diff --git a/TODO b/TODO
index 261522eb..55510c34 100644
--- a/TODO
+++ b/TODO
@@ -19,9 +19,6 @@
 	output imagevec
 	output blob
 
-- new_from_buffer(), new_from_memory(), write_to_memory() etc etc
-
-
 
 
 - use vips_autorot() in jpegload and vipsthumbnail
diff --git a/cplusplus/VImage.cc b/cplusplus/VImage.cc
index c3ec06d6..0479060f 100644
--- a/cplusplus/VImage.cc
+++ b/cplusplus/VImage.cc
@@ -489,6 +489,33 @@ VImage::new_from_file( const char *name, VOption *options )
 	return( out ); 
 }
 
+VImage 
+VImage::new_from_buffer( void *buf, size_t len, const char *option_string, 
+	VOption *options )
+	throw( VError )
+{
+	const char *operation_name;
+	VipsBlob *blob;
+	VImage out;
+
+	if( !(operation_name = vips_foreign_find_load_buffer( buf, len )) ) {
+		delete options; 
+		throw( VError() ); 
+	}
+
+	/* We don't take a copy of the data or free it.
+	 */
+	blob = vips_blob_new( NULL, buf, len );
+	options = (options ? options : VImage::option())-> 
+		set( "buffer", blob )->
+		set( "out", &out );
+	vips_area_unref( VIPS_AREA( blob ) );
+
+	call_option_string( operation_name, option_string, options ); 
+
+	return( out );
+}
+
 VImage 
 VImage::new_from_image( std::vector<double> pixel )
 	throw( VError )
@@ -563,6 +590,39 @@ VImage::write_to_file( const char *name, VOption *options )
 			set( "filename", filename ) );
 }
 
+void 
+VImage::write_to_buffer( const char *suffix, void **buf, size_t *size, 
+	VOption *options )
+	throw( VError )
+{
+	char filename[VIPS_PATH_MAX];
+	char option_string[VIPS_PATH_MAX];
+	const char *operation_name;
+	VipsBlob *blob;
+
+	vips__filename_split8( suffix, filename, option_string );
+	if( !(operation_name = vips_foreign_find_save_buffer( filename )) ) {
+		delete options; 
+		throw VError(); 
+	}
+
+	call_option_string( operation_name, option_string, 
+		(options ? options : VImage::option())-> 
+			set( "in", *this )->
+			set( "buffer", &blob ) );
+
+	if( blob ) { 
+		if( buf ) {
+			*buf = VIPS_AREA( blob )->data;
+			VIPS_AREA( blob )->free_fn = NULL;
+		}
+		if( size )
+			*size = VIPS_AREA( blob )->length;
+
+		vips_area_unref( VIPS_AREA( blob ) );
+	}
+}
+
 #include "vips-operators.cc"
 
 std::vector<VImage> 
diff --git a/cplusplus/include/vips/VImage8.h b/cplusplus/include/vips/VImage8.h
index 1c8f72d8..235a9af2 100644
--- a/cplusplus/include/vips/VImage8.h
+++ b/cplusplus/include/vips/VImage8.h
@@ -433,18 +433,88 @@ public:
 	static void call( const char *operation_name, VOption *options = 0 ) 
 		throw( VError );
 
+	static VImage 
+	new_memory()
+	{
+		return( VImage( vips_image_new_memory() ) ); 
+	}
+
+	static VImage 
+	new_temp_file( const char *file_format = ".v" )
+		throw( VError ) 
+	{
+		VipsImage *image;
+
+		if( !(image = vips_image_new_temp_file( file_format )) )
+			throw( VError() ); 
+
+		return( VImage( image ) ); 
+	}
+
 	static VImage new_from_file( const char *name, VOption *options = 0 )
 		throw( VError );
+
+	static VImage new_from_memory( void *data, size_t size,
+		int width, int height, int bands, VipsBandFormat format )
+		throw( VError )
+	{
+		VipsImage *image;
+
+		if( !(image = vips_image_new_from_memory( data, size, 
+			width, height, bands, format )) )
+			throw( VError() ); 
+
+		return( VImage( image ) ); 
+	}
+
+	static VImage new_from_buffer( void *buf, size_t len,
+		const char *option_string, VOption *options = 0 )
+		throw( VError );
+
+	static VImage new_matrix( int width, int height );
+
+	static VImage new_matrix( int width, int height, 
+		double *array, int size )
+		throw( VError )
+	{
+		VipsImage *image;
+
+		if( !(image = vips_image_new_matrix_from_array( width, height,
+			array, size )) )
+			throw( VError() ); 
+
+		return( VImage( image ) ); 
+	}
+
+	static VImage new_matrixv( int width, int height, ... );
+
 	VImage new_from_image( std::vector<double> pixel )
 		throw( VError );
 	VImage new_from_image( double pixel )
 		throw( VError );
-	VImage new_matrix( int width, int height ) ;
-	VImage new_matrixv( int width, int height, ... );
+
+	void write( VImage out )
+		throw( VError );
 
 	void write_to_file( const char *name, VOption *options = 0 )
 		throw( VError );
 
+	void write_to_buffer( const char *suffix, void **buf, size_t *size, 
+		VOption *options = 0 )
+		throw( VError );
+
+	void *write_to_memory( size_t *size )
+		throw( VError )
+	{
+		void *result;
+
+		if( !(result = vips_image_write_to_memory( this->get_image(), 
+			size )) )
+			throw( VError() ); 
+
+		return( result ); 
+	}
+
 #include "vips-operators.h"
 
 	// a few useful things
@@ -476,6 +546,7 @@ public:
 
 	VImage bandjoin( VImage other, VOption *options = 0 )
 		throw( VError );
+
 	VImage
 	bandjoin( double other, VOption *options = 0 )
 		throw( VError )
@@ -772,7 +843,7 @@ public:
 	friend VImage operator-( VImage a, std::vector<double> b ) 
 		throw( VError )
 	{ 
-		return( a.linear( 1.0, vips8::negate( b ) ) ); 
+		return( a.linear( 1.0, vips::negate( b ) ) ); 
 	}
 
 	friend VImage operator*( VImage a, VImage b ) 
@@ -832,7 +903,7 @@ public:
 	friend VImage operator/( VImage a, std::vector<double> b ) 
 		throw( VError )
 	{ 
-		return( a.linear( vips8::invert( b ), 0.0 ) ); 
+		return( a.linear( vips::invert( b ), 0.0 ) ); 
 	}
 
 	friend VImage operator%( VImage a, VImage b ) 
diff --git a/cplusplus/include/vips/vips8 b/cplusplus/include/vips/vips8
index 19f5b8f2..4d697f17 100644
--- a/cplusplus/include/vips/vips8
+++ b/cplusplus/include/vips/vips8
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@
 
 #include <glib-object.h>
 
-#define VIPS_NAMESPACE_START namespace vips8 {
+#define VIPS_NAMESPACE_START namespace vips {
 #define VIPS_NAMESPACE_END }
 
 #include "VError8.h"