diff --git a/src/vs/base/node/request.ts b/src/vs/base/node/request.ts
index b71ed417ddeb60322cf3e722943d50eab1b0c9e9..cc9e228b4a2eb2e47a16302adccdc210d8083d68 100644
--- a/src/vs/base/node/request.ts
+++ b/src/vs/base/node/request.ts
@@ -31,11 +31,19 @@ export interface IRequestOptions {
 }
 
 export interface IRequestContext {
-	req: http.ClientRequest;
-	res: http.ClientResponse;
+	// req: http.ClientRequest;
+	// res: http.ClientResponse;
+	res: {
+		headers: { [n: string]: string };
+		statusCode?: number;
+	};
 	stream: Stream;
 }
 
+export interface IRequestFunction {
+	(options: IRequestOptions): TPromise<IRequestContext>;
+}
+
 export function request(options: IRequestOptions): TPromise<IRequestContext> {
 	let req: http.ClientRequest;
 
@@ -71,7 +79,7 @@ export function request(options: IRequestOptions): TPromise<IRequestContext> {
 					stream = stream.pipe(createGunzip());
 				}
 
-				c({ req, res, stream });
+				c({ res, stream });
 			}
 		});
 
@@ -144,4 +152,4 @@ export function asJson<T>(context: IRequestContext): TPromise<T> {
 		context.stream.on('end', () => c(JSON.parse(buffer.join(''))));
 		context.stream.on('error', e);
 	});
-}
\ No newline at end of file
+}
diff --git a/src/vs/platform/request/electron-browser/requestService.ts b/src/vs/platform/request/electron-browser/requestService.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..188ad8a755f43687ceb451d90ee200f8d900574d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/vs/platform/request/electron-browser/requestService.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,95 @@
+/*---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+ *  Copyright (c) Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
+ *  Licensed under the MIT License. See License.txt in the project root for license information.
+ *--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------*/
+'use strict';
+
+import { TPromise } from 'vs/base/common/winjs.base';
+import { IRequestOptions, IRequestContext, IRequestFunction } from 'vs/base/node/request';
+import { Readable } from 'stream';
+import { RequestService as NodeRequestService } from 'vs/platform/request/node/requestService';
+
+/**
+ * This service exposes the `request` API, while using the global
+ * or configured proxy settings.
+ */
+export class RequestService extends NodeRequestService {
+	request(options: IRequestOptions): TPromise<IRequestContext> {
+		return super.request(options, xhrRequest);
+	}
+}
+
+class ArryBufferStream extends Readable {
+
+	private _buffer: Buffer;
+	private _offset: number;
+	private _length: number;
+
+	constructor(arraybuffer: ArrayBuffer) {
+		super();
+		this._buffer = new Buffer(new Uint8Array(arraybuffer));
+		this._offset = 0;
+		this._length = this._buffer.length;
+	}
+
+	_read(size: number) {
+		if (this._offset < this._length) {
+			this.push(this._buffer.slice(this._offset, (this._offset + size)));
+			this._offset += size;
+		} else {
+			this.push(null);
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+export const xhrRequest: IRequestFunction = (options: IRequestOptions): TPromise<IRequestContext> => {
+
+	const xhr = new XMLHttpRequest();
+	return new TPromise<IRequestContext>((resolve, reject) => {
+
+		xhr.open(options.type, options.url, true, options.user, options.password);
+		setRequestHeaders(xhr, options);
+
+		xhr.responseType = 'arraybuffer';
+		xhr.onerror = reject;
+		xhr.onload = (e) => {
+			resolve({
+				res: {
+					statusCode: xhr.status,
+					headers: getResponseHeaders(xhr)
+				},
+				stream: new ArryBufferStream(xhr.response)
+			});
+		};
+
+		xhr.send(options.data);
+		return null;
+
+	}, () => {
+		// cancel
+		xhr.abort();
+	});
+};
+
+function setRequestHeaders(xhr: XMLHttpRequest, options: IRequestOptions): void {
+	if (options.headers) {
+		for (let k in options.headers) {
+			try {
+				xhr.setRequestHeader(k, options.headers[k]);
+			} catch (e) {
+				console.warn(e);
+			}
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+function getResponseHeaders(xhr: XMLHttpRequest): { [name: string]: string } {
+	const headers: { [name: string]: string } = Object.create(null);
+	for (const line of xhr.getAllResponseHeaders().split(/\r\n|\n|\r/g)) {
+		if (line) {
+			const idx = line.indexOf(':');
+			headers[line.substr(0, idx).trim().toLowerCase()] = line.substr(idx + 1).trim();
+		}
+	}
+	return headers;
+}
diff --git a/src/vs/platform/request/node/requestService.ts b/src/vs/platform/request/node/requestService.ts
index de2af740b3de811b67727d1bb859cd0de509f7e8..ac91d258b24d625585818f24a33f89bf601cbe26 100644
--- a/src/vs/platform/request/node/requestService.ts
+++ b/src/vs/platform/request/node/requestService.ts
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
 import { TPromise } from 'vs/base/common/winjs.base';
 import { IDisposable } from 'vs/base/common/lifecycle';
 import { assign } from 'vs/base/common/objects';
-import { IRequestOptions, IRequestContext, request } from 'vs/base/node/request';
+import { IRequestOptions, IRequestContext, IRequestFunction, request } from 'vs/base/node/request';
 import { getProxyAgent } from 'vs/base/node/proxy';
 import { IRequestService, IHTTPConfiguration } from 'vs/platform/request/node/request';
 import { IConfigurationService, IConfigurationServiceEvent } from 'vs/platform/configuration/common/configuration';
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ export class RequestService implements IRequestService {
 		this.authorization = config.http && config.http.proxyAuthorization;
 	}
 
-	request(options: IRequestOptions): TPromise<IRequestContext> {
+	request(options: IRequestOptions, requestFn: IRequestFunction = request): TPromise<IRequestContext> {
 		const { proxyUrl, strictSSL } = this;
 
 		options.agent = options.agent || getProxyAgent(options.url, { proxyUrl, strictSSL });
@@ -52,6 +52,6 @@ export class RequestService implements IRequestService {
 			options.headers = assign(options.headers || {}, { 'Proxy-Authorization': this.authorization });
 		}
 
-		return request(options);
+		return requestFn(options);
 	}
 }
diff --git a/src/vs/workbench/electron-browser/shell.ts b/src/vs/workbench/electron-browser/shell.ts
index 5f79e8039f5e469f3e54e87c6c38e08c4b91d613..19762e9363d6d05e9b9820ea08be1274f20c6147 100644
--- a/src/vs/workbench/electron-browser/shell.ts
+++ b/src/vs/workbench/electron-browser/shell.ts
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ import { WindowsChannelClient } from 'vs/platform/windows/common/windowsIpc';
 import { WindowService } from 'vs/platform/windows/electron-browser/windowService';
 import { MessageService } from 'vs/workbench/services/message/electron-browser/messageService';
 import { IRequestService } from 'vs/platform/request/node/request';
-import { RequestService } from 'vs/platform/request/node/requestService';
+import { RequestService } from 'vs/platform/request/electron-browser/requestService';
 import { IConfigurationService } from 'vs/platform/configuration/common/configuration';
 import { SearchService } from 'vs/workbench/services/search/node/searchService';
 import { LifecycleService } from 'vs/workbench/services/lifecycle/electron-browser/lifecycleService';
@@ -560,4 +560,4 @@ export class WorkbenchShell {
 		// Container
 		$(this.container).empty();
 	}
-}
\ No newline at end of file
+}