diff --git a/gtk2_ardour/about.cc b/gtk2_ardour/about.cc
index 40bf23d262..dfd08b816f 100644
--- a/gtk2_ardour/about.cc
+++ b/gtk2_ardour/about.cc
@@ -144,6 +144,8 @@ static const char* authors[] = {
 	N_("Stefan Kersten"),
 	N_("Christopher George"),
 	N_("Robert Jordens"),
+	N_("Dave Robillard"),
+	N_("Hans Fugal"),
 	N_("Brian Ahr"),
 	N_("Nimal Ratnayake"),
 	N_("Mike Taht"),
diff --git a/libs/ardour/io.cc b/libs/ardour/io.cc
index 692515f710..f899b71d1e 100644
--- a/libs/ardour/io.cc
+++ b/libs/ardour/io.cc
@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@
 #include <glibmm/thread.h>
 
 #include <pbd/xml++.h>
+#include <pbd/replace_all.h>
 
 #include <ardour/audioengine.h>
 #include <ardour/io.h>
@@ -2100,6 +2101,12 @@ IO::set_name (string name, void* src)
 		return 0;
 	}
 
+	/* replace all colons in the name. i wish we didn't have to do this */
+
+	if (replace_all (name, ":", "-")) {
+		warning << _("you cannot use colons to name objects with I/O connections") << endmsg;
+	}
+
 	for (vector<Port *>::iterator i = _inputs.begin(); i != _inputs.end(); ++i) {
 		string current_name = (*i)->short_name();
 		current_name.replace (current_name.find (_name), _name.length(), name);
diff --git a/libs/pbd/SConscript b/libs/pbd/SConscript
index afb24a4311..12664a1fca 100644
--- a/libs/pbd/SConscript
+++ b/libs/pbd/SConscript
@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@ pthread_utils.cc
 receiver.cc
 stacktrace.cc
 stateful.cc
+strreplace.cc
 strsplit.cc
 textreceiver.cc
 transmitter.cc
diff --git a/libs/pbd/pbd/replace_all.h b/libs/pbd/pbd/replace_all.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..4434637283
--- /dev/null
+++ b/libs/pbd/pbd/replace_all.h
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+#ifndef __pbd_replace_all_h__
+#define __pbd_replace_all_h__
+
+#include <string>
+
+int replace_all (std::string& str, const std::string& target, const std::string& replacement);
+
+#endif // __pbd_replace_all_h__
diff --git a/libs/pbd/strreplace.cc b/libs/pbd/strreplace.cc
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..dd90baf324
--- /dev/null
+++ b/libs/pbd/strreplace.cc
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+#include <pbd/replace_all.h>
+
+int
+replace_all (std::string& str,
+	     std::string const& target,
+	     std::string const& replacement) 
+{
+	std::string::size_type start = str.find (target, 0);
+	int cnt = 0;
+
+	while (start != std::string::npos) {
+		str.replace (start, target.size(), replacement);
+		start = str.find (target, start+replacement.size());
+		++cnt;
+	}
+
+	return cnt;
+}
+