diff --git a/run-medley b/run-medley
index 9a58f644..6f9869b0 100755
--- a/run-medley
+++ b/run-medley
@@ -2,160 +2,98 @@
 #
 # Run Medley
 #
-# Syntax: run-medley [-nogreet][-xns][-noxns] [-geometry pixelgeometry]
-#                [-display xdisplay-device] [-screensize pixelgeometry]
-#                [-raw] [-t xtimeout][-prog executable-program]
-#                [-vmem savevmemfilename] |
-#                [-m memorylimit] [-kbd keyboardtype]  [-key key]
-#                [sysoutfilename | -lfg | -lisp | -full |
-#                -{name of any in the sysouts} ]
-#
-# -xns means leave unix xns running
-# -noxns means suppress Lisp xns.
-
-# LDESRCESYSOUT
-# LDESOURCESYSOUT       SYSOUT full-file name you want to run
-
-# LDEDESTSYSOUT     SYSOUT name for destination of SAVEVM/LOGOUT
-
-# LDEKBDTYPE
-#           type2
-#           type3
-#           type4
-#           jle
-#           as3000j
-# LDEFILETIMEOUT
-
-export HOSTNAME=`hostname`
-export OSVERSION=`uname -r`
+# Syntax: run-medley [--geometry WIDTHxHEIGHT] \
+#                    [--display X_DISPLAY]     \
+#                    [--save FILE]             \
+#                    [--load URL_OR_FILE]
 
 # Directory variables are accessible from Lisp via UNIX-GETENV
 
-if [ -z "$MEDLEYDIR" ] ; then export MEDLEYDIR=`pwd`; fi
-if [ ! -d $MEDLEYDIR/loadups ] ; then
-   echo MEDLEYDIR not found: "$MEDLEYDIR"
-   exit 1
+inferred_medleydir=false
+
+if [ -z "$MEDLEYDIR" ] ; then
+    # the user is usually running this script from medley/, so let's try that
+    export MEDLEYDIR=`pwd`
+    inferred_medleydir=true
 fi
 
-if [ -z "$MAIKODIR" ] ; then
-   export MAIKODIR="$MEDLEYDIR/../maiko"
-   if [ ! -d "$MAIKODIR"/bin ] ; then
-    echo "MAIKODIR not found: $MAIKODIR"
+if [ ! -d $MEDLEYDIR/loadups ] ; then
+    echo "MEDLEYDIR has no loadups: $MEDLEYDIR"
+    if [ inferred_medleydir = true ] ; then
+        echo "I tried to infer it based on your working directory, but that didn't work."
+        echo "Try setting the MEDLEYDIR environment variable to the right location."
+    fi
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+inferred_maikodir=false
+
+if [ -z "$MAIKODIR" ] ; then
+    # here we try two options relative to MEDLEYDIR: ./maiko and ../maiko
+    # this is highly imperfect, but the user can always set the env variables
+    export MAIKODIR="$MEDLEYDIR/../maiko"
+    if [ ! -d "$MAIKODIR" ] ; then
+        export MAIKODIR="$MEDLEYDIR/maiko"
+    fi
+    inferred_maikodir=true
+fi
+
+if [ ! -d "$MAIKODIR"/bin ] ; then
+    echo "MAIKODIR has no bin: $MAIKODIR"
+    if [ inferred_maikodir = true ] ; then
+        echo "I tried to infer it based on your working directory, but that didn't work."
+        echo "Try setting the MAIKODIR environment variable to the right location."
+    fi
     exit 1
-   fi
 fi
 
 export LDEINIT="$MEDLEYDIR/greetfiles/LOCAL-INIT"
 
+passthrough_args=""
 mem="-m 256"   # Default, has to be set
-#geometry="-g 1060x790"
 # MBA screensize
-geometry="-g 1440x900"
-screensize="-sc 1440x900"
+geometry="-g 1280x720"
+
+
+# keyboard types: x, type2, type3, type4, jle, as3000j
+
 export LDEKBDTYPE=x
-ICONSPEC=" "
 
 export LDEFILETIMEOUT=60
 export TAKEXNSDOWN=0
 export LDELISPXNS=0
+
 #default is no lispxns
 
 
 while [ "$#" -ne 0 ]; do
     case "$1" in
-        "-m")
-            mem="-m $2"
+        "--geometry")
+            geometry="-g $2 -sc $2"
             shift
             ;;
-        "-xlisp")
-            export LDESRCESYSOUT="$MEDLEYDIR/loadups/xlisp.sysout"
-            ;;
-        "-lisp")
-            export LDESRCESYSOUT="$MEDLEYDIR/loadups/lisp.sysout"
-            ;;
-        "-xfull35")
-            export LDESRCESYSOUT="$MEDLEYDIR/loadups/xfull35.sysout"
-            ;;
-        "-full")
-            export LDESRCESYSOUT="$MEDLEYDIR/loadups/full.sysout"
-            ;;
-        "-lfg" | "-lfg35" | "-xlfg35")
-            export LDESRCESYSOUT="$LFGPARSERDIR/release/lfg35.sysout"
-            ICONSPEC="-iconbitmap $LFGPARSERDIR/release/lfg.xbm -icontitle Xerox"
-            ;;
-        "-nogreet")
-            export LDEINIT=""
-            ;;
-        "-greet")
-            export LDEINIT="$2"
-            shift
-            ;;
-        "-xns")
-            export TAKEXNSDOWN=1
-            export LDELISPXNS=1
-            ;;
-        "-noxns")
-            export TAKEXNSDOWN=0
-            export LDELISPXNS=0
-            ;;
-        "-raw")
-            unset DISPLAY
-            ;;
-        "-geometry")
-            geometry="-g $2"
-            shift
-            ;;
-        "-screensize")
-            screensize="-sc $2"
-            shift
-            ;;
-        "-display")
+        "--display")
             export DISPLAY=$2
             shift
             ;;
-        "-t")
-            xtimeout=$2
-            shift
-            ;;
-        "-prog")
-            progparam=$2
-            shift
-            ;;
-        "-vmem")
+        "--save")
             export LDEDESTSYSOUT=$2
             shift
             ;;
-        "-kbd")
-            export LDEKBDTYPE=$2
+        "--load")
+            export LDESRCESYSOUT=$2
             shift
             ;;
         *)
-            # anything else is a public sysout name
-            case "$1" in
-                "-"*)
-                    name=`expr substr $1 2 999`
-                    export LDESRCESYSOUT="$MEDLEYDIR/loadups/${name}.sysout"
-                    ;;
-                *) # not an option so must be a sysout name
-                    export LDESRCESYSOUT=$1 ;;
-            esac
+            passthrough_args="$passthrough_args $1" # don't know what it means?
+                                                    # just pass it through to lde
             ;;
     esac
     shift
 done
 
-if [ -z "$LDEDESTSYSOUT" ] ; then
-    if [ -f /$HOSTNAME/$LOGNAME/lisp.virtualmem ]; then
-        export LDEDESTSYSOUT=/$HOSTNAME/$LOGNAME/lisp.virtualmem
-    elif [ -f ~/lisp.virtualmem ]; then
-        export LDEDESTSYSOUT=~/lisp.virtualmem
-    elif [ -d /$HOSTNAME/$LOGNAME ]; then
-        export LDEDESTSYSOUT=/$HOSTNAME/$LOGNAME/lisp.virtualmem
-    fi
-fi
-
 if [ -z "$LDESRCESYSOUT" ] ; then
-   export LDESRCESYSOUT="$LDEDESTSYSOUT"
+    export LDESRCESYSOUT="$MEDLEYDIR/loadups/xfull35.sysout"
 fi
 
 
@@ -163,19 +101,14 @@ fi
 # #   switch (`/usr/bin/hostinfo keyboardtype`)
 # #   endsw
 # fi
-echo "keyboard type is " $LDEKBDTYPE
+echo "keyboard type is" $LDEKBDTYPE
 
 export INMEDLEY=1
-echo "sysout is " $LDESRCESYSOUT
+echo "sysout is" $LDESRCESYSOUT
 #version = `medley-lisp-version $LDESRCESYSOUT`
 version="35010"
 
-if [ "$LDELISPXNS" -ne "0" ] ; then
-    prog="ldeether"
-else
-    prog="lde"
-    echo "running without xns protocols"
-fi
+prog="lde"
 case "$version" in
   "35000")
     version="3.5"
@@ -183,43 +116,14 @@ case "$version" in
   "35010")
     version="3.501"
     ;;
-  *)
-    version="3.5"
-    ;;
 esac
 echo "using emulator version $version"
 
-case "$version" in
-    "3.5"|"3.501")
-
-    export PATH=.:"$PATH"
-    old_wd=`pwd`
-    cd "$MAIKODIR"/bin
-    export PATH=$MAIKODIR/`osversion`.`machinetype`:"$PATH"
-    cd $old_wd
-
-    #   if ${?DISPLAY} then  # we are running under X
-    $prog $mem $geometry $screensize $ICONSPEC
-    #   else $prog $mem
-    #   endif
-    ;;
-
-    *) echo HMM
-
-esac
-
-#
-# Now we are done, so clean up after ourselves
-#
-cleanup:
-
-# if ${?DISPLAY} then
-#     # do X cleanup
-# else
-# #   reset
-# endif
-
-
-
 
+export PATH=.:"$PATH"
+old_wd=`pwd`
+cd "$MAIKODIR"/bin
+export PATH=$MAIKODIR/`osversion`.`machinetype`:"$PATH"
+cd $old_wd
 
+$prog $mem $geometry $passthrough_args