diff --git a/SConstruct b/SConstruct
index e466cb27b0b..20f336b743c 100644
--- a/SConstruct
+++ b/SConstruct
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@
 
 # some common tasks
 #   build 64-bit mac and pushing to s3
-#      scons --64 --dist=osx-x86_64 s3dist
+#      scons --64 s3dist
 #      all s3 pushes require settings.py
 
 import os
@@ -184,6 +184,7 @@ if "darwin" == os.sys.platform:
 elif "linux2" == os.sys.platform:
     useJavaHome = True
     javaOS = "linux"
+    platform = "linux"
 
     if not os.path.exists( javaHome ):
         #fedora standarm jvm location
@@ -637,6 +638,7 @@ distFile = installDir + ".tgz"
 env.Append( TARFLAGS=" -z " )
 env.Tar( distFile , installDir )
 
+env.Alias( "dist" , distFile )
 env.Alias( "s3dist" , [ "install"  , distFile ] , [ s3dist ] )
 env.AlwaysBuild( "s3dist" )
 
diff --git a/client/dbclient.h b/client/dbclient.h
index e9bbf18504c..9bd24a1fe0c 100644
--- a/client/dbclient.h
+++ b/client/dbclient.h
@@ -516,6 +516,11 @@ namespace mongo {
     
     class DBClientPaired;
     
+    class ConnectException : public UserException { 
+    public:
+        ConnectException(string msg) : UserException(msg) { }
+    };
+
     /** 
         A basic connection to the database. 
         This is the main entry point for talking to a simple Mongo setup
@@ -539,7 +544,7 @@ namespace mongo {
         DBClientConnection(bool _autoReconnect=false,DBClientPaired* cp=0) :
                 clientPaired(cp), failed(false), autoReconnect(_autoReconnect), lastReconnectTry(0) { }
 
-        /**Connect to a Mongo database server.
+        /** Connect to a Mongo database server.
 
            If autoReconnect is true, you can try to use the DBClientConnection even when
            false was returned -- it will try to connect again.
@@ -550,6 +555,20 @@ namespace mongo {
         */
         virtual bool connect(const char *serverHostname, string& errmsg);
 
+        /** Connect to a Mongo database server.  Exception throwing version.
+            Throws a UserException if cannot connect.
+
+           If autoReconnect is true, you can try to use the DBClientConnection even when
+           false was returned -- it will try to connect again.
+
+           @param serverHostname host to connect to.  can include port number ( 127.0.0.1 , 127.0.0.1:5555 )
+        */
+        void connect(string serverHostname) { 
+            string errmsg;
+            if( !connect(serverHostname.c_str(), errmsg) ) 
+                throw new ConnectException(string("can't connect ") + errmsg);
+        }
+
         virtual bool auth(const char *dbname, const char *username, const char *pwd, string& errmsg, bool digestPassword = true);
 
         virtual auto_ptr<DBClientCursor> query(const char *ns, Query query, int nToReturn = 0, int nToSkip = 0,
diff --git a/client/examples/tutorial.cpp b/client/examples/tutorial.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..801c890dd00
--- /dev/null
+++ b/client/examples/tutorial.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+#include <iostream>
+#include "client/dbclient.h"
+
+// g++ -I ../.. -L ../.. tutorial.cpp -lmongoclient -lboost_thread -lboost_filesystem
+
+using namespace mongo;
+
+void run() {
+  DBClientConnection c;
+
+}
+
+int main() { 
+  try { 
+    run();
+  } catch( DBException &e ) { 
+    cout << "caught " << e.what() << endl;
+  }
+  return 0;
+}
diff --git a/db/repl.cpp b/db/repl.cpp
index e612f0b90cf..504716d2379 100644
--- a/db/repl.cpp
+++ b/db/repl.cpp
@@ -678,7 +678,7 @@ namespace mongo {
                 _runCommands(ns, o, ss, bb, ob, true, 0);
             }
         }
-        catch ( UserAssertionException& e ) {
+        catch ( UserException& e ) {
             log() << "sync: caught user assertion " << e.msg << '\n';
         }        
     }
diff --git a/dbtests/namespacetests.cpp b/dbtests/namespacetests.cpp
index bfb658165f4..486348a4cef 100644
--- a/dbtests/namespacetests.cpp
+++ b/dbtests/namespacetests.cpp
@@ -251,7 +251,7 @@ namespace NamespaceTests {
 
                 BSONObjSetDefaultOrder keys;
                 ASSERT_EXCEPTION( id().getKeysFromObject( b.done(), keys ),
-                                  UserAssertionException );
+                                  UserException );
             }
         private:
             virtual BSONObj key() const {
diff --git a/dbtests/pairingtests.cpp b/dbtests/pairingtests.cpp
index 8734998dfbc..541b0fd9959 100644
--- a/dbtests/pairingtests.cpp
+++ b/dbtests/pairingtests.cpp
@@ -94,16 +94,16 @@ namespace PairingTests {
                 checkFields( rp3, "", "", DBPort, "bar" );
 
                 ASSERT_EXCEPTION( ReplPair( "foo:", "bar" ),
-                                  UserAssertionException );
+                                  UserException );
 
                 ASSERT_EXCEPTION( ReplPair( "foo:0", "bar" ),
-                                  UserAssertionException );
+                                  UserException );
 
                 ASSERT_EXCEPTION( ReplPair( "foo:10000000", "bar" ),
-                                  UserAssertionException );
+                                  UserException );
 
                 ASSERT_EXCEPTION( ReplPair( "foo", "" ),
-                                  UserAssertionException );
+                                  UserException );
             }
         private:
             void checkFields( const ReplPair &rp,
diff --git a/stdafx.cpp b/stdafx.cpp
index 88156f17473..7695b72a9d6 100644
--- a/stdafx.cpp
+++ b/stdafx.cpp
@@ -69,7 +69,7 @@ namespace mongo {
             RARELY log() << "User Assertion " << msg << endl;
         lastAssert[3].set(msg, getDbContext().c_str(), "", 0);
         raiseError(msg);
-        throw UserAssertionException(msg);
+        throw UserException(msg);
     }
 
     void msgasserted(const char *msg) {
diff --git a/stdafx.h b/stdafx.h
index 0e6a0654833..7e6c12d3662 100644
--- a/stdafx.h
+++ b/stdafx.h
@@ -129,13 +129,13 @@ namespace mongo {
         virtual const char* what() const throw() { return msg.c_str(); }
     };
 
-    /* we use the same mechanism for bad things the user does -- which are really just errors */
-    class UserAssertionException : public AssertionException {
+    /* UserExceptions are valid errors that a user can cause, like out of disk space or duplicate key */
+    class UserException : public AssertionException {
     public:
-        UserAssertionException(const char *_msg) {
+        UserException(const char *_msg) {
             msg = _msg;
         }
-        UserAssertionException(string _msg) {
+        UserException(string _msg) {
             msg = _msg;
         }
         virtual bool severe() {