diff --git a/src/lib/os/dir_amd64_darwin.go b/src/lib/os/dir_amd64_darwin.go
index c62f74dfc74..76da8f4d973 100644
--- a/src/lib/os/dir_amd64_darwin.go
+++ b/src/lib/os/dir_amd64_darwin.go
@@ -50,6 +50,10 @@ func readdirnames(file *File, count int) (names []string, err *os.Error) {
 			if dirent.Ino == 0 {	// File absent in directory.
 				continue
 			}
+			var name = string(dirent.Name[0:dirent.Namlen]);
+			if name == "." || name == ".." {	// Useless names
+				continue
+			}
 			count--;
 			if len(names) == cap(names) {
 				nnames := make([]string, len(names), 2*len(names));
@@ -59,7 +63,7 @@ func readdirnames(file *File, count int) (names []string, err *os.Error) {
 				names = nnames;
 			}
 			names = names[0:len(names)+1];
-			names[len(names)-1] = string(dirent.Name[0:dirent.Namlen]);
+			names[len(names)-1] = name;
 		}
 	}
 	return names, nil
diff --git a/src/lib/os/dir_amd64_linux.go b/src/lib/os/dir_amd64_linux.go
index cbb0d13dbde..2b3ce1383b2 100644
--- a/src/lib/os/dir_amd64_linux.go
+++ b/src/lib/os/dir_amd64_linux.go
@@ -59,6 +59,10 @@ func readdirnames(file *File, count int) (names []string, err *os.Error) {
 			if dirent.Ino == 0 {	// File absent in directory.
 				continue
 			}
+			var name = string(dirent.Name[0:clen(dirent.Namlen)]);
+			if name == "." || name == ".." {	// Useless names
+				continue
+			}
 			count--;
 			if len(names) == cap(names) {
 				nnames := make([]string, len(names), 2*len(names));
@@ -68,7 +72,7 @@ func readdirnames(file *File, count int) (names []string, err *os.Error) {
 				names = nnames;
 			}
 			names = names[0:len(names)+1];
-			names[len(names)-1] = string(dirent.Name[0:clen(dirent.Name)]);
+			names[len(names)-1] = name;
 		}
 	}
 	return names, nil;
diff --git a/src/lib/os/os_test.go b/src/lib/os/os_test.go
index 2f0cd883c93..93a2c5e089b 100644
--- a/src/lib/os/os_test.go
+++ b/src/lib/os/os_test.go
@@ -110,6 +110,9 @@ func testReaddirnames(dir string, contents []string, t *testing.T) {
 	for i, m := range contents {
 		found := false;
 		for j, n := range s {
+			if n == "." || n == ".." {
+				t.Errorf("got %s in directory", n);
+			}
 			if m == n {
 				if found {
 					t.Error("present twice:", m);