@@ -124,8 +124,8 @@ This tree contains three ``Blob`` objects and one ``Tree`` object. The trees
 are subdirectories and the blobs are files. Trees below the root have 
 additional attributes.
 
-	>>> contents = tree.contents[-2]
-	<GitPython.Tree "e5445b9db4a9f08d5b4de4e29e61dffda2f386ba">
+	>>> contents = tree["lib"]
+	<GitPython.Tree "c1c7214dde86f76bc3e18806ac1f47c38b2b7a3">
 
 	>>> contents.name
 	'test'
@@ -134,7 +134,8 @@ additional attributes.
 	'040000'
 
 There is a convenience method that allows you to get a named sub-object
-from a tree.
+from a tree with a syntax similar to how paths are written in an unix
+system.
 
 	>>> tree/"lib"
 	<GitPython.Tree "c1c7214dde86f76bc3e18806ac1f47c38b2b7a30">
 
@@ -14,29 +14,33 @@
 class Blob(object):
     DEFAULT_MIME_TYPE = "text/plain"
 
-    def __init__(self, repo, **kwargs):
+    def __init__(self, repo, id, mode=None, name=None):
         """
         Create an unbaked Blob containing just the specified attributes
 
         ``repo``
             is the Repo
 
-        ``atts``
-            is a dict of instance variable data
+        ``id``
+            is the git object id
+
+        ``mode``
+            is the file mode
+
+        ``name``
+            is the file name
 
         Returns
             GitPython.Blob
         """
-        self.id = None
-        self.mode = None
-        self.name = None
+        self.repo = repo
+        self.id = id
+        self.mode = mode
+        self.name = name
+
         self._size = None
         self.data_stored  = None
 
-        self.repo = repo
-        for k, v in kwargs.items():
-            setattr(self, k, v)
-
     @property
     def size(self):
         """
 
@@ -9,12 +9,13 @@
 
 from actor import Actor
 from lazy import LazyMixin
-import tree
+from tree import Tree
 import diff
 import stats
 
 class Commit(LazyMixin):
-    def __init__(self, repo, **kwargs):
+    def __init__(self, repo, id, tree=None, author=None, authored_date=None,
+                 committer=None, committed_date=None, message=None, parents=None):
         """
         Instantiate a new Commit
 
@@ -42,29 +43,29 @@ def __init__(self, repo, **kwargs):
         ``message``
             is the first line of the commit message
 
+        ``parents``
+            is the list of the parents of the commit
+
         Returns
             GitPython.Commit
         """
         LazyMixin.__init__(self)
 
         self.repo = repo
-        self.id = None
-        self.tree = None
-        self.author = None
-        self.authored_date = None
-        self.committer = None
-        self.committed_date = None
-        self.message = None
+        self.id = id
         self.parents = None
-
-        for k, v in kwargs.items():
-            setattr(self, k, v)
+        self.tree = None
+        self.author = author
+        self.authored_date = authored_date
+        self.committer = committer
+        self.committed_date = committed_date
+        self.message = message
 
         if self.id:
-            if 'parents' in kwargs:
-                self.parents = map(lambda p: Commit(repo, id=p), kwargs['parents'])
-            if 'tree' in kwargs:
-                self.tree = tree.Tree(repo, id=kwargs['tree'])
+            if parents is not None:
+                self.parents = [Commit(repo, p) for p in parents]
+            if tree is not None:
+                self.tree = Tree(repo, id=tree)
 
     def __bake__(self):
         temp = Commit.find_all(self.repo, self.id, max_count=1)[0]
 
@@ -62,20 +62,19 @@ def __init__(self, path=None):
 
         self.git = Git(self.wd)
 
-    @property
-    def description(self):
-        """
-        The project's description. Taken verbatim from GIT_REPO/description
+    # Description property
+    def _get_description(self):
+        filename = os.path.join(self.path, 'description')
+        return file(filename).read().rstrip()
 
-        Returns
-            str
-        """
-        try:
-            f = open(os.path.join(self.path, 'description'))
-            result = f.read()
-            return result.rstrip()
-        finally:
-            f.close()
+    def _set_description(self, descr):
+        filename = os.path.join(self.path, 'description')
+        file(filename, 'w').write(descr+'\n')
+
+    description = property(_get_description, _set_description,
+                           doc="the project's description")
+    del _get_description
+    del _set_description
 
     @property
     def heads(self):
@@ -199,24 +198,22 @@ def commit_deltas_from(self, other_repo, ref = 'master', other_ref = 'master'):
         diff_refs = list(set(other_repo_refs) - set(repo_refs))
         return map(lambda ref: Commit.find_all(other_repo, ref, max_count=1)[0], diff_refs)
 
-    def tree(self, treeish = 'master', paths = []):
+    def tree(self, treeish = 'master'):
         """
         The Tree object for the given treeish reference
 
         ``treeish``
             is the reference (default 'master')
-        ``paths``
-            is an optional Array of directory paths to restrict the tree (default [])
 
         Examples::
 
-          repo.tree('master', ['lib/'])
+          repo.tree('master')
 
 
         Returns
             ``GitPython.Tree``
         """
-        return Tree.construct(self, treeish, paths)
+        return Tree(self, id=treeish)
 
     def blob(self, id):
         """
@@ -377,25 +374,22 @@ def archive_tar_gz(self, treeish = 'master', prefix = None):
             kwargs['prefix'] = prefix
         self.git.archive(treeish, "| gzip", **kwargs)
 
-    def enable_daemon_serve(self):
-        """
-        Enable git-daemon serving of this repository by writing the
-        git-daemon-export-ok file to its git directory
-
-        Returns
-            None
-        """
-        touch(os.path.join(self.path, DAEMON_EXPORT_FILE))
-
-    def disable_daemon_serve(self):
-        """
-        Disable git-daemon serving of this repository by ensuring there is no
-        git-daemon-export-ok file in its git directory
-
-        Returns
-            None
-        """
-        return os.remove(os.path.join(self.path, DAEMON_EXPORT_FILE))
+    def _get_daemon_export(self):
+        filename = os.path.join(self.path, self.DAEMON_EXPORT_FILE)
+        return os.path.exists(filename)
+
+    def _set_daemon_export(self, value):
+        filename = os.path.join(self.path, self.DAEMON_EXPORT_FILE)
+        fileexists = os.path.exists(filename)
+        if value and not fileexists:
+            touch(filename)
+        elif not value and fileexists:
+            os.unlink(filename)
+
+    daemon_export = property(_get_daemon_export, _set_daemon_export,
+                             doc="git-daemon export of this repository")
+    del _get_daemon_export
+    del _set_daemon_export
 
     def _get_alternates(self):
         """
 
@@ -9,41 +9,29 @@
 import blob
 
 class Tree(LazyMixin):
-    def __init__(self, repo, **kwargs):
+    def __init__(self, repo, id, mode=None, name=None):
         LazyMixin.__init__(self)
-        self.repo = repo
-        self.id = None
-        self.mode = None
-        self.name = None
-        self.contents = None
-
-        for k, v in kwargs.items():
-            setattr(self, k, v)
-
-    def __bake__(self):
-        temp = Tree.construct(self.repo, self.id)
-        self.contents = temp.contents
-
-    @classmethod
-    def construct(cls, repo, treeish, paths = []):
-        output = repo.git.ls_tree(treeish, *paths)
-        return Tree(repo, id=treeish).construct_initialize(repo, treeish, output)
-
-    def construct_initialize(self, repo, id, text):
         self.repo = repo
         self.id = id
-        self.contents = []
-        self.__baked__ = False
-
-        for line in text.splitlines():
-            self.contents.append(self.content_from_string(self.repo, line))
-
-        self.contents = [c for c in self.contents if c is not None]
-
-        self.__bake_it__()
-        return self
+        self.mode = mode
+        self.name = name
+        self._contents = None
 
-    def content_from_string(self, repo, text):
+    def __bake__(self):
+        # Ensure the treeish references directly a tree
+        treeish = self.id
+        if not treeish.endswith(':'):
+            treeish = treeish + ':'
+
+        # Read the tree contents.
+        self._contents = {}
+        for line in self.repo.git.ls_tree(self.id).splitlines():
+            obj = self.content_from_string(self.repo, line)
+            if obj is not None:
+                self._contents[obj.name] = obj
+
+    @staticmethod
+    def content_from_string(repo, text):
         """
         Parse a content item and create the appropriate object
 
@@ -84,12 +72,37 @@ def __div__(self, file):
         Returns
             ``GitPython.Blob`` or ``GitPython.Tree`` or ``None`` if not found
         """
-        contents = [c for c in self.contents if c.name == file]
-        return contents and contents[0] or None
+        return self.get(file)
 
     @property
     def basename(self):
         os.path.basename(self.name)
 
     def __repr__(self):
         return '<GitPython.Tree "%s">' % self.id
+
+    # Implement the basics of the dict protocol:
+    # directories/trees can be seen as object dicts.
+    def __getitem__(self, key):
+        return self._contents[key]
+
+    def __iter__(self):
+        return iter(self._contents)
+
+    def __len__(self, keys):
+        return len(self._contents)
+
+    def __contains__(self, key):
+        return key in self._contents
+
+    def get(self, key):
+        return self._contents.get(key)
+
+    def items(self):
+        return self._contents.items()
+
+    def keys(self):
+        return self._contents.keys()
+
+    def values(self):
+        return self._contents.values()
@@ -25,7 +25,9 @@ def test_new_should_raise_on_non_existant_path(self):
         Repo("repos/foobar")
 
     def test_description(self):
-        assert_equal("Unnamed repository; edit this file to name it for gitweb.", self.repo.description)
+        txt = "Test repository"
+        self.repo.description = txt
+        assert_equal(self.repo.description, txt)
 
     def test_heads_should_return_array_of_head_objects(self):
         for head in self.repo.heads:
@@ -96,8 +98,8 @@ def test_tree(self, git):
 
         tree = self.repo.tree('master')
 
-        assert_equal(4, len([c for c in tree.contents if isinstance(c, Blob)]))
-        assert_equal(3, len([c for c in tree.contents if isinstance(c, Tree)]))
+        assert_equal(4, len([c for c in tree.values() if isinstance(c, Blob)]))
+        assert_equal(3, len([c for c in tree.values() if isinstance(c, Tree)]))
 
         assert_true(git.called)
         assert_equal(git.call_args, (('ls_tree', 'master'), {}))
@@ -194,10 +196,12 @@ def test_archive_tar_gz(self):
 
     @patch('git.utils', 'touch')
     def test_enable_daemon_serve(self, touch):
-        self.repo.enable_daemon_serve
+        self.repo.daemon_serve = False
+        assert_false(self.repo.daemon_serve)
 
     def test_disable_daemon_serve(self):
-        self.repo.disable_daemon_serve  
+        self.repo.daemon_serve = True
+        assert_true(self.repo.daemon_serve)
 
     # @patch(os.path, 'exists')
     # @patch('__builtin__', 'open')