diff --git a/collects/racket/private/misc.rkt b/collects/racket/private/misc.rkt
index c8dc905395..76e2a6f6d0 100644
--- a/collects/racket/private/misc.rkt
+++ b/collects/racket/private/misc.rkt
@@ -203,7 +203,7 @@
   (define (getenv s)
     (unless (string-environment-variable-name? s)
       (raise-argument-error 'getenv "string-environment-variable-name?" s))
-    (let ([v (environment-variables-get (current-environment-variables)
+    (let ([v (environment-variables-ref (current-environment-variables)
                                         (string->bytes/locale s (char->integer #\?)))])
       (and v
            (bytes->string/locale v #\?))))
diff --git a/collects/scribblings/reference/envvars.scrbl b/collects/scribblings/reference/envvars.scrbl
index 2a60c813fa..c3b22bb561 100644
--- a/collects/scribblings/reference/envvars.scrbl
+++ b/collects/scribblings/reference/envvars.scrbl
@@ -51,7 +51,7 @@ Creates a fresh @tech{environment variable set} that is initialized
 with the given @racket[name] to @racket[val] mappings.}
 
 
-@defproc[(environment-variables-get [env environment-variables?]
+@defproc[(environment-variables-ref [env environment-variables?]
                                     [name bytes-environment-variable-name?])
          (or/c #f (and/c bytes-no-nuls? immutable?))]{
 
@@ -93,7 +93,7 @@ in which case @racket[fail] is called in tail position with respect to the
 an exception.}
 
 
-@defproc[(environment-variables-keys [env environment-variables?])
+@defproc[(environment-variables-names [env environment-variables?])
          (listof (and/c bytes-environment-variable-name? immutable?))]{
 
 Returns a list of byte strings that corresponds to names mapped by
@@ -114,7 +114,7 @@ the same mappings as @racket[env].}
                  [value string-no-nuls?]) boolean?]
 )]{
 
-Convenience wrappers for @racket[environment-variables-get] and
+Convenience wrappers for @racket[environment-variables-ref] and
 @racket[environment-variables-set!] that convert between strings and
 byte strings using the current @tech{locale}'s default encoding (using
 @racket[#\?] as the replacement character for encoding errors) and
diff --git a/collects/tests/racket/file.rktl b/collects/tests/racket/file.rktl
index 574ab18a39..3a07fd4674 100644
--- a/collects/tests/racket/file.rktl
+++ b/collects/tests/racket/file.rktl
@@ -1263,11 +1263,11 @@
 (test #t environment-variables? (environment-variables-copy (current-environment-variables)))
 (test #t environment-variables? (make-environment-variables))
 (test #t environment-variables? (make-environment-variables #"A" #"1"))
-(test #t list? (environment-variables-keys (current-environment-variables)))
-(test #t andmap bytes? (environment-variables-keys (current-environment-variables)))
+(test #t list? (environment-variables-names (current-environment-variables)))
+(test #t andmap bytes? (environment-variables-names (current-environment-variables)))
 (test #t = 
-      (length (environment-variables-keys (current-environment-variables)))
-      (length (environment-variables-keys (environment-variables-copy (current-environment-variables)))))
+      (length (environment-variables-names (current-environment-variables)))
+      (length (environment-variables-names (environment-variables-copy (current-environment-variables)))))
 (test #f bytes-environment-variable-name? #"x=")
 (test #f bytes-environment-variable-name? #"x\0")
 (test (not (eq? 'windows (system-type))) bytes-environment-variable-name? #"")
@@ -1276,10 +1276,10 @@
 (test #f string-environment-variable-name? "x\0")
 (test (not (eq? 'windows (system-type))) string-environment-variable-name? "")
 
-(test #"1" environment-variables-get (make-environment-variables #"a" #"1" #"b" #"two") #"a")
-(test #"two" environment-variables-get (make-environment-variables #"a" #"1" #"b" #"two") #"b")
-(test #f environment-variables-get (make-environment-variables #"a" #"1" #"b" #"two") #"c")
-(test #f environment-variables-get (make-environment-variables) #"a")
+(test #"1" environment-variables-ref (make-environment-variables #"a" #"1" #"b" #"two") #"a")
+(test #"two" environment-variables-ref (make-environment-variables #"a" #"1" #"b" #"two") #"b")
+(test #f environment-variables-ref (make-environment-variables #"a" #"1" #"b" #"two") #"c")
+(test #f environment-variables-ref (make-environment-variables) #"a")
 
 (define (env-var-tests)
   (define success-1? (putenv "APPLE" "AnApple"))
@@ -1298,21 +1298,21 @@
   (test #f getenv "AnUndefinedEnvironmentVariable")
 
   (define env (current-environment-variables))
-  (test #"AnApple" environment-variables-get env #"APPLE")
-  (err/rt-test (environment-variables-get env #"=AP=PLE="))
+  (test #"AnApple" environment-variables-ref env #"APPLE")
+  (err/rt-test (environment-variables-ref env #"=AP=PLE="))
   (test (void) environment-variables-set! env #"APPLE" #"=x=")
-  (test #"=x=" environment-variables-get env #"APPLE")
-  (test #"AnotherApple" environment-variables-get env #"BANANA")
+  (test #"=x=" environment-variables-ref env #"APPLE")
+  (test #"AnotherApple" environment-variables-ref env #"BANANA")
   (test (void) environment-variables-set! env #"BANANA" #f)
-  (test #f environment-variables-get env #"BANANA")
+  (test #f environment-variables-ref env #"BANANA")
   (test #f getenv "BANANA")
 
   (let ([apple (if (eq? 'windows (system-type))
                    #"apple"
                    #"APPLE")])
-    (test apple car (member apple (environment-variables-keys env))))
-  (test #f member #"BANANA" (environment-variables-keys env))
-  (test #f member #"banana" (environment-variables-keys env)))
+    (test apple car (member apple (environment-variables-names env))))
+  (test #f member #"BANANA" (environment-variables-names env))
+  (test #f member #"banana" (environment-variables-names env)))
 
 (parameterize ([current-environment-variables
                 (environment-variables-copy
diff --git a/doc/release-notes/racket/HISTORY.txt b/doc/release-notes/racket/HISTORY.txt
index b0a88231e1..6062e02e99 100644
--- a/doc/release-notes/racket/HISTORY.txt
+++ b/doc/release-notes/racket/HISTORY.txt
@@ -2,8 +2,8 @@ Version 5.3.4.3
 Added make-environment-variables
 
 Version 5.3.4.2
-Added current-environment-variables, environment-variables-get,
- environment-variables-set!, environment-variables-keys,
+Added current-environment-variables, environment-variables-ref,
+ environment-variables-set!, environment-variables-names,
  environment-variables-copy, bytes-environment-variables-name?,
  string-environment-variables-name?, and environment-variables?
 racket/sadnox: added sandbox-make-environment-variables
diff --git a/src/get-libs.rkt b/src/get-libs.rkt
index d6879c2845..d2c27dd882 100644
--- a/src/get-libs.rkt
+++ b/src/get-libs.rkt
@@ -104,7 +104,7 @@
          ["libpangocairo-1.0-0.dll" 94625]
          ["libpangowin32-1.0-0.dll" 143647]
          ["libpangoft2-1.0-0.dll" 679322]]
-       (if (environment-variables-get (current-environment-variables)
+       (if (environment-variables-ref (current-environment-variables)
                                       #"PLT_WIN_GTK")
            '(["libatk-1.0-0.dll" 153763]
              ["libgtk-win32-2.0-0.dll" 4740156]
@@ -196,7 +196,7 @@
   (define-values (path-size/show)
     (lambda (path)
       (let-values ([(sz) (path-size path)])
-        (if (environment-variables-get (current-environment-variables)
+        (if (environment-variables-ref (current-environment-variables)
                                        #"PLT_SHOW_PATH_SIZES")
             (printf "~s ~s\n" path sz)
             (void))
diff --git a/src/racket/src/string.c b/src/racket/src/string.c
index 237e9aa5f2..63b589842a 100644
--- a/src/racket/src/string.c
+++ b/src/racket/src/string.c
@@ -868,9 +868,9 @@ scheme_init_string (Scheme_Env *env)
 						       MZCONFIG_CURRENT_ENV_VARS),
 			     env);  
 
-  scheme_add_global_constant("environment-variables-get",
+  scheme_add_global_constant("environment-variables-ref",
 			     scheme_make_immed_prim(sch_getenv,
-						    "environment-variables-get",
+						    "environment-variables-ref",
 						    2, 2),
 			     env);
 
@@ -880,9 +880,9 @@ scheme_init_string (Scheme_Env *env)
                                                       3, 4),
 			     env);
 
-  scheme_add_global_constant("environment-variables-keys",
+  scheme_add_global_constant("environment-variables-names",
 			     scheme_make_immed_prim(sch_getenv_names,
-						    "environment-variables-keys",
+						    "environment-variables-names",
 						    1, 1),
 			     env);
 
@@ -2265,12 +2265,12 @@ static Scheme_Object *sch_getenv(int argc, Scheme_Object *argv[])
   Scheme_Hash_Tree *ht;
 
   if (!SAME_TYPE(SCHEME_TYPE(argv[0]), scheme_environment_variables_type))
-    scheme_wrong_contract("environment-variables-get", "environment-variables?", 0, argc, argv);
+    scheme_wrong_contract("environment-variables-ref", "environment-variables?", 0, argc, argv);
 
   bs = argv[1];
   if (!SCHEME_BYTE_STRINGP(bs)
       || !byte_string_ok_name(bs))
-    scheme_wrong_contract("environment-variables-get", "bytes-environment-variable-name?", 1, argc, argv);
+    scheme_wrong_contract("environment-variables-ref", "bytes-environment-variable-name?", 1, argc, argv);
 
   ev = argv[0];
   ht = SCHEME_ENVVARS_TABLE(ev);
@@ -2329,9 +2329,12 @@ static int sch_unix_putenv(const char *var, const char *val, const intptr_t varl
 
   if (buffer)
     return putenv(buffer);
-  else
-    return unsetenv(var);
-} 
+  else {
+    /* on some platforms, unsetenv() returns void */
+    unsetenv(var);
+    return 0;
+  }
+}
 #endif
 
 static Scheme_Object *sch_putenv(int argc, Scheme_Object *argv[])
@@ -2518,7 +2521,7 @@ static Scheme_Object *sch_getenv_names(int argc, Scheme_Object *argv[])
 
   ev = argv[0];
   if (!SAME_TYPE(SCHEME_TYPE(ev), scheme_environment_variables_type))
-    scheme_wrong_contract("environment-variables-keys", "environment-variables?", 0, argc, argv);
+    scheme_wrong_contract("environment-variables-names", "environment-variables?", 0, argc, argv);
 
   ht = SCHEME_ENVVARS_TABLE(ev);
   if (!ht) {