diff --git a/Lib/_dummy_os.py b/Lib/_dummy_os.py
index dae80cbc4..5bd5ec0a1 100644
--- a/Lib/_dummy_os.py
+++ b/Lib/_dummy_os.py
@@ -7,12 +7,13 @@ try:
 except ImportError:
     import abc
 
-    # this will throw an appropriate error if os isn't available and a module
-    # tries to use an os function. If os has become available, then this will
-    # just work.
     def __getattr__(name):
-        import os
-        return getattr(os, name)
+        raise OSError("no os specific module found")
+
+    def _shim():
+        import _dummy_os, sys
+        sys.modules['os'] = _dummy_os
+        sys.modules['os.path'] = _dummy_os.path
 
     import posixpath as path
     import sys
diff --git a/Lib/linecache.py b/Lib/linecache.py
index 47885bfd5..bb09280d6 100644
--- a/Lib/linecache.py
+++ b/Lib/linecache.py
@@ -7,7 +7,10 @@ that name.
 
 import functools
 import sys
-import os
+try:
+    import os
+except ImportError:
+    import _dummy_os as os
 import tokenize
 
 __all__ = ["getline", "clearcache", "checkcache"]
diff --git a/wasm/demo/snippets/import_pypi.py b/wasm/demo/snippets/import_pypi.py
index 9acf3d513..cbe837cd0 100644
--- a/wasm/demo/snippets/import_pypi.py
+++ b/wasm/demo/snippets/import_pypi.py
@@ -1,19 +1,17 @@
 import asyncweb
-import pypimport
+import whlimport
 
-pypimport.setup()
+whlimport.setup()
 
-# shim path utilities into the "os" module
-class os:
-    import posixpath as path
-import sys
-sys.modules['os'] = os
-sys.modules['os.path'] = os.path
-del sys, os
+# make sys.modules['os'] a dumb version of the os module, which has posixpath
+# available as os.path as well as a few other utilities, but will raise an
+# OSError for anything that actually requires an OS
+import _dummy_os
+_dummy_os._shim()
 
 @asyncweb.main
 async def main():
-    await pypimport.load_package("pygments")
+    await whlimport.load_package("pygments")
     import pygments
     import pygments.lexers
     import pygments.formatters.html
diff --git a/wasm/demo/src/browser_module.rs b/wasm/demo/src/browser_module.rs
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..e69de29bb
diff --git a/wasm/lib/Lib/asyncweb.py b/wasm/lib/Lib/asyncweb.py
index 034a39cc7..e1039efce 100644
--- a/wasm/lib/Lib/asyncweb.py
+++ b/wasm/lib/Lib/asyncweb.py
@@ -48,51 +48,16 @@ def main(async_func):
 async def _main_wrapper(coro):
     try:
         await coro
-    except BaseException as e:
-        for line in _format_exc(e, 1):
-            print(line)
-
-
-# TODO: get traceback/linecache working in wasm
-
-
-def _format_exc(exc, skip_tb=0):
-    exc_type, exc_value, exc_traceback = type(exc), exc, exc.__traceback__
-
-    _str = _some_str(exc_value)
-
-    yield "Traceback (most recent call last):"
-    tb = exc_traceback
-    while tb:
-        if skip_tb:
-            skip_tb -= 1
-        else:
-            co = tb.tb_frame.f_code
-            yield f'  File "{co.co_filename}", line {tb.tb_lineno}, in {co.co_name}'
-        tb = tb.tb_next
-
-    stype = exc_type.__qualname__
-    smod = exc_type.__module__
-    if smod not in ("__main__", "builtins"):
-        stype = smod + "." + stype
-
-    yield _format_final_exc_line(stype, _str)
-
-
-def _format_final_exc_line(etype, value):
-    valuestr = _some_str(value)
-    if value is None or not valuestr:
-        line = "%s" % etype
-    else:
-        line = "%s: %s" % (etype, valuestr)
-    return line
-
-
-def _some_str(value):
-    try:
-        return str(value)
     except:
-        return "<unprintable %s object>" % type(value).__name__
+        try:
+            import traceback, sys
+            traceback.print_exc(file=sys.stdout)
+        except BaseException as e:
+            tb = e.__traceback__
+            while tb:
+                print(tb.tb_lineno, tb.tb_frame.f_code.co_name, tb.tb_frame.f_code.co_filename)
+                tb = tb.tb_next
+            print(type(e), e)
 
 
 def _resolve(prom):
diff --git a/wasm/lib/Lib/whlimport.py b/wasm/lib/Lib/whlimport.py
index e58fb733d..033a885c7 100644
--- a/wasm/lib/Lib/whlimport.py
+++ b/wasm/lib/Lib/whlimport.py
@@ -73,14 +73,27 @@ class WheelFinder:
         return None
     
     @classmethod
-    def exec_module(cls, module):
-        origin = module.__spec__.origin
+    def get_source(cls, fullname):
+        spec = cls.find_spec(fullname)
+        if spec:
+            return cls._get_source(spec)
+        else:
+            raise ImportError('cannot find source for module', name=fullname)
+
+    @classmethod
+    def _get_source(cls, spec):
+        origin = spec.origin
         if not origin or not origin.startswith("wheel:"):
             raise ImportError(f'{module.__spec__.name!r} is not a zip module')
 
         zipname, slash, path = origin[len('wheel:'):].partition('/')
-        source = cls._packages[zipname].read(path)
-        code = _bootstrap._call_with_frames_removed(compile, source, origin, 'exec', dont_inherit=True)
+        return cls._packages[zipname].read(path).decode()
+
+    @classmethod
+    def exec_module(cls, module):
+        spec = module.__spec__
+        source = cls._get_source(spec)
+        code = _bootstrap._call_with_frames_removed(compile, source, spec.origin, 'exec', dont_inherit=True)
         _bootstrap._call_with_frames_removed(exec, code, module.__dict__)