+  if (request()->server->has('HTTP_USER_AGENT') && preg_match("/^(simpletest\d+);(.+);(.+);(.+)$/", request()->server->get('HTTP_USER_AGENT'), $matches)) {
     list(, $prefix, $time, $salt, $hmac) = $matches;
     $check_string =  $prefix . ';' . $time . ';' . $salt;
     // We use the salt from settings.php to make the HMAC key, since
@@ -2758,157 +2764,65 @@ function language_default() {
 }
 
 /**
+ * Returns the request object for the current request.
+ *
+ * @return Drupal\Core\Request
+ *   The request object for this request as populated from the PHP superglobals.
+ */
+function request() {
+  $request = &drupal_static(__FUNCTION__);
+  if (empty($request)) {
+    $request = Request::createFromGlobals();
+  }
+  return $request;
+}
+
+/**
  * Returns the requested URL path of the page being viewed.
  *
- * Examples:
- * - http://example.com/node/306 returns "node/306".
- * - http://example.com/drupalfolder/node/306 returns "node/306" while
- *   base_path() returns "/drupalfolder/".
- * - http://example.com/path/alias (which is a path alias for node/306) returns
- *   "path/alias" as opposed to the internal path.
- * - http://example.com/index.php returns an empty string (meaning: front page).
- * - http://example.com/index.php?page=1 returns an empty string.
+ * @deprecated
+ *   Do not use this function.  It is provided for temporary backward
+ *   compatibility only.  Instead, use the request object directly.
  *
  * @return
  *   The requested Drupal URL path.
  *
- * @see current_path()
+ * @see Drupal\Core\Request::requestPath()
  */
 function request_path() {
-  static $path;
-
-  if (isset($path)) {
-    return $path;
-  }
-
-  if (isset($_GET['q'])) {
-    // This is a request with a ?q=foo/bar query string. $_GET['q'] is
-    // overwritten in drupal_path_initialize(), but request_path() is called
-    // very early in the bootstrap process, so the original value is saved in
-    // $path and returned in later calls.
-    $path = $_GET['q'];
-  }
-  elseif (isset($_SERVER['REQUEST_URI'])) {
-    // This request is either a clean URL, or 'index.php', or nonsense.
-    // Extract the path from REQUEST_URI.
-    $request_path = strtok($_SERVER['REQUEST_URI'], '?');
-    $base_path_len = strlen(rtrim(dirname($_SERVER['SCRIPT_NAME']), '\/'));
-    // Unescape and strip $base_path prefix, leaving q without a leading slash.
-    $path = substr(urldecode($request_path), $base_path_len + 1);
-    // If the path equals the script filename, either because 'index.php' was
-    // explicitly provided in the URL, or because the server added it to
-    // $_SERVER['REQUEST_URI'] even when it wasn't provided in the URL (some
-    // versions of Microsoft IIS do this), the front page should be served.
-    if ($path == basename($_SERVER['PHP_SELF'])) {
-      $path = '';
-    }
-  }
-  else {
-    // This is the front page.
-    $path = '';
-  }
-
-  // Under certain conditions Apache's RewriteRule directive prepends the value
-  // assigned to $_GET['q'] with a slash. Moreover we can always have a trailing
-  // slash in place, hence we need to normalize $_GET['q'].
-  $path = trim($path, '/');
-
-  return $path;
+  return request()->requestPath();
 }
 
 /**
  * Returns a component of the current Drupal path.
  *
- * When viewing a page at the path "admin/structure/types", for example, arg(0)
- * returns "admin", arg(1) returns "structure", and arg(2) returns "types".
- *
- * Avoid use of this function where possible, as resulting code is hard to
- * read. In menu callback functions, attempt to use named arguments. See the
- * explanation in menu.inc for how to construct callbacks that take arguments.
- * When attempting to use this function to load an element from the current
- * path, e.g. loading the node on a node page, use menu_get_object() instead.
- *
- * @param $index
- *   The index of the component, where each component is separated by a '/'
- *   (forward-slash), and where the first component has an index of 0 (zero).
- * @param $path
- *   A path to break into components. Defaults to the path of the current page.
+ * @deprecated
+ *   Do not use this function.  It is provided for temporary backward
+ *   compatibility only.  Instead, use the request object directly.
  *
  * @return
  *   The component specified by $index, or NULL if the specified component was
- *   not found. If called without arguments, it returns an array containing all
- *   the components of the current path.
+ *   not found.
  */
 function arg($index = NULL, $path = NULL) {
-  // Even though $arguments doesn't need to be resettable for any functional
-  // reasons (the result of explode() does not depend on any run-time
-  // information), it should be resettable anyway in case a module needs to
-  // free up the memory used by it.
-  // Use the advanced drupal_static() pattern, since this is called very often.
-  static $drupal_static_fast;
-  if (!isset($drupal_static_fast)) {
-    $drupal_static_fast['arguments'] = &drupal_static(__FUNCTION__);
-  }
-  $arguments = &$drupal_static_fast['arguments'];
-
-  if (!isset($path)) {
-    $path = $_GET['q'];
-  }
-  if (!isset($arguments[$path])) {
-    $arguments[$path] = explode('/', $path);
-  }
-  if (!isset($index)) {
-    return $arguments[$path];
-  }
-  if (isset($arguments[$path][$index])) {
-    return $arguments[$path][$index];
-  }
+  return request()->pathElement($index);
 }
 
 /**
  * Returns the IP address of the client machine.
  *
- * If Drupal is behind a reverse proxy, we use the X-Forwarded-For header
- * instead of $_SERVER['REMOTE_ADDR'], which would be the IP address of
- * the proxy server, and not the client's. The actual header name can be
- * configured by the reverse_proxy_header variable.
+ * @deprecated
+ *   Do not use this function.  It is provided for temporary backward
+ *   compatibility only.  Instead, use the request object directly.
  *
  * @return
  *   IP address of client machine, adjusted for reverse proxy and/or cluster
  *   environments.
+ *
+ * @see Symfony\Component\HttpFoundation\Request::getClientIp()
  */
 function ip_address() {
-  $ip_address = &drupal_static(__FUNCTION__);
-
-  if (!isset($ip_address)) {
-    $ip_address = $_SERVER['REMOTE_ADDR'];
-
-    if (variable_get('reverse_proxy', 0)) {
-      $reverse_proxy_header = variable_get('reverse_proxy_header', 'HTTP_X_FORWARDED_FOR');
-      if (!empty($_SERVER[$reverse_proxy_header])) {
-        // If an array of known reverse proxy IPs is provided, then trust
-        // the XFF header if request really comes from one of them.
-        $reverse_proxy_addresses = variable_get('reverse_proxy_addresses', array());
-
-        // Turn XFF header into an array.
-        $forwarded = explode(',', $_SERVER[$reverse_proxy_header]);
-
-        // Trim the forwarded IPs; they may have been delimited by commas and spaces.
-        $forwarded = array_map('trim', $forwarded);
-
-        // Tack direct client IP onto end of forwarded array.
-        $forwarded[] = $ip_address;
-
-        // Eliminate all trusted IPs.
-        $untrusted = array_diff($forwarded, $reverse_proxy_addresses);
-
-        // The right-most IP is the most specific we can trust.
-        $ip_address = array_pop($untrusted);
-      }
-    }
-  }
-
-  return $ip_address;
+  return request()->getClientIp(variable_get('reverse_proxy', 0));
 }
 
 /**
@@ -2958,7 +2872,7 @@ class SchemaCache extends DrupalCacheArray {
    */
   public function __construct() {
     // Cache by request method.
-    parent::__construct('schema:runtime:' . ($_SERVER['REQUEST_METHOD'] == 'GET'), 'cache');
+    parent::__construct('schema:runtime:' . (request()->server->get('REQUEST_METHOD') == 'GET'), 'cache');
   }
 
   /**
@@ -3392,7 +3306,7 @@ function drupal_static_reset($name = NULL) {
  * Detects whether the current script is running in a command-line environment.
  */
 function drupal_is_cli() {
-  return (!isset($_SERVER['SERVER_SOFTWARE']) && (php_sapi_name() == 'cli' || (is_numeric($_SERVER['argc']) && $_SERVER['argc'] > 0)));
+  return (!request()->server->has('SERVER_SOFTWARE') && (php_sapi_name() == 'cli' || (is_numeric(request()->server->get('argc')) && request()->server->get('argc') > 0)));
 }
 
 /**
diff --git a/core/includes/common.inc b/core/includes/common.inc
index 9c65647..56bb81e 100644
--- a/core/includes/common.inc
+++ b/core/includes/common.inc
@@ -2344,7 +2344,7 @@ function l($text, $path, array $options = array()) {
   );
 
   // Append active class.
-  if (($path == $_GET['q'] || ($path == '<front>' && drupal_is_front_page())) &&
+  if (($path == request()->systemPath() || ($path == '<front>' && drupal_is_front_page())) &&
       (empty($options['language']) || $options['language']->langcode == $language_url->langcode)) {
     $options['attributes']['class'][] = 'active';
   }
diff --git a/core/includes/form.inc b/core/includes/form.inc
index 85bffc6..6dea16c 100644
--- a/core/includes/form.inc
+++ b/core/includes/form.inc
@@ -1238,7 +1238,7 @@ function drupal_redirect_form($form_state) {
         $function($form_state['redirect']);
       }
     }
-    drupal_goto($_GET['q']);
+    drupal_goto(request()->systemPath());
   }
 }
 
diff --git a/core/includes/locale.inc b/core/includes/locale.inc
index ab11d31..49355a4 100644
--- a/core/includes/locale.inc
+++ b/core/includes/locale.inc
@@ -272,7 +272,12 @@ function locale_language_from_url($languages) {
     case LANGUAGE_NEGOTIATION_URL_PREFIX:
       // $_GET['q'] might not be available at this time, because
       // path initialization runs after the language bootstrap phase.
-      list($language, $_GET['q']) = language_url_split_prefix(isset($_GET['q']) ? $_GET['q'] : NULL, $languages);
+      $path = request()->systemPath();
+      list($language, $path) = language_url_split_prefix($path, $languages);
+      if (empty($path)) {
+        $path = variable_get('site_frontpage', 'user');
+      }
+      request()->setSystemPath($path);
       if ($language !== FALSE) {
         $language_url = $language->langcode;
       }
diff --git a/core/includes/menu.inc b/core/includes/menu.inc
index 0ab3d8c..85c6ed9 100644
--- a/core/includes/menu.inc
+++ b/core/includes/menu.inc
@@ -434,7 +434,7 @@ function menu_set_item($path, $router_item) {
 function menu_get_item($path = NULL, $router_item = NULL) {
   $router_items = &drupal_static(__FUNCTION__);
   if (!isset($path)) {
-    $path = $_GET['q'];
+    $path = request()->systemPath();
   }
   if (isset($router_item)) {
     $router_items[$path] = $router_item;
@@ -445,7 +445,7 @@ function menu_get_item($path = NULL, $router_item = NULL) {
     if (variable_get('menu_rebuild_needed', FALSE) || !variable_get('menu_masks', array())) {
       menu_rebuild();
     }
-    $original_map = arg(NULL, $path);
+    $original_map = explode('/', $path);
 
     $parts = array_slice($original_map, 0, MENU_MAX_PARTS);
     $ancestors = menu_get_ancestors($parts);
@@ -491,7 +491,7 @@ function menu_execute_active_handler($path = NULL, $deliver = TRUE) {
   // Allow other modules to change the site status but not the path because that
   // would not change the global variable. hook_url_inbound_alter() can be used
   // to change the path. Code later will not use the $read_only_path variable.
-  $read_only_path = !empty($path) ? $path : $_GET['q'];
+  $read_only_path = !empty($path) ? $path : request()->systemPath();
   drupal_alter('menu_site_status', $page_callback_result, $read_only_path);
 
   // Only continue if the site status is not set.
@@ -1697,7 +1697,7 @@ function menu_get_active_help() {
     return '';
   }
 
-  $arg = drupal_help_arg(arg(NULL));
+  $arg = drupal_help_arg(explode('/', request()->systemPath()));
 
   foreach (module_implements('help') as $module) {
     $function = $module . '_help';
@@ -2291,7 +2291,7 @@ function menu_get_active_menu_names() {
  *   A Drupal path - not a path alias.
  */
 function menu_set_active_item($path) {
-  $_GET['q'] = $path;
+  request()->setSystemPath($path);
 }
 
 /**
diff --git a/core/includes/path.inc b/core/includes/path.inc
index b49d42b..cb1af95 100644
--- a/core/includes/path.inc
+++ b/core/includes/path.inc
@@ -13,12 +13,7 @@
  * Initialize the $_GET['q'] variable to the proper normal path.
  */
 function drupal_path_initialize() {
-  // Ensure $_GET['q'] is set before calling drupal_normal_path(), to support
-  // path caching with hook_url_inbound_alter().
-  if (empty($_GET['q'])) {
-    $_GET['q'] = variable_get('site_frontpage', 'user');
-  }
-  $_GET['q'] = drupal_get_normal_path($_GET['q']);
+  request()->setSystemPath(drupal_get_normal_path(request()->systemPath()));
 }
 
 /**
@@ -235,7 +230,7 @@ function drupal_cache_system_paths() {
 function drupal_get_path_alias($path = NULL, $langcode = NULL) {
   // If no path is specified, use the current page's path.
   if ($path == NULL) {
-    $path = $_GET['q'];
+    $path = request()->systemPath();
   }
   $result = $path;
   if ($alias = drupal_lookup_path('alias', $path, $langcode)) {
@@ -292,7 +287,7 @@ function drupal_is_front_page() {
   if (!isset($is_front_page)) {
     // As drupal_path_initialize updates $_GET['q'] with the 'site_frontpage' path,
     // we can check it against the 'site_frontpage' variable.
-    $is_front_page = ($_GET['q'] == variable_get('site_frontpage', 'user'));
+    $is_front_page = (request()->systemPath() == variable_get('site_frontpage', 'user'));
   }
 
   return $is_front_page;
@@ -349,10 +344,14 @@ function drupal_match_path($path, $patterns) {
  * @return
  *   The current Drupal URL path.
  *
+ * @deprecated
+ *   Do not use this function.  It is provided for temporary backward
+ *   compatibility only.  Instead, use the request object directly.
+ *
  * @see request_path()
  */
 function current_path() {
-  return $_GET['q'];
+  return request()->systemPath();
 }
 
 /**
diff --git a/core/includes/theme.inc b/core/includes/theme.inc
index 9ce9289..6469931 100644
--- a/core/includes/theme.inc
+++ b/core/includes/theme.inc
@@ -1727,7 +1727,7 @@ function theme_links($variables) {
 
       // Handle links.
       if (isset($link['href'])) {
-        $is_current_path = ($link['href'] == $_GET['q'] || ($link['href'] == '<front>' && drupal_is_front_page()));
+        $is_current_path = ($link['href'] == request()->systemPath() || ($link['href'] == '<front>' && drupal_is_front_page()));
         $is_current_language = (empty($link['language']) || $link['language']->langcode == $language_url->langcode);
         if ($is_current_path && $is_current_language) {
           $class[] = 'active';
@@ -2479,7 +2479,7 @@ function template_preprocess_html(&$variables) {
   }
 
   // Populate the body classes.
-  if ($suggestions = theme_get_suggestions(arg(), 'page', '-')) {
+  if ($suggestions = theme_get_suggestions(request()->pathElements(), 'page', '-')) {
     foreach ($suggestions as $suggestion) {
       if ($suggestion != 'page-front') {
         // Add current suggestion to page classes to make it possible to theme
@@ -2527,7 +2527,7 @@ function template_preprocess_html(&$variables) {
   $variables['head_title'] = implode(' | ', $head_title);
 
   // Populate the page template suggestions.
-  if ($suggestions = theme_get_suggestions(arg(), 'html')) {
+  if ($suggestions = theme_get_suggestions(request()->pathElements(), 'html')) {
     $variables['theme_hook_suggestions'] = $suggestions;
   }
 }
@@ -2539,9 +2539,6 @@ function template_preprocess_html(&$variables) {
  * inside "modules/system/page.tpl.php". Look in there for the full list of
  * variables.
  *
- * Uses the arg() function to generate a series of page template suggestions
- * based on the current path.
- *
  * Any changes to variables in this preprocessor should also be changed inside
  * template_preprocess_maintenance_page() to keep all of them consistent.
  *
@@ -2586,7 +2583,7 @@ function template_preprocess_page(&$variables) {
   }
 
   // Populate the page template suggestions.
-  if ($suggestions = theme_get_suggestions(arg(), 'page')) {
+  if ($suggestions = theme_get_suggestions(request()->pathElements(), 'page')) {
     $variables['theme_hook_suggestions'] = $suggestions;
   }
 }
@@ -2655,7 +2652,7 @@ function template_process_html(&$variables) {
  * base the additional suggestions on the path of the current page.
  *
  * @param $args
- *   An array of path arguments, such as from function arg().
+ *   An array of path arguments.
  * @param $base
  *   A string identifying the base 'thing' from which more specific suggestions
  *   are derived. For example, 'page' or 'html'.
diff --git a/core/modules/locale/locale.module b/core/modules/locale/locale.module
index d50684e..2f8b754 100644
--- a/core/modules/locale/locale.module
+++ b/core/modules/locale/locale.module
@@ -893,7 +893,7 @@ function locale_block_info() {
  */
 function locale_block_view($type) {
   if (language_multilingual()) {
-    $path = drupal_is_front_page() ? '<front>' : $_GET['q'];
+    $path = drupal_is_front_page() ? '<front>' : request()->systemPath();
     $links = language_negotiation_get_switch_links($type, $path);
 
     if (isset($links->links)) {
diff --git a/core/modules/locale/locale.test b/core/modules/locale/locale.test
index 42a0fbd..d66a546 100644
--- a/core/modules/locale/locale.test
+++ b/core/modules/locale/locale.test
@@ -2333,7 +2333,7 @@ class LocaleUILanguageNegotiationTest extends DrupalWebTestCase {
   }
 
   /**
-   * Tests url() when separate domains are used for multiple languages.
+   * Test if the url function returns the right url when using different domains for different languages.
    */
   function testLanguageDomain() {
     // Add the Italian language.
diff --git a/core/modules/simpletest/simpletest.info b/core/modules/simpletest/simpletest.info
index d518a76..549fef5 100644
--- a/core/modules/simpletest/simpletest.info
+++ b/core/modules/simpletest/simpletest.info
@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@ files[] = tests/pager.test
 files[] = tests/password.test
 files[] = tests/path.test
 files[] = tests/registry.test
+files[] = tests/request.test
 files[] = tests/schema.test
 files[] = tests/session.test
 files[] = tests/symfony.test
diff --git a/core/modules/simpletest/tests/bootstrap.test b/core/modules/simpletest/tests/bootstrap.test
index 13fdf07..607e21b 100644
--- a/core/modules/simpletest/tests/bootstrap.test
+++ b/core/modules/simpletest/tests/bootstrap.test
@@ -494,16 +494,15 @@ class BootstrapOverrideServerVariablesTestCase extends DrupalUnitTestCase {
     foreach ($tests as $url => $expected_server_values) {
       // Remember the original value of $_SERVER, since the function call below
       // will modify it.
-      $original_server = $_SERVER;
+      $original_server = request()->server->all();
       // Call drupal_override_server_variables() and ensure that all expected
       // $_SERVER variables were modified correctly.
       drupal_override_server_variables(array('url' => $url));
       foreach ($expected_server_values as $key => $value) {
-        $this->assertIdentical($_SERVER[$key], $value);
+        $this->assertIdentical(request()->server->get($key), $value);
       }
       // Restore the original value of $_SERVER.
-      $_SERVER = $original_server;
+      request()->server->replace($original_server);
     }
   }
 }
-
diff --git a/core/modules/simpletest/tests/form_test.module b/core/modules/simpletest/tests/form_test.module
index e1e2435..28ba566 100644
--- a/core/modules/simpletest/tests/form_test.module
+++ b/core/modules/simpletest/tests/form_test.module
@@ -1526,7 +1526,7 @@ function form_test_clicked_button($form, &$form_state) {
   // 'image_button', and a 'button' with #access=FALSE. This enables form.test
   // to test a variety of combinations.
   $i=0;
-  $args = array_slice(arg(), 2);
+  $args = array_slice(request()->pathElements(), 2);
   foreach ($args as $arg) {
     $name = 'button' . ++$i;
     // 's', 'b', or 'i' in the argument define the button type wanted.
diff --git a/core/modules/simpletest/tests/menu.test b/core/modules/simpletest/tests/menu.test
index 5a173b1..5630ff4 100644
--- a/core/modules/simpletest/tests/menu.test
+++ b/core/modules/simpletest/tests/menu.test
@@ -236,15 +236,15 @@ class MenuRouterTestCase extends DrupalWebTestCase {
 
   /**
    * Test that an authenticated user hitting 'user/login' gets redirected to
-   * 'user' and 'user/register' gets redirected to the user edit page.
+   * 'user/uid' and 'user/register' gets redirected to the user edit page.
    */
   function testAuthUserUserLogin() {
     $loggedInUser = $this->drupalCreateUser(array());
     $this->drupalLogin($loggedInUser);
 
     $this->DrupalGet('user/login');
-    // Check that we got to 'user'.
-    $this->assertTrue($this->url == url('user', array('absolute' => TRUE)), t("Logged-in user redirected to q=user on accessing q=user/login"));
+    // Check that we got to 'user/uid'.
+    $this->assertTrue($this->url == url('user/' . $this->loggedInUser->uid, array('absolute' => TRUE)), t("Logged-in user redirected to q=user/" . $this->loggedInUser->uid . " on accessing q=user/login"));
 
     // user/register should redirect to user/UID/edit.
     $this->DrupalGet('user/register');
diff --git a/core/modules/simpletest/tests/theme.test b/core/modules/simpletest/tests/theme.test
index cf75885..8fd2dc6 100644
--- a/core/modules/simpletest/tests/theme.test
+++ b/core/modules/simpletest/tests/theme.test
@@ -296,7 +296,7 @@ class ThemeFunctionsTestCase extends DrupalWebTestCase {
     // Required to verify the "active" class in expected links below, and
     // because the current path is different when running tests manually via
     // simpletest.module ('batch') and via the testing framework ('').
-    $_GET['q'] = variable_get('site_frontpage', 'user');
+    request()->setSystemPath(variable_get('site_frontpage', 'user'));
 
     // Verify that a list of links is properly rendered.
     $variables = array();
diff --git a/core/modules/system/system.admin.inc b/core/modules/system/system.admin.inc
index d28ecfb..00c4c41 100644
--- a/core/modules/system/system.admin.inc
+++ b/core/modules/system/system.admin.inc
@@ -428,13 +428,15 @@ function system_theme_settings($form, &$form_state, $key = '') {
     $form['logo'] = array(
       '#type' => 'fieldset',
       '#title' => t('Logo image settings'),
+      '#description' => t('If toggled on, the following logo will be displayed.'),
       '#attributes' => array('class' => array('theme-settings-bottom')),
     );
     $form['logo']['default_logo'] = array(
       '#type' => 'checkbox',
-      '#title' => t('Use the default logo supplied by the theme'),
+      '#title' => t('Use the default logo'),
       '#default_value' => theme_get_setting('default_logo', $key),
       '#tree' => FALSE,
+      '#description' => t('Check here if you want the theme to use the logo supplied with it.')
     );
     $form['logo']['settings'] = array(
       '#type' => 'container',
@@ -445,10 +447,17 @@ function system_theme_settings($form, &$form_state, $key = '') {
         ),
       ),
     );
+    $logo_path = theme_get_setting('logo_path', $key);
+    // If $logo_path is a public:// URI, display the path relative to the files
+    // directory; stream wrappers are not end-user friendly.
+    if (file_uri_scheme($logo_path) == 'public') {
+      $logo_path = file_uri_target($logo_path);
+    }
     $form['logo']['settings']['logo_path'] = array(
       '#type' => 'textfield',
       '#title' => t('Path to custom logo'),
-      '#default_value' => theme_get_setting('logo_path', $key),
+      '#default_value' => $logo_path,
+      '#description' => t('The path to the file you would like to use as your logo file instead of the default logo.'),
     );
     $form['logo']['settings']['logo_upload'] = array(
       '#type' => 'file',
@@ -466,8 +475,9 @@ function system_theme_settings($form, &$form_state, $key = '') {
     );
     $form['favicon']['default_favicon'] = array(
       '#type' => 'checkbox',
-      '#title' => t('Use the default shortcut icon supplied by the theme'),
+      '#title' => t('Use the default shortcut icon.'),
       '#default_value' => theme_get_setting('default_favicon', $key),
+      '#description' => t('Check here if you want the theme to use the default shortcut icon.')
     );
     $form['favicon']['settings'] = array(
       '#type' => 'container',
@@ -478,10 +488,17 @@ function system_theme_settings($form, &$form_state, $key = '') {
         ),
       ),
     );
+    $favicon_path = theme_get_setting('favicon_path', $key);
+    // If $favicon_path is a public:// URI, display the path relative to the
+    // files directory; stream wrappers are not end-user friendly.
+    if (file_uri_scheme($favicon_path) == 'public') {
+      $favicon_path = file_uri_target($favicon_path);
+    }
     $form['favicon']['settings']['favicon_path'] = array(
       '#type' => 'textfield',
       '#title' => t('Path to custom icon'),
-      '#default_value' => theme_get_setting('favicon_path', $key),
+      '#default_value' => $favicon_path,
+      '#description' => t('The path to the image file you would like to use as your custom shortcut icon.')
     );
     $form['favicon']['settings']['favicon_upload'] = array(
       '#type' => 'file',
@@ -490,40 +507,6 @@ function system_theme_settings($form, &$form_state, $key = '') {
     );
   }
 
-  // Inject human-friendly values and form element descriptions for logo and
-  // favicon.
-  foreach (array('logo' => 'logo.png', 'favicon' => 'favicon.ico') as $type => $default) {
-    if (isset($form[$type]['settings'][$type . '_path'])) {
-      $element = &$form[$type]['settings'][$type . '_path'];
-
-      // If path is a public:// URI, display the path relative to the files
-      // directory; stream wrappers are not end-user friendly.
-      $original_path = $element['#default_value'];
-      $friendly_path = NULL;
-      if (file_uri_scheme($original_path) == 'public') {
-        $friendly_path = file_uri_target($original_path);
-        $element['#default_value'] = $friendly_path;
-      }
-
-      // Prepare local file path for description.
-      if ($original_path && isset($friendly_path)) {
-        $local_file = strtr($original_path, array('public:/' => variable_get('file_public_path', conf_path() . '/files')));
-      }
-      elseif ($key) {
-        $local_file = drupal_get_path('theme', $key) . '/' . $default;
-      }
-      else {
-        $local_file = path_to_theme() . '/' . $default;
-      }
-
-      $element['#description'] = t('Examples: <code>@implicit-public-file</code> (for a file in the public filesystem), <code>@explicit-file</code>, or <code>@local-file</code>.', array(
-        '@implicit-public-file' => isset($friendly_path) ? $friendly_path : $default,
-        '@explicit-file' => file_uri_scheme($original_path) !== FALSE ? $original_path : 'public://' . $default,
-        '@local-file' => $local_file,
-      ));
-    }
-  }
-
   if ($key) {
     // Call engine-specific settings.
     $function = $themes[$key]->prefix . '_engine_settings';
@@ -651,20 +634,13 @@ function system_theme_settings_validate($form, &$form_state) {
  *   the path could not be validated.
  */
 function _system_theme_settings_validate_path($path) {
-  // Absolute local file paths are invalid.
-  if (drupal_realpath($path) == $path) {
-    return FALSE;
-  }
-  // A path relative to the Drupal root or a fully qualified URI is valid.
-  if (is_file($path)) {
+  if (drupal_realpath($path)) {
+    // The path is relative to the Drupal root, or is a valid URI.
     return $path;
   }
-  // Prepend 'public://' for relative file paths within public filesystem.
-  if (file_uri_scheme($path) === FALSE) {
-    $path = 'public://' . $path;
-  }
-  if (is_file($path)) {
-    return $path;
+  $uri = 'public://' . $path;
+  if (file_exists($uri)) {
+    return $uri;
   }
   return FALSE;
 }
diff --git a/core/modules/system/system.test b/core/modules/system/system.test
index 3a9adcb..cd309c8 100644
--- a/core/modules/system/system.test
+++ b/core/modules/system/system.test
@@ -1587,8 +1587,6 @@ class SystemMainContentFallback extends DrupalWebTestCase {
  * Tests for the theme interface functionality.
  */
 class SystemThemeFunctionalTest extends DrupalWebTestCase {
-  protected $profile = 'testing';
-
   public static function getInfo() {
     return array(
       'name' => 'Theme interface functionality',
@@ -1598,9 +1596,7 @@ class SystemThemeFunctionalTest extends DrupalWebTestCase {
   }
 
   function setUp() {
-    parent::setUp(array('node', 'block'));
-
-    $this->drupalCreateContentType(array('type' => 'page', 'name' => 'Basic page'));
+    parent::setUp();
 
     $this->admin_user = $this->drupalCreateUser(array('access administration pages', 'view the administration theme', 'administer themes', 'bypass node access', 'administer blocks'));
     $this->drupalLogin($this->admin_user);
@@ -1613,127 +1609,26 @@ class SystemThemeFunctionalTest extends DrupalWebTestCase {
   function testThemeSettings() {
     // Specify a filesystem path to be used for the logo.
     $file = current($this->drupalGetTestFiles('image'));
-    $file_relative = strtr($file->uri, array('public:/' => variable_get('file_public_path', conf_path() . '/files')));
-    $default_theme_path = 'core/themes/stark';
-
-    $supported_paths = array(
-      // Raw stream wrapper URI.
-      $file->uri => array(
-        'form' => file_uri_target($file->uri),
-        'src' => file_create_url($file->uri),
-      ),
-      // Relative path within the public filesystem.
-      file_uri_target($file->uri) => array(
-        'form' => file_uri_target($file->uri),
-        'src' => file_create_url($file->uri),
-      ),
-      // Relative path to a public file.
-      $file_relative => array(
-        'form' => $file_relative,
-        'src' => file_create_url($file->uri),
-      ),
-      // Relative path to an arbitrary file.
-      'core/misc/druplicon.png' => array(
-        'form' => 'core/misc/druplicon.png',
-        'src' => $GLOBALS['base_url'] . '/' . 'core/misc/druplicon.png',
-      ),
-      // Relative path to a file in a theme.
-      $default_theme_path . '/logo.png' => array(
-        'form' => $default_theme_path . '/logo.png',
-        'src' => $GLOBALS['base_url'] . '/' . $default_theme_path . '/logo.png',
-      ),
-    );
-    foreach ($supported_paths as $input => $expected) {
-      $edit = array(
-        'default_logo' => FALSE,
-        'logo_path' => $input,
-      );
-      $this->drupalPost('admin/appearance/settings', $edit, t('Save configuration'));
-      $this->assertNoText('The custom logo path is invalid.');
-      $this->assertFieldByName('logo_path', $expected['form']);
-
-      // Verify logo path examples.
-      $elements = $this->xpath('//div[contains(@class, :item)]/div[@class=:description]/code', array(
-        ':item' => 'form-item-logo-path',
-        ':description' => 'description',
-      ));
-      // Expected default values (if all else fails).
-      $implicit_public_file = 'logo.png';
-      $explicit_file = 'public://logo.png';
-      $local_file = $default_theme_path . '/logo.png';
-      // Adjust for fully qualified stream wrapper URI in public filesystem.
-      if (file_uri_scheme($input) == 'public') {
-        $implicit_public_file = file_uri_target($input);
-        $explicit_file = $input;
-        $local_file = strtr($input, array('public:/' => variable_get('file_public_path', conf_path() . '/files')));
-      }
-      // Adjust for fully qualified stream wrapper URI elsewhere.
-      elseif (file_uri_scheme($input) !== FALSE) {
-        $explicit_file = $input;
-      }
-      // Adjust for relative path within public filesystem.
-      elseif ($input == file_uri_target($file->uri)) {
-        $implicit_public_file = $input;
-        $explicit_file = 'public://' . $input;
-        $local_file = variable_get('file_public_path', conf_path() . '/files') . '/' . $input;
-      }
-      $this->assertEqual((string) $elements[0], $implicit_public_file);
-      $this->assertEqual((string) $elements[1], $explicit_file);
-      $this->assertEqual((string) $elements[2], $local_file);
-
-      // Verify the actual 'src' attribute of the logo being output.
-      $this->drupalGet('');
-      $elements = $this->xpath('//*[@id=:id]/img', array(':id' => 'logo'));
-      $this->assertEqual((string) $elements[0]['src'], $expected['src']);
-    }
-
-    $unsupported_paths = array(
-      // Stream wrapper URI to non-existing file.
-      'public://whatever.png',
-      'private://whatever.png',
-      'temporary://whatever.png',
-      // Bogus stream wrapper URIs.
-      'public:/whatever.png',
-      '://whatever.png',
-      ':whatever.png',
-      'public://',
-      // Relative path within the public filesystem to non-existing file.
-      'whatever.png',
-      // Relative path to non-existing file in public filesystem.
-      variable_get('file_public_path', conf_path() . '/files') . '/whatever.png',
-      // Semi-absolute path to non-existing file in public filesystem.
-      '/' . variable_get('file_public_path', conf_path() . '/files') . '/whatever.png',
-      // Relative path to arbitrary non-existing file.
-      'core/misc/whatever.png',
-      // Semi-absolute path to arbitrary non-existing file.
-      '/core/misc/whatever.png',
-      // Absolute paths to any local file (even if it exists).
-      drupal_realpath($file->uri),
+    $fullpath = drupal_realpath($file->uri);
+    $edit = array(
+      'default_logo' => FALSE,
+      'logo_path' => $fullpath,
     );
-    $this->drupalGet('admin/appearance/settings');
-    foreach ($unsupported_paths as $path) {
-      $edit = array(
-        'default_logo' => FALSE,
-        'logo_path' => $path,
-      );
-      $this->drupalPost(NULL, $edit, t('Save configuration'));
-      $this->assertText('The custom logo path is invalid.');
-    }
+    $this->drupalPost('admin/appearance/settings', $edit, t('Save configuration'));
+    $this->drupalGet('node');
+    $this->assertRaw($fullpath, t('Logo path successfully changed.'));
 
     // Upload a file to use for the logo.
+    $file = current($this->drupalGetTestFiles('image'));
     $edit = array(
       'default_logo' => FALSE,
       'logo_path' => '',
       'files[logo_upload]' => drupal_realpath($file->uri),
     );
-    $this->drupalPost('admin/appearance/settings', $edit, t('Save configuration'));
-
-    $fields = $this->xpath($this->constructFieldXpath('name', 'logo_path'));
-    $uploaded_filename = 'public://' . $fields[0]['value'];
-
-    $this->drupalGet('');
-    $elements = $this->xpath('//*[@id=:id]/img', array(':id' => 'logo'));
-    $this->assertEqual($elements[0]['src'], file_create_url($uploaded_filename));
+    $options = array();
+    $this->drupalPost('admin/appearance/settings', $edit, t('Save configuration'), $options);
+    $this->drupalGet('node');
+    $this->assertRaw($file->name, t('Logo file successfully uploaded.'));
   }
 
   /**
@@ -1792,20 +1687,20 @@ class SystemThemeFunctionalTest extends DrupalWebTestCase {
    * Test switching the default theme.
    */
   function testSwitchDefaultTheme() {
-    // Enable Bartik and set it as the default theme.
-    theme_enable(array('bartik'));
+    // Enable "stark" and set it as the default theme.
+    theme_enable(array('stark'));
     $this->drupalGet('admin/appearance');
-    $this->clickLink(t('Set default'));
-    $this->assertEqual(variable_get('theme_default', ''), 'bartik');
+    $this->clickLink(t('Set default'), 1);
+    $this->assertTrue(variable_get('theme_default', '') == 'stark', t('Site default theme switched successfully.'));
 
     // Test the default theme on the secondary links (blocks admin page).
     $this->drupalGet('admin/structure/block');
-    $this->assertText('Bartik(' . t('active tab') . ')', t('Default local task on blocks admin page is the default theme.'));
-    // Switch back to Stark and test again to test that the menu cache is cleared.
+    $this->assertText('Stark(' . t('active tab') . ')', t('Default local task on blocks admin page is the default theme.'));
+    // Switch back to Bartik and test again to test that the menu cache is cleared.
     $this->drupalGet('admin/appearance');
     $this->clickLink(t('Set default'), 0);
     $this->drupalGet('admin/structure/block');
-    $this->assertText('Stark(' . t('active tab') . ')', t('Default local task on blocks admin page has changed.'));
+    $this->assertText('Bartik(' . t('active tab') . ')', t('Default local task on blocks admin page has changed.'));
   }
 }
 
diff --git a/core/modules/user/user.pages.inc b/core/modules/user/user.pages.inc
index 8239c53..f020d75 100644
--- a/core/modules/user/user.pages.inc
+++ b/core/modules/user/user.pages.inc
@@ -504,8 +504,7 @@ function user_cancel_confirm($account, $timestamp = 0, $hashed_pass = '') {
 function user_page() {
   global $user;
   if ($user->uid) {
-    menu_set_active_item('user/' . $user->uid);
-    return menu_execute_active_handler(NULL, FALSE);
+    drupal_goto('user/' . $user->uid);
   }
   else {
     return drupal_get_form('user_login');