diff --git a/lib/ini.js b/lib/ini.js
index 6a1b18daa8..bc1938733b 100644
--- a/lib/ini.js
+++ b/lib/ini.js
@@ -1,22 +1,25 @@
 exports.parse = function(d) {
-  var trim = function(str) { return str.replace(/^\s\s*/, '').replace(/\s\s*$/, ''); }
   var ini = {'-':{}};
 
   var section = '-';
 
   var lines = d.split('\n');
   for (var i=0; i<lines.length; i++) {
+    var line = lines[i].trim(),
+      rem = line.indexOf(";");
 
-    var re = /(.*)=(.*)|\[([a-z:\.0-9_\s]+)\]/i;
+    if (rem !== -1) line = line.substr(0, rem);
 
-    var match = lines[i].match(re);
+    var re = /^\[([^\]]*)\]$|^([^=]+)(=(.*))?$/i;
+
+    var match = line.match(re);
     if (match != null) {
-      if (match[3] != undefined) {
-        section = match[3];
+      if (match[1] != undefined) {
+        section = match[1].trim();
         ini[section] = {};
       } else {
-        var key = trim(match[1]);
-        var value = trim(match[2]);
+        var key = match[2].trim(),
+          value = (match[3]) ? (match[4] || "").trim() : true;
         ini[section][key] = value;
       }
     }
diff --git a/test/fixtures/fixture.ini b/test/fixtures/fixture.ini
index 674e45d7f6..dcf1348a45 100644
--- a/test/fixtures/fixture.ini
+++ b/test/fixtures/fixture.ini
@@ -1,10 +1,18 @@
+; a comment
 root=something
 
+url = http://example.com/?foo=bar
+
+ [ the section with whitespace ]  
+this has whitespace = yep ; and a comment; and then another
+
+   just a flag, no value.   
+
 [section]
 one=two
 Foo=Bar
 this=Your Mother!
-blank=
+blank= 
 
 [Section Two]
 something else=blah
diff --git a/test/simple/test-ini.js b/test/simple/test-ini.js
index 72ccbfcf3b..9b072f27eb 100644
--- a/test/simple/test-ini.js
+++ b/test/simple/test-ini.js
@@ -14,7 +14,30 @@ fs.readFile(p,function(err, data) {
 
   var iniContents = parse(data);
   assert.equal(typeof iniContents, 'object');
-  assert.deepEqual(iniContents,{"-":{"root":"something"},"section":{"one":"two","Foo":"Bar","this":"Your Mother!","blank":""},"Section Two":{"something else":"blah","remove":"whitespace"}})
+  
+  var expect =
+    { "-" :
+      { "root" : "something"
+      , "url" : "http://example.com/?foo=bar"
+      }
+    , "the section with whitespace" :
+      { "this has whitespace" : "yep"
+      , "just a flag, no value." : true
+      }
+    , "section" :
+      { "one" : "two"
+      , "Foo" : "Bar"
+      , "this" : "Your Mother!"
+      , "blank" : ""
+      }
+    , "Section Two" :
+      { "something else" : "blah"
+      , "remove" : "whitespace"
+      }
+    };
+  
+  assert.deepEqual(iniContents, expect,
+    "actual: \n"+inspect(iniContents) +"\n≠\nexpected:\n"+inspect(expect))
 
   assert.equal(iniContents['-']['root'],'something');
   assert.equal(iniContents['section']['blank'],'');