Index: /home/tom/projects/workspace/PY-XATTR/trunk/Lib/xattr/__init__.py
===================================================================
--- /home/tom/projects/workspace/PY-XATTR/trunk/Lib/xattr/__init__.py	(revision 1008)
+++ /home/tom/projects/workspace/PY-XATTR/trunk/Lib/xattr/__init__.py	(working copy)
@@ -69,6 +69,7 @@
         
         See x-man-page://2/getxattr for options and possible errors.
         """
+        # xt.get(namespace.name) | xt.get(name, nmspace=namespace)
         return self._get(name, 0, 0, options | self.options)
 
     def set(self, name, value, options=0):
@@ -179,6 +180,7 @@
 
 def getxattr(f, attr, symlink=False):
     __doc__ = xattr.get.__doc__
+    # xattr.getxattr(file, namespace.name) | xattr.getxattr(file, name, nmspace=namespace)
     return xattr(f).get(attr, options=symlink and XATTR_NOFOLLOW or 0)
 
 def setxattr(f, attr, value, options=0, symlink=False):
Index: /home/tom/projects/workspace/PY-XATTR/trunk/Modules/xattr/_xattr.c
===================================================================
--- /home/tom/projects/workspace/PY-XATTR/trunk/Modules/xattr/_xattr.c	(revision 1008)
+++ /home/tom/projects/workspace/PY-XATTR/trunk/Modules/xattr/_xattr.c	(working copy)
@@ -34,6 +34,14 @@
                               void *value, ssize_t size, u_int32_t position, 
                               int options)
 {
+    printf("Entering xattr_getxattr!\n");
+    int err, len;
+    ssize_t retval;
+    int attrnamespace;
+    char *temp_buffer;
+    char *nmspace;
+    char *nm;
+    
     if (position != 0 || 
         !(options == 0 || options == XATTR_XATTR_NOFOLLOW)) {
         return -1;
@@ -39,14 +47,42 @@
         return -1;
     }
 
+    len = strlen(name)+1;
+    temp_buffer = (char *) malloc(len);
+    nm = temp_buffer;
+    strlcpy(nm, name, len);
+    printf("path: %s\n", path);
+    printf("name: %s\n", name);
+    printf("nm: %s\n", nm);
+    
+    nmspace = strsep(&nm, ".");
+    
+    printf("nmspace: %s\n", nmspace);
+    printf("nm (after strsep()): %s\n", nm);
+    
+    // Why does the error change the second time around?
+    if (nm == NULL || *nm == 0) {
+    	printf("nm is NULL or empty\n");
+    	free(temp_buffer);
+        return -2;
+    }
+
+    err = extattr_string_to_namespace(nmspace, &attrnamespace);
+    if (err) {
+    	free(temp_buffer);
+        return -1;
+    }
+
     if (options & XATTR_XATTR_NOFOLLOW) {
-        return extattr_get_link(path, EXTATTR_NAMESPACE_USER,
-                                name, value, size);
+        retval = extattr_get_link(path, attrnamespace, nm, value, size);
     }
     else {
-        return extattr_get_file(path, EXTATTR_NAMESPACE_USER,
-                                name, value, size);
+        retval = extattr_get_file(path, attrnamespace, nm, value, size);
     }
+    
+    free(temp_buffer);
+    
+    return retval;
 }
 
 static ssize_t xattr_setxattr(const char *path, const char *name,
@@ -359,6 +395,7 @@
 static PyObject *
 xattr_error(void)
 {
+    printf("entered xattr_error\n");
     return PyErr_SetFromErrno(PyExc_IOError);
 }
 
@@ -365,6 +402,7 @@
 static PyObject *
 xattr_error_with_filename(char *name)
 {
+    printf("entered xattr_error_with_filename\n");
     return PyErr_SetFromErrnoWithFilename(PyExc_IOError, name);
 }
 
@@ -403,6 +441,12 @@
             PyMem_Free(name);
             return tmp;
         }
+        else if (res == -2) {
+            PyObject *tmp = xattr_error();
+            PyMem_Free(path);
+            PyMem_Free(name);
+            return tmp;
+        }
         size = res;
     }
     buffer = PyString_FromStringAndSize((char *)NULL, size);
@@ -421,6 +465,13 @@
         PyMem_Free(name);
         return tmp;
     }
+    else if (res == -2 ) {
+    	PyObject *tmp = xattr_error();
+    	Py_DECREF(buffer);
+    	PyMem_Free(path);
+    	PyMem_Free(name);
+    	return tmp;
+    }
     PyMem_Free(path);
     PyMem_Free(name);
     if (res != size) {