diff --git a/src/buffer/length.rs b/src/buffer/length.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e198377
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/buffer/length.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,93 @@
+use core::fmt::{self, Debug, Display};
+use core::cmp::Ordering;
+
+#[derive(Clone, Copy, Debug, Hash)]
+pub enum Length {
+    Unbounded,
+    Bounded(usize),
+}
+
+impl Length {
+    pub fn try_len(&self) -> Option<usize> {
+        match *self {
+            Length::Unbounded => None,
+            Length::Bounded(n) => Some(n),
+        }
+    }
+
+    pub unsafe fn len(&self) -> usize {
+        match *self {
+            Length::Unbounded => {
+                panic!("attempt to convert `Length::Unbounded` to `usize`")
+            }
+            Length::Bounded(n) => n,
+        }
+    }
+
+    pub fn is_bounded(&self) -> bool {
+        match *self {
+            Length::Unbounded => false,
+            Length::Bounded(_) => true,
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+impl Display for Length {
+    fn fmt(&self, f: &mut fmt::Formatter) -> fmt::Result {
+        Debug::fmt(self, f)
+    }
+}
+
+impl PartialEq for Length {
+    fn eq(&self, rhs: &Length) -> bool {
+        match (*self, *rhs) {
+            (Length::Unbounded, _) => false,
+            (_, Length::Unbounded) => false,
+            (Length::Bounded(a), Length::Bounded(ref b)) => a.eq(b),
+        }
+    }
+
+    fn ne(&self, rhs: &Length) -> bool {
+        match (*self, *rhs) {
+            (Length::Unbounded, _) => false,
+            (_, Length::Unbounded) => false,
+            (Length::Bounded(a), Length::Bounded(ref b)) => a.ne(b),
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+impl PartialEq<usize> for Length {
+    fn eq(&self, rhs: &usize) -> bool {
+        match *self {
+            Length::Unbounded => false,
+            Length::Bounded(n) => n.eq(rhs),
+        }
+    }
+
+    fn ne(&self, rhs: &usize) -> bool {
+        match *self {
+            Length::Unbounded => false,
+            Length::Bounded(n) => n.eq(rhs),
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+impl PartialOrd for Length {
+    fn partial_cmp(&self, rhs: &Length) -> Option<Ordering> {
+        match (*self, *rhs) {
+            (Length::Unbounded, Length::Unbounded) => None,
+            (Length::Unbounded, _) => Some(Ordering::Greater),
+            (_, Length::Unbounded) => Some(Ordering::Less),
+            (Length::Bounded(a), Length::Bounded(ref b)) => a.partial_cmp(b),
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+impl PartialOrd<usize> for Length {
+    fn partial_cmp(&self, rhs: &usize) -> Option<Ordering> {
+        match *self {
+            Length::Unbounded => Some(Ordering::Greater),
+            Length::Bounded(n) => n.partial_cmp(rhs),
+        }
+    }
+}
diff --git a/src/buffer/mod.rs b/src/buffer/mod.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..994c540
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/buffer/mod.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,264 @@
+use core::ops::{Deref, DerefMut, Range};
+
+use alloc::Vec;
+use alloc::boxed::Box;
+use alloc::borrow::{Cow, ToOwned};
+
+pub mod length;
+
+use self::length::Length;
+
+pub trait Buffer<T>
+where
+    [T]: ToOwned,
+{
+    fn len(&self) -> Length;
+    fn commit(&mut self, slice: Option<BufferCommit<T>>);
+    unsafe fn slice_unchecked(&self, range: Range<usize>) -> &[T];
+
+    unsafe fn slice_unchecked_mut<'a>(
+        &'a self,
+        range: Range<usize>,
+    ) -> BufferSlice<'a, T> {
+        let index = range.start;
+        let slice = self.slice_unchecked(range);
+        BufferSlice::new(slice, index)
+    }
+
+    fn slice(&self, range: Range<usize>) -> Option<&[T]> {
+        if self.len() >= range.end && self.len() > range.start {
+            unsafe { Some(self.slice_unchecked(range)) }
+        } else {
+            None
+        }
+    }
+
+    fn slice_mut<'a>(
+        &'a mut self,
+        range: Range<usize>,
+    ) -> Option<BufferSlice<'a, T>> {
+        if self.len() >= range.end && self.len() > range.start {
+            unsafe { Some(self.slice_unchecked_mut(range)) }
+        } else {
+            None
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+pub struct BufferSlice<'a, T: 'a>
+where
+    [T]: ToOwned,
+{
+    inner: Cow<'a, [T]>,
+    index: usize,
+}
+
+impl<T> BufferSlice<'static, T>
+where
+    [T]: ToOwned,
+{
+    pub fn with_static(inner: &'static [T]) -> BufferSlice<'static, T> {
+        BufferSlice {
+            inner: Cow::Borrowed(inner),
+            index: 0,
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+impl<'a, T> BufferSlice<'a, T>
+where
+    [T]: ToOwned,
+{
+    pub fn new(inner: &'a [T], index: usize) -> BufferSlice<'a, T> {
+        BufferSlice {
+            inner: Cow::Borrowed(inner),
+            index,
+        }
+    }
+
+    pub fn is_mutated(&self) -> bool {
+        match self.inner {
+            Cow::Borrowed(_) => false,
+            Cow::Owned(_) => true,
+        }
+    }
+
+    #[inline]
+    pub fn at_index(&self) -> usize {
+        self.index
+    }
+}
+
+impl<'a, T> BufferSlice<'a, T>
+where
+    [T]: ToOwned<Owned = Vec<T>>,
+{
+    pub fn commit(self) -> Option<BufferCommit<T>> {
+        if self.is_mutated() {
+            Some(BufferCommit::new(self.inner.into_owned(), self.index))
+        } else {
+            None
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+impl<'a, T> AsRef<[T]> for BufferSlice<'a, T>
+where
+    [T]: ToOwned,
+{
+    fn as_ref(&self) -> &[T] {
+        self.inner.as_ref()
+    }
+}
+
+impl<'a, T> AsMut<[T]> for BufferSlice<'a, T>
+where
+    [T]: ToOwned,
+    <[T] as ToOwned>::Owned: AsMut<[T]>,
+{
+    fn as_mut(&mut self) -> &mut [T] {
+        self.inner.to_mut().as_mut()
+    }
+}
+
+impl<'a, T> Deref for BufferSlice<'a, T>
+where
+    [T]: ToOwned,
+{
+    type Target = [T];
+
+    fn deref(&self) -> &Self::Target {
+        self.as_ref()
+    }
+}
+
+impl<'a, T> DerefMut for BufferSlice<'a, T>
+where
+    [T]: ToOwned,
+    <[T] as ToOwned>::Owned: AsMut<[T]>,
+{
+    fn deref_mut(&mut self) -> &mut Self::Target {
+        self.as_mut()
+    }
+}
+
+pub struct BufferCommit<T> {
+    inner: Vec<T>,
+    index: usize,
+}
+
+impl<T> BufferCommit<T> {
+    pub fn with_vec(inner: Vec<T>) -> BufferCommit<T> {
+        BufferCommit { inner, index: 0 }
+    }
+
+    pub fn new(inner: Vec<T>, index: usize) -> BufferCommit<T> {
+        BufferCommit { inner, index }
+    }
+
+    pub fn into_inner(self) -> Vec<T> {
+        self.inner
+    }
+
+    #[inline]
+    pub fn at_index(&self) -> usize {
+        self.index
+    }
+}
+
+impl<T> AsRef<[T]> for BufferCommit<T> {
+    fn as_ref(&self) -> &[T] {
+        self.inner.as_ref()
+    }
+}
+
+impl<T> AsMut<[T]> for BufferCommit<T> {
+    fn as_mut(&mut self) -> &mut [T] {
+        self.inner.as_mut()
+    }
+}
+
+impl<T> Deref for BufferCommit<T> {
+    type Target = [T];
+
+    fn deref(&self) -> &Self::Target {
+        self.as_ref()
+    }
+}
+
+impl<T> DerefMut for BufferCommit<T> {
+    fn deref_mut(&mut self) -> &mut Self::Target {
+        self.as_mut()
+    }
+}
+
+default impl<T, B> Buffer<T> for B
+where
+    T: Clone,
+    [T]: ToOwned,
+    B: AsRef<[T]> + AsMut<[T]>,
+{
+    fn len(&self) -> Length {
+        Length::Bounded(self.as_ref().len())
+    }
+
+    fn commit(&mut self, slice: Option<BufferCommit<T>>) {
+        slice.map(|slice| {
+            let index = slice.at_index();
+            let end = index + slice.as_ref().len();
+            // XXX: it would be much better to drop the contents of dst and
+            // move the contents of slice instead of cloning
+            let dst = &mut self.as_mut()[index..end];
+            dst.clone_from_slice(slice.as_ref());
+        });
+    }
+
+    unsafe fn slice_unchecked(&self, range: Range<usize>) -> &[T] {
+        self.as_ref().get_unchecked(range)
+    }
+}
+
+impl<'a, T> Buffer<T> for &'a mut [T]
+where
+    T: Clone,
+    [T]: ToOwned,
+{
+}
+
+impl<T> Buffer<T> for Vec<T>
+where
+    T: Clone,
+    [T]: ToOwned,
+{
+}
+
+impl<T> Buffer<T> for Box<[T]>
+where
+    T: Clone,
+    [T]: ToOwned,
+{
+}
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod tests {
+    use super::*;
+
+    #[test]
+    fn buffer() {
+        let mut buffer = vec![0; 1024];
+        let commit = {
+            let mut slice = buffer.slice_mut(256..512).unwrap();
+            slice.iter_mut().for_each(|x| *x = 1);
+            slice.commit()
+        };
+        buffer.commit(commit);
+
+        for (i, &x) in buffer.iter().enumerate() {
+            if i < 256 || i >= 512 {
+                assert_eq!(x, 0);
+            } else {
+                assert_eq!(x, 1);
+            }
+        }
+    }
+}
diff --git a/src/lib.rs b/src/lib.rs
index deaeaa1..1ce4792 100644
--- a/src/lib.rs
+++ b/src/lib.rs
@@ -1,10 +1,18 @@
+#![feature(alloc)]
+#![feature(specialization)]
+#![feature(swap_with_slice)]
 #![cfg_attr(not(test), no_std)]
 
+extern crate alloc;
 #[macro_use]
 extern crate bitflags;
+#[cfg(test)]
+extern crate core;
 
 pub mod error;
 pub mod sys;
+pub mod buffer;
+pub mod fs;
 
 #[cfg(test)]
 mod tests {