diff --git a/src/servo/parser/html_lexer.rs b/src/servo/parser/html_lexer.rs
index ca95e1177fe..911ca60e828 100644
--- a/src/servo/parser/html_lexer.rs
+++ b/src/servo/parser/html_lexer.rs
@@ -184,7 +184,6 @@ fn spawn_html_lexer_task(-url: url, resource_task: ResourceTask) -> port<Token>
     let html_chan = chan(html_port);
 
     task::spawn(|| {
-        assert url.path.ends_with(~".html");
         let input_port = port();
         resource_task.send(Load(url, input_port.chan()));
         
diff --git a/src/servo/resource/http_loader.rs b/src/servo/resource/http_loader.rs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..fdde14d7a6d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/servo/resource/http_loader.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,48 @@
+export factory;
+
+import comm::{chan, methods};
+import task::spawn;
+import resource_task::{ProgressMsg, Payload, Done};
+import std::net::url::url;
+import http_client::{
+    uv_http_request,
+    Uri
+};
+import result::{ok, err};
+
+fn factory(url: url, progress_chan: chan<ProgressMsg>) {
+    assert url.scheme == ~"http";
+
+    do spawn {
+        #debug("http_loader: requesting via http: %?", url);
+        let request = uv_http_request(url_to_http_client_uri(url));
+        let errored = @mut false;
+        do request.begin |event| {
+            alt event {
+              http_client::Status(*) { }
+              http_client::Payload(data) {
+                #debug("http_loader: got data from %?", url);
+                let mut crap = none;
+                *data <-> crap;
+                progress_chan.send(Payload(option::unwrap(crap)));
+              }
+              http_client::Error(*) {
+                #debug("http_loader: error loading %?", url);
+                *errored = true;
+                progress_chan.send(Done(err(())));
+              }
+            }
+        }
+
+        if !*errored {
+            progress_chan.send(Done(ok(())));
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+fn url_to_http_client_uri(url: url) -> Uri {
+    {
+        host: url.host,
+        path: url.path
+    }
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/servo/resource/resource_task.rs b/src/servo/resource/resource_task.rs
index a3593cbac58..a5684436fc6 100644
--- a/src/servo/resource/resource_task.rs
+++ b/src/servo/resource/resource_task.rs
@@ -30,7 +30,8 @@ type LoaderTaskFactory = fn~(url: url, chan<ProgressMsg>);
 
 fn ResourceTask() -> ResourceTask {
     let loaders = ~[
-        (~"file", file_loader::factory)
+        (~"file", file_loader::factory),
+        (~"http", http_loader::factory)
     ];
     create_resource_task_with_loaders(loaders)
 }
diff --git a/src/servo/servo.rc b/src/servo/servo.rc
index 6cadf75241d..3cc8e816db2 100755
--- a/src/servo/servo.rc
+++ b/src/servo/servo.rc
@@ -114,6 +114,7 @@ mod engine;
 mod resource {
     mod resource_task;
     mod file_loader;
+    mod http_loader;
 }
 
 import servo_text = text;