diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 8b4c981..eeb8b1a 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -4,9 +4,12 @@ bin/id
 bin/lowercase
 bin/nonzero
 bin/nutshell
+bin/rldecode
+bin/rlencode
 bin/roll
 bin/simexec
 bin/sleep
+bin/str
 bin/streq
 bin/sysexits
 build/*
diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 359c2e6..9b2f657 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -86,8 +86,15 @@ roll.o: lib/libio.h src/roll.c sysexits
 roll: libio sysexits roll.o
 	$(CC) $(CFLAGS) -o bin/roll build/libio.o build/roll.o
 
-runlength: sysexits src/runlength.c usefulmacros
-	$(CC) $(CFLAGS) -o bin/runlength src/runlength.c
+rldecode.o: sysexits src/runlength.c
+	$(CC) $(CFLAGS) -Df=decode -c -o build/rldecode.o src/runlength.c
+
+rlencode.o: sysexits src/runlength.c
+	$(CC) $(CFLAGS) -Df=encode -c -o build/rlencode.o src/runlength.c
+
+runlength: rldecode.o rlencode.o
+	$(CC) $(CFLAGS) -o bin/rldecode build/rldecode.o
+	$(CC) $(CFLAGS) -o bin/rlencode build/rlencode.o
 
 simexec.o: libio sysexits src/simexec.c
 	$(CC) $(CFLAGS) -c -o build/simexec.o src/simexec.c
diff --git a/src/runlength.c b/src/runlength.c
index 532f046..137651a 100644
--- a/src/runlength.c
+++ b/src/runlength.c
@@ -2,8 +2,6 @@
 #include <stdio.h> /* fprintf(3), getc(3), putc(3) */
 #include <stdlib.h> /* stdin, stderr, stdout */
 #include <sysexits.h> /* EX_DATAERR, EX_OK */
-#include <unistd.h> /* for noargvzero.h */
-#include "noargvzero.h"
 
 /* Unicode compatibility coming someday */
 #define GETC getc
@@ -15,7 +13,7 @@
 /* if(STRICT) just print it out */
 #define STRICT 0
 
-int decode(FILE *input, FILE *output){
+static int decode(FILE *input, FILE *output){
 	int c[2];
 	unsigned int num;
 	enum{NUMBER_PARSING = 1} state;
@@ -43,10 +41,10 @@ int decode(FILE *input, FILE *output){
 			c[0] = c[1];
 		}
 
-	if(state == NUMBER_PARSING && !STRICT){
+	if(state == NUMBER_PARSING && !STRICT)
 		/* it doesn't make sense to put this in a loop */
-		PUTC(c[0], output); PUTC(c[0], output);
-	}else if(state == NUMBER_PARSING)
+		{ PUTC(c[0], output); PUTC(c[0], output); }
+	else if(state == NUMBER_PARSING)
 		return EX_DATAERR;
 	else if(c[0] != EOF)
 		PUTC(c[0], output);
@@ -54,7 +52,7 @@ int decode(FILE *input, FILE *output){
 	return EX_OK;
 }
 
-int encode(FILE *input, FILE *output){
+static int encode(FILE *input, FILE *output){
 	int c[2];
 	unsigned int num;
 	enum{COUNTING = 1} state;
@@ -89,32 +87,21 @@ next:			if(c[1] == EOF)
 		}
 }
 
-int (*procedures[2])(FILE *input, FILE *output) = {decode, encode};
-
-/* this is inelegant */
-char procedure_names[2][7] = {"decode", "encode"};
-
 int main(int argc, char *argv[]){
-	int i;
-	enum{DECODE = 0, ENCODE = 1, INVALID = 2} procedure;
-	procedure = 0;
-	int retval;
+	int r;
 
-	NOARGVZERO(argv);
-
-	if(argc != 2){
-usage:		fprintf(stderr, "Usage: %s {decode,encode}\n", argv[0]);
+	if(argc != 1){
+		fprintf(stderr,
+			"Usage: %s\n",
+			argv[0] == NULL ?
+				(f == decode ? "decode" : "encode")
+			: argv[0]
+		);
 		return EX_USAGE;
 	}
 
-	/* imperfect */
-	for(i = 0; argv[1][i] != '\0' || procedure_names[procedure][i] != '\0'; ++i)
-		if(argv[1][i] != procedure_names[procedure][i])
-			if(++procedure == INVALID)
-				goto usage;
-
-	if((retval = procedures[procedure](stdin, stdout)) == EX_DATAERR)
+	if((r = f(stdin, stdout)) == EX_DATAERR)
 		fprintf(stderr, "%s: syntax error.\n", argv[0]);
 
-	return retval;
+	return r;
 }