diff --git a/pkg/dev_compiler/bin/devc.dart b/pkg/dev_compiler/bin/devc.dart
index 204824577275..df0f31831682 100755
--- a/pkg/dev_compiler/bin/devc.dart
+++ b/pkg/dev_compiler/bin/devc.dart
@@ -9,8 +9,10 @@ library dev_compiler.bin.devc;
 
 import 'dart:io';
 
-import 'package:dev_compiler/src/compiler.dart' show validateOptions, compile;
+import 'package:dev_compiler/src/compiler.dart'
+    show validateOptions, compile, setupLogger;
 import 'package:dev_compiler/src/options.dart';
+import 'package:dev_compiler/src/server/server.dart' show DevServer;
 
 void _showUsageAndExit() {
   print('usage: dartdevc [<options>] <file.dart>...\n');
@@ -24,6 +26,12 @@ main(List<String> args) async {
   var options = validateOptions(args);
   if (options == null || options.help) _showUsageAndExit();
 
-  bool success = await compile(options);
-  exit(success ? 0 : 1);
+  setupLogger(options.logLevel, print);
+
+  if (options.serverMode) {
+    new DevServer(options).start();
+  } else {
+    var success = compile(options);
+    exit(success ? 0 : 1);
+  }
 }
diff --git a/pkg/dev_compiler/bin/devrun.dart b/pkg/dev_compiler/bin/devrun.dart
index 18e8456c5cc9..7e0bbabf96b9 100755
--- a/pkg/dev_compiler/bin/devrun.dart
+++ b/pkg/dev_compiler/bin/devrun.dart
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@ main(List<String> args) async {
   }
   var runner = new V8Runner(options);
 
-  if (!await compile(options)) exit(1);
+  if (!compile(options)) exit(1);
 
   var files = await listOutputFiles(options);
   var startStatement = 'dart_library.start("${getMainModuleName(options)}");';
diff --git a/pkg/dev_compiler/lib/src/compiler.dart b/pkg/dev_compiler/lib/src/compiler.dart
index 926e87412b20..6a97b1bd5580 100644
--- a/pkg/dev_compiler/lib/src/compiler.dart
+++ b/pkg/dev_compiler/lib/src/compiler.dart
@@ -34,7 +34,6 @@ import 'codegen/html_codegen.dart' as html_codegen;
 import 'codegen/js_codegen.dart';
 import 'info.dart'
     show AnalyzerMessage, CheckerResults, LibraryInfo, LibraryUnit;
-import 'server/server.dart' show DevServer;
 import 'options.dart';
 import 'report.dart';
 
@@ -64,18 +63,12 @@ CompilerOptions validateOptions(List<String> args, {bool forceOutDir: false}) {
   return options;
 }
 
-Future<bool> compile(CompilerOptions options) async {
-  setupLogger(options.logLevel, print);
-
-  if (options.serverMode) {
-    return new DevServer(options).start();
-  } else {
-    var context = createAnalysisContextWithSources(
-        options.strongOptions, options.sourceOptions);
-    var reporter = createErrorReporter(context, options);
-    // Note: run returns a bool, turned into a future since this function is async.
-    return new BatchCompiler(context, options, reporter: reporter).run();
-  }
+bool compile(CompilerOptions options) {
+  assert(!options.serverMode);
+  var context = createAnalysisContextWithSources(
+      options.strongOptions, options.sourceOptions);
+  var reporter = createErrorReporter(context, options);
+  return new BatchCompiler(context, options, reporter: reporter).run();
 }
 
 class BatchCompiler extends AbstractCompiler {
diff --git a/pkg/dev_compiler/lib/src/options.dart b/pkg/dev_compiler/lib/src/options.dart
index da65115e0f2a..b99dd019a691 100644
--- a/pkg/dev_compiler/lib/src/options.dart
+++ b/pkg/dev_compiler/lib/src/options.dart
@@ -311,8 +311,7 @@ final ArgParser argParser = StrongModeOptions.addArguments(new ArgParser()
 /// works when running devc from it's sources or from a snapshot that is
 /// activated via `pub global activate`.
 String _computeRuntimeDir() {
-  var scriptUri = Platform.script;
-  var scriptPath = scriptUri.path;
+  var scriptPath = path.fromUri(Platform.script);
   var file = path.basename(scriptPath);
   var dir = path.dirname(scriptPath);
   var lastdir = path.basename(dir);
diff --git a/pkg/dev_compiler/lib/src/server/server.dart b/pkg/dev_compiler/lib/src/server/server.dart
index 13b9b244df75..6e30a9cd3d29 100644
--- a/pkg/dev_compiler/lib/src/server/server.dart
+++ b/pkg/dev_compiler/lib/src/server/server.dart
@@ -246,7 +246,7 @@ class DevServer {
             ? SourceResolverOptions.implicitHtmlFile
             : entryPath;
 
-  Future<bool> start() async {
+  Future start() async {
     // Create output directory if needed. shelf_static will fail otherwise.
     var out = new Directory(outDir);
     if (!await out.exists()) await out.create(recursive: true);
@@ -257,8 +257,11 @@ class DevServer {
             defaultDocument: _entryPath));
     await shelf.serve(handler, host, port);
     print('Serving $_entryPath at http://$host:$port/');
-    CheckerResults results = compiler.run();
-    return !results.failure;
+    // Give the compiler a head start. This is not needed for correctness,
+    // but will likely speed up the first load. Regardless of whether compile
+    // succeeds we should still start the server.
+    compiler.run();
+    // Server has started so this future will complete.
   }
 
   shelf.Handler rebuildAndCache(shelf.Handler handler) => (request) {
@@ -285,11 +288,11 @@ class DevServer {
 }
 
 UriResolver _createImplicitEntryResolver(String entryPath) {
-  var entry = path.absolute(SourceResolverOptions.implicitHtmlFile);
-  var src = path.absolute(entryPath);
+  var entry = path.toUri(path.absolute(SourceResolverOptions.implicitHtmlFile));
+  var src = path.toUri(path.absolute(entryPath));
   var provider = new MemoryResourceProvider();
   provider.newFile(
-      entry, '<body><script type="application/dart" src="$src"></script>');
+      entry.path, '<body><script type="application/dart" src="$src"></script>');
   return new _ExistingSourceUriResolver(new ResourceUriResolver(provider));
 }
 
diff --git a/pkg/dev_compiler/tool/patch_sdk.dart b/pkg/dev_compiler/tool/patch_sdk.dart
index 62c8f5a1603f..276d5fd53e94 100755
--- a/pkg/dev_compiler/tool/patch_sdk.dart
+++ b/pkg/dev_compiler/tool/patch_sdk.dart
@@ -15,8 +15,8 @@ import 'package:path/path.dart' as path;
 
 void main(List<String> argv) {
   if (argv.length < 2) {
-    var self = path.relative(Platform.script.path);
-    var toolDir = path.relative(path.dirname(Platform.script.path));
+    var self = path.relative(path.fromUri(Platform.script));
+    var toolDir = path.relative(path.dirname(path.fromUri(Platform.script)));
 
     var inputExample = path.join(toolDir, 'input_sdk');
     var outExample = path.relative(