diff --git a/src/pkg/time/format.go b/src/pkg/time/format.go
index d07e1ad498..3c42f0c2d8 100644
--- a/src/pkg/time/format.go
+++ b/src/pkg/time/format.go
@@ -26,6 +26,9 @@ const (
 // replaced by a digit if the following number (a day) has two digits; for
 // compatibility with fixed-width Unix time formats.
 //
+// A decimal point followed by one or more zeros represents a
+// fractional second.
+//
 // Numeric time zone offsets format as follows:
 //	-0700  ±hhmm
 //	-07:00 ±hh:mm
@@ -45,6 +48,11 @@ const (
 	RFC1123 = "Mon, 02 Jan 2006 15:04:05 MST"
 	RFC3339 = "2006-01-02T15:04:05Z07:00"
 	Kitchen = "3:04PM"
+	// Handy time stamps.
+	Stamp      = "Jan _2 15:04:05"
+	StampMilli = "Jan _2 15:04:05.000"
+	StampMicro = "Jan _2 15:04:05.000000"
+	StampNano  = "Jan _2 15:04:05.000000000"
 )
 
 const (
@@ -154,6 +162,16 @@ func nextStdChunk(layout string) (prefix, std, suffix string) {
 			if len(layout) >= i+6 && layout[i:i+6] == stdISO8601ColonTZ {
 				return layout[0:i], layout[i : i+6], layout[i+6:]
 			}
+		case '.': // .000 - multiple digits of zeros (only) for fractional seconds.
+			numZeros := 0
+			var j int
+			for j = i + 1; j < len(layout) && layout[j] == '0'; j++ {
+				numZeros++
+			}
+			// String of digits must end here - only fractional second is all zeros.
+			if numZeros > 0 && (j >= len(layout) || layout[j] < '0' || '9' < layout[j]) {
+				return layout[0:i], layout[i : i+1+numZeros], layout[i+1+numZeros:]
+			}
 		}
 	}
 	return layout, "", ""
@@ -230,6 +248,21 @@ func pad(i int, padding string) string {
 
 func zeroPad(i int) string { return pad(i, "0") }
 
+// formatNano formats a fractional second, as nanoseconds.
+func formatNano(nanosec, n int) string {
+	// User might give us bad data. Make sure it's positive and in range.
+	// They'll get nonsense output but it will have the right format.
+	s := strconv.Uitoa(uint(nanosec) % 1e9)
+	// Zero pad left without fmt.
+	if len(s) < 9 {
+		s = "000000000"[:9-len(s)] + s
+	}
+	if n > 9 {
+		n = 9
+	}
+	return "." + s[:n]
+}
+
 // Format returns a textual representation of the time value formatted
 // according to layout.  The layout defines the format by showing the
 // representation of a standard time, which is then used to describe
@@ -340,6 +373,10 @@ func (t *Time) Format(layout string) string {
 				p += zeroPad(zone / 60)
 				p += zeroPad(zone % 60)
 			}
+		default:
+			if len(std) >= 2 && std[0:2] == ".0" {
+				p = formatNano(t.Nanosecond, len(std)-1)
+			}
 		}
 		b.WriteString(p)
 		layout = suffix
@@ -355,7 +392,7 @@ func (t *Time) String() string {
 	return t.Format(UnixDate)
 }
 
-var errBad = os.NewError("bad") // just a marker; not returned to user
+var errBad = os.NewError("bad value for field") // placeholder not passed to user
 
 // ParseError describes a problem parsing a time string.
 type ParseError struct {
@@ -620,6 +657,33 @@ func Parse(alayout, avalue string) (*Time, os.Error) {
 			if offset, found := lookupByName(p); found {
 				t.ZoneOffset = offset
 			}
+		default:
+			if len(value) < len(std) {
+				err = errBad
+				break
+			}
+			if len(std) >= 2 && std[0:2] == ".0" {
+				if value[0] != '.' {
+					err = errBad
+					break
+				}
+				t.Nanosecond, err = strconv.Atoi(value[1:len(std)])
+				if err != nil {
+					break
+				}
+				if t.Nanosecond < 0 || t.Nanosecond >= 1e9 {
+					rangeErrString = "fractional second"
+					break
+				}
+				value = value[len(std):]
+				// We need nanoseconds, which means scaling by the number
+				// of missing digits in the format, maximum length 10. If it's
+				// longer than 10, we won't scale.
+				scaleDigits := 10 - len(std)
+				for i := 0; i < scaleDigits; i++ {
+					t.Nanosecond *= 10
+				}
+			}
 		}
 		if rangeErrString != "" {
 			return nil, &ParseError{alayout, avalue, std, value, ": " + rangeErrString + " out of range"}
diff --git a/src/pkg/time/time_test.go b/src/pkg/time/time_test.go
index cf37916fb9..4999f4536e 100644
--- a/src/pkg/time/time_test.go
+++ b/src/pkg/time/time_test.go
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ package time_test
 
 import (
 	"os"
+	"strconv"
 	"strings"
 	"testing"
 	"testing/quick"
@@ -213,11 +214,16 @@ var formatTests = []FormatTest{
 	{"am/pm", "3pm", "9pm"},
 	{"AM/PM", "3PM", "9PM"},
 	{"two-digit year", "06 01 02", "09 02 04"},
+	// Time stamps, Fractional seconds.
+	{"Stamp", Stamp, "Feb  4 21:00:57"},
+	{"StampMilli", StampMilli, "Feb  4 21:00:57.012"},
+	{"StampMicro", StampMicro, "Feb  4 21:00:57.012345"},
+	{"StampNano", StampNano, "Feb  4 21:00:57.012345678"},
 }
 
 func TestFormat(t *testing.T) {
-	// The numeric time represents Thu Feb  4 21:00:57 PST 2010
-	time := SecondsToLocalTime(1233810057)
+	// The numeric time represents Thu Feb  4 21:00:57.012345678 PST 2010
+	time := NanosecondsToLocalTime(1233810057012345678)
 	for _, test := range formatTests {
 		result := time.Format(test.format)
 		if result != test.result {
@@ -227,25 +233,33 @@ func TestFormat(t *testing.T) {
 }
 
 type ParseTest struct {
-	name     string
-	format   string
-	value    string
-	hasTZ    bool  // contains a time zone
-	hasWD    bool  // contains a weekday
-	yearSign int64 // sign of year
+	name       string
+	format     string
+	value      string
+	hasTZ      bool  // contains a time zone
+	hasWD      bool  // contains a weekday
+	yearSign   int64 // sign of year
+	fracDigits int   // number of digits of fractional second
 }
 
 var parseTests = []ParseTest{
-	{"ANSIC", ANSIC, "Thu Feb  4 21:00:57 2010", false, true, 1},
-	{"UnixDate", UnixDate, "Thu Feb  4 21:00:57 PST 2010", true, true, 1},
-	{"RubyDate", RubyDate, "Thu Feb 04 21:00:57 -0800 2010", true, true, 1},
-	{"RFC850", RFC850, "Thursday, 04-Feb-10 21:00:57 PST", true, true, 1},
-	{"RFC1123", RFC1123, "Thu, 04 Feb 2010 21:00:57 PST", true, true, 1},
-	{"RFC3339", RFC3339, "2010-02-04T21:00:57-08:00", true, false, 1},
-	{"custom: \"2006-01-02 15:04:05-07\"", "2006-01-02 15:04:05-07", "2010-02-04 21:00:57-08", true, false, 1},
+	{"ANSIC", ANSIC, "Thu Feb  4 21:00:57 2010", false, true, 1, 0},
+	{"UnixDate", UnixDate, "Thu Feb  4 21:00:57 PST 2010", true, true, 1, 0},
+	{"RubyDate", RubyDate, "Thu Feb 04 21:00:57 -0800 2010", true, true, 1, 0},
+	{"RFC850", RFC850, "Thursday, 04-Feb-10 21:00:57 PST", true, true, 1, 0},
+	{"RFC1123", RFC1123, "Thu, 04 Feb 2010 21:00:57 PST", true, true, 1, 0},
+	{"RFC3339", RFC3339, "2010-02-04T21:00:57-08:00", true, false, 1, 0},
+	{"custom: \"2006-01-02 15:04:05-07\"", "2006-01-02 15:04:05-07", "2010-02-04 21:00:57-08", true, false, 1, 0},
 	// Amount of white space should not matter.
-	{"ANSIC", ANSIC, "Thu Feb 4 21:00:57 2010", false, true, 1},
-	{"ANSIC", ANSIC, "Thu      Feb     4     21:00:57     2010", false, true, 1},
+	{"ANSIC", ANSIC, "Thu Feb 4 21:00:57 2010", false, true, 1, 0},
+	{"ANSIC", ANSIC, "Thu      Feb     4     21:00:57     2010", false, true, 1, 0},
+	// Fractional seconds.
+	{"millisecond", "Mon Jan _2 15:04:05.000 2006", "Thu Feb  4 21:00:57.012 2010", false, true, 1, 3},
+	{"microsecond", "Mon Jan _2 15:04:05.000000 2006", "Thu Feb  4 21:00:57.012345 2010", false, true, 1, 6},
+	{"nanosecond", "Mon Jan _2 15:04:05.000000000 2006", "Thu Feb  4 21:00:57.012345678 2010", false, true, 1, 9},
+	// Leading zeros in other places should not be taken as fractional seconds.
+	{"zero1", "2006.01.02.15.04.05.0", "2010.02.04.21.00.57.0", false, false, 1, 1},
+	{"zero2", "2006.01.02.15.04.05.00", "2010.02.04.21.00.57.01", false, false, 1, 2},
 }
 
 func TestParse(t *testing.T) {
@@ -260,11 +274,11 @@ func TestParse(t *testing.T) {
 }
 
 var rubyTests = []ParseTest{
-	{"RubyDate", RubyDate, "Thu Feb 04 21:00:57 -0800 2010", true, true, 1},
+	{"RubyDate", RubyDate, "Thu Feb 04 21:00:57 -0800 2010", true, true, 1, 0},
 	// Ignore the time zone in the test. If it parses, it'll be OK.
-	{"RubyDate", RubyDate, "Thu Feb 04 21:00:57 -0000 2010", false, true, 1},
-	{"RubyDate", RubyDate, "Thu Feb 04 21:00:57 +0000 2010", false, true, 1},
-	{"RubyDate", RubyDate, "Thu Feb 04 21:00:57 +1130 2010", false, true, 1},
+	{"RubyDate", RubyDate, "Thu Feb 04 21:00:57 -0000 2010", false, true, 1, 0},
+	{"RubyDate", RubyDate, "Thu Feb 04 21:00:57 +0000 2010", false, true, 1, 0},
+	{"RubyDate", RubyDate, "Thu Feb 04 21:00:57 +1130 2010", false, true, 1, 0},
 }
 
 // Problematic time zone format needs special tests.
@@ -299,6 +313,14 @@ func checkTime(time *Time, test *ParseTest, t *testing.T) {
 	if time.Second != 57 {
 		t.Errorf("%s: bad second: %d not %d", test.name, time.Second, 57)
 	}
+	// Nanoseconds must be checked against the precision of the input.
+	nanosec, err := strconv.Atoui("012345678"[:test.fracDigits] + "000000000"[:9-test.fracDigits])
+	if err != nil {
+		panic(err)
+	}
+	if time.Nanosecond != int(nanosec) {
+		t.Errorf("%s: bad nanosecond: %d not %d", test.name, time.Nanosecond, nanosec)
+	}
 	if test.hasTZ && time.ZoneOffset != -28800 {
 		t.Errorf("%s: bad tz offset: %d not %d", test.name, time.ZoneOffset, -28800)
 	}
@@ -345,11 +367,14 @@ type ParseErrorTest struct {
 }
 
 var parseErrorTests = []ParseErrorTest{
-	{ANSIC, "Feb  4 21:00:60 2010", "parse"}, // cannot parse Feb as Mon
-	{ANSIC, "Thu Feb  4 21:00:57 @2010", "parse"},
+	{ANSIC, "Feb  4 21:00:60 2010", "cannot parse"}, // cannot parse Feb as Mon
+	{ANSIC, "Thu Feb  4 21:00:57 @2010", "cannot parse"},
 	{ANSIC, "Thu Feb  4 21:00:60 2010", "second out of range"},
 	{ANSIC, "Thu Feb  4 21:61:57 2010", "minute out of range"},
 	{ANSIC, "Thu Feb  4 24:00:60 2010", "hour out of range"},
+	{"Mon Jan _2 15:04:05.000 2006", "Thu Feb  4 23:00:59x01 2010", "cannot parse"},
+	{"Mon Jan _2 15:04:05.000 2006", "Thu Feb  4 23:00:59.xxx 2010", "cannot parse"},
+	{"Mon Jan _2 15:04:05.000 2006", "Thu Feb  4 23:00:59.-123 2010", "fractional second out of range"},
 }
 
 func TestParseErrors(t *testing.T) {