diff --git a/base/loading.jl b/base/loading.jl
index 67b3882017865..6460bc3fa8b14 100644
--- a/base/loading.jl
+++ b/base/loading.jl
@@ -296,7 +296,7 @@ function create_expr_cache(input::AbstractString, output::AbstractString)
             eval(Main, deserialize(STDIN))
         end
         """
-    io, pobj = open(detach(`$(julia_cmd())
+    io = open(detach(`$(julia_cmd())
             --output-ji $output --output-incremental=yes
             --startup-file=no --history-file=no
             --eval $code_object`), "w", STDOUT)
@@ -321,9 +321,9 @@ function create_expr_cache(input::AbstractString, output::AbstractString)
             delete!(task_local_storage(), :SOURCE_PATH)
         end)
     end
-    close(io)
-    wait(pobj)
-    return pobj
+    close(io.in)
+    wait(io)
+    return io
 end
 
 compilecache(mod::Symbol) = compilecache(string(mod))
diff --git a/base/managers.jl b/base/managers.jl
index 5102eecb70097..bddca3f68cf85 100644
--- a/base/managers.jl
+++ b/base/managers.jl
@@ -106,10 +106,10 @@ function launch_on_machine(manager::SSHManager, machine, cnt, params, launched,
     cmd = `ssh -T -a -x -o ClearAllForwardings=yes -n $sshflags $host $(shell_escape(cmd))` # use ssh to remote launch
 
     # launch
-    io, pobj = open(detach(cmd), "r")
+    pobj = open(detach(cmd), "r")
     wconfig = WorkerConfig()
 
-    wconfig.io = io
+    wconfig.io = pobj.out
     wconfig.host = host
     wconfig.tunnel = params[:tunnel]
     wconfig.sshflags = sshflags
@@ -188,11 +188,11 @@ function launch(manager::LocalManager, params::Dict, launched::Array, c::Conditi
     exeflags = params[:exeflags]
 
     for i in 1:manager.np
-        io, pobj = open(detach(
+        pobj = open(detach(
             setenv(`$(julia_cmd(exename)) $exeflags --bind-to $(LPROC.bind_addr) --worker`, dir=dir)), "r")
         wconfig = WorkerConfig()
         wconfig.process = pobj
-        wconfig.io = io
+        wconfig.io = pobj.out
         push!(launched, wconfig)
     end
 
diff --git a/base/multi.jl b/base/multi.jl
index 8064d7b56a4db..530029d2d3ae3 100644
--- a/base/multi.jl
+++ b/base/multi.jl
@@ -1269,8 +1269,8 @@ function launch_additional(np::Integer, cmd::Cmd)
     addresses = cell(np)
 
     for i in 1:np
-        io, pobj = open(detach(cmd), "r")
-        io_objs[i] = io
+        pobj = open(detach(cmd), "r")
+        io_objs[i] = pobj.out
     end
 
     for (i,io) in enumerate(io_objs)
diff --git a/base/process.jl b/base/process.jl
index 879e4288bf356..56f41390d7655 100644
--- a/base/process.jl
+++ b/base/process.jl
@@ -465,31 +465,38 @@ eachline(cmd::AbstractCmd) = eachline(cmd, DevNull)
 
 # return a Process object to read-to/write-from the pipeline
 function open(cmds::AbstractCmd, mode::AbstractString="r", other::AsyncStream=DevNull)
-    if mode == "r"
+    if mode == "r+" || mode == "w+"
+        other === DevNull || throw(ArgumentError("no other stream for mode rw+"))
+        in = Pipe()
+        out = Pipe()
+        processes = spawn(cmds, (in,out,STDERR))
+        close(in.out)
+        close(out.in)
+    elseif mode == "r"
         in = other
-        out = io = Pipe()
+        out = Pipe()
         processes = spawn(cmds, (in,out,STDERR))
         close(out.in)
     elseif mode == "w"
-        in = io = Pipe()
+        in = Pipe()
         out = other
         processes = spawn(cmds, (in,out,STDERR))
         close(in.out)
     else
         throw(ArgumentError("mode must be \"r\" or \"w\", not \"$mode\""))
     end
-    return (io, processes)
+    return processes
 end
 
 function open(f::Function, cmds::AbstractCmd, args...)
-    io, P = open(cmds, args...)
+    P = open(cmds, args...)
     ret = try
-        f(io)
+        f(P)
     catch
         kill(P)
         rethrow()
     finally
-        close(io)
+        close(P)
     end
     success(P) || pipeline_error(P)
     return ret
@@ -497,14 +504,13 @@ end
 
 # TODO: deprecate this
 function readandwrite(cmds::AbstractCmd)
-    in = Pipe()
-    out, processes = open(cmds, "r", in)
-    (out, in, processes)
+    processes = open(cmds, "r+")
+    (processes.out, processes.in, processes)
 end
 
 function readbytes(cmd::AbstractCmd, stdin::AsyncStream=DevNull)
-    out, procs = open(cmd, "r", stdin)
-    bytes = readbytes(out)
+    procs = open(cmd, "r", stdin)
+    bytes = readbytes(procs.out)
     !success(procs) && pipeline_error(procs)
     return bytes
 end
diff --git a/examples/clustermanager/simple/UnixDomainCM.jl b/examples/clustermanager/simple/UnixDomainCM.jl
index 2c356cee3847d..f5d5339c9dfb0 100644
--- a/examples/clustermanager/simple/UnixDomainCM.jl
+++ b/examples/clustermanager/simple/UnixDomainCM.jl
@@ -12,10 +12,10 @@ function launch(manager::UnixDomainCM, params::Dict, launched::Array, c::Conditi
         sockname = tempname()
         try
             cmd = `$(params[:exename]) $(@__FILE__) udwrkr $sockname`
-            io, pobj = open(cmd, "r")
+            pobj = open(cmd, "r")
 
             wconfig = WorkerConfig()
-            wconfig.userdata = Dict(:sockname=>sockname, :io=>io, :process=>pobj)
+            wconfig.userdata = Dict(:sockname=>sockname, :io=>pobj.out, :process=>pobj)
             push!(launched, wconfig)
             notify(c)
         catch e
diff --git a/test/examples.jl b/test/examples.jl
index fb64ce6b418ad..284ad096ca8a4 100644
--- a/test/examples.jl
+++ b/test/examples.jl
@@ -40,10 +40,11 @@ include(joinpath(dir, "queens.jl"))
     script = joinpath(dir, "clustermanager/simple/test_simple.jl")
     cmd = `$(joinpath(JULIA_HOME,Base.julia_exename())) $script`
 
-    (strm, proc) = open(cmd)
+    proc = open(cmd)
+    errors = readall(proc)
     wait(proc)
     if !success(proc) && ccall(:jl_running_on_valgrind,Cint,()) == 0
-        println(readall(strm))
+        println(errors)
         error("UnixDomainCM failed test, cmd : $cmd")
     end
 end
diff --git a/test/spawn.jl b/test/spawn.jl
index cc33cb0811010..06cb63016ef68 100644
--- a/test/spawn.jl
+++ b/test/spawn.jl
@@ -231,10 +231,10 @@ sleep(1)
 import Base.zzzInvalidIdentifier
 """
 try
-    (in,p) = open(`$exename -f`, "w")
+    in = open(`$exename -f`, "w")
     write(in,cmd)
     close(in)
-    wait(p)
+    wait(in)
 catch
     error("IOStream redirect failed. Child stderr was \n$(readall(fname))\n")
 end