diff --git a/Lib/test/test_commands.py b/Lib/test/test_commands.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..54ae676d77d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Lib/test/test_commands.py
@@ -0,0 +1,45 @@
+'''
+   Tests for commands module
+   Nick Mathewson
+'''
+import unittest
+import os, tempfile, re
+
+from test_support import TestSkipped, run_unittest
+from commands import *
+
+# The module says:
+#   "NB This only works (and is only relevant) for UNIX."
+#
+# Actually, getoutput should work on any platform with an os.popen, but
+# I'll take the comment as given, and skip this suite.
+
+if os.name != 'posix':
+    raise TestSkipped('Not posix; skipping test_commands')
+
+
+class CommandTests(unittest.TestCase):
+
+    def test_getoutput(self):
+        self.assertEquals(getoutput('echo xyzzy'), 'xyzzy')
+        self.assertEquals(getstatusoutput('echo xyzzy'), (0, 'xyzzy'))
+
+        # we use mktemp in the next line to get a filename which we
+        # _know_ won't exist.  This is guaranteed to fail.
+        status, output = getstatusoutput('cat ' + tempfile.mktemp())
+        self.assertNotEquals(status, 0)
+
+    def test_getstatus(self):
+        # This pattern should match 'ls -ld /bin/ls' on any posix
+        # system, however perversely configured.
+        pat = r'''-..x..x..x   # It is executable.
+                  \s+\d+       # It has some number of links.
+                  \s+\w+\s+\w+ # It has a user and group, which may
+                               #     be named anything.
+                  [^/]*        # Skip the date.
+                  /bin/ls      # and end with the name of the file.
+               '''
+
+        self.assert_(re.match(pat, getstatus("/bin/ls"), re.VERBOSE))
+
+run_unittest(CommandTests)