diff --git a/src/MatrixBase.h b/src/MatrixBase.h
index bcc747aca..860b9272d 100644
--- a/src/MatrixBase.h
+++ b/src/MatrixBase.h
@@ -67,6 +67,7 @@ template<typename MatrixType> class MatrixRef
 {
   public:
     typedef typename ForwardDecl<MatrixType>::Scalar Scalar;
+    typedef MatrixXpr<MatrixRef<MatrixType> > Xpr;
     
     MatrixRef(MatrixType& matrix) : m_matrix(matrix) {}
     MatrixRef(const MatrixRef& other) : m_matrix(other.m_matrix) {}
@@ -92,6 +93,11 @@ template<typename MatrixType> class MatrixRef
     
     MatrixType& matrix() { return m_matrix; }
 
+    Xpr xpr()
+    {
+      return Xpr(*this);
+    }
+
   protected:
     MatrixType& m_matrix;
 };
@@ -106,6 +112,7 @@ class MatrixBase
     typedef MatrixRef<MatrixBase<Derived> > Ref;
     typedef MatrixConstXpr<ConstRef> ConstXpr;
     typedef MatrixXpr<Ref> Xpr;
+    typedef MatrixAlias<Derived> Alias;
 
     Ref ref()
     {
@@ -127,6 +134,8 @@ class MatrixBase
       return ConstXpr(constRef());
     }
     
+    Alias alias();
+    
     static bool hasDynamicNumRows()
     {
       return Derived::_hasDynamicNumRows();
@@ -175,29 +184,16 @@ class MatrixBase
     }
     
     template<typename XprContent> 
-    void operator=(const MatrixConstXpr<XprContent> &xpr)
+    MatrixBase& operator=(const MatrixConstXpr<XprContent> &otherXpr)
     {
-      resize(xpr.rows(), xpr.cols());
-      for(int i = 0; i < rows(); i++)
-        for(int j = 0; j < cols(); j++)
-          this->operator()(i, j) = xpr(i, j);
+      resize(otherXpr.rows(), otherXpr.cols());
+      xpr() = otherXpr;
+      return *this;
     }
     
-    void operator=(const MatrixBase &other)
+    MatrixBase& operator=(const MatrixBase &other)
     {
-      resize(other.rows(), other.cols());
-      for(int i = 0; i < rows(); i++)
-        for(int j = 0; j < cols(); j++)
-          this->operator()(i, j) = other(i, j);
-    }
-    
-    template<typename XprContent> 
-    void operator<<(const MatrixConstXpr<XprContent> &xpr)
-    {
-      Derived tmp(xpr.rows(), xpr.cols());
-      MatrixBase *ptr = static_cast<MatrixBase*>(&tmp);
-      *ptr = xpr;
-      *this = *ptr;
+      return *this = other.constXpr();
     }
     
     MatrixConstXpr<MatrixRow<const ConstRef> > row(int i) const;
@@ -213,12 +209,13 @@ class MatrixBase
 
 template<typename Content>
 template<typename Derived>
-void MatrixXpr<Content>::operator=(const MatrixBase<Derived>& matrix)
+MatrixXpr<Content>& MatrixXpr<Content>::operator=(const MatrixBase<Derived>& matrix)
 {
   assert(rows() == matrix.rows() && cols() == matrix.cols());
   for(int i = 0; i < rows(); i++)
     for(int j = 0; j < cols(); j++)
       this->operator()(i, j) = matrix(i, j);
+  return *this;
 }
 
 template<typename Derived>
@@ -252,6 +249,67 @@ std::ostream & operator << (std::ostream & s,
   return s;
 }
 
+template<typename Derived> class MatrixAlias
+{
+  public:
+    typedef typename Derived::Scalar Scalar;
+    typedef MatrixRef<MatrixAlias<Derived> > Ref;
+    typedef MatrixXpr<Ref> Xpr;
+    
+    MatrixAlias(Derived& matrix) : m_ref(matrix), m_tmp(matrix) {}
+    MatrixAlias(const MatrixAlias& other) : m_ref(other.m_ref), m_tmp(other.m_tmp) {}
+    
+    ~MatrixAlias()
+    {
+      m_ref.xpr() = m_tmp;
+    }
+    
+    Xpr xpr()
+    {
+      return Xpr(ref());
+    }
+    
+    static bool hasDynamicNumRows()
+    {
+      return MatrixBase<Derived>::hasDynamicNumRows();
+    }
+
+    static bool hasDynamicNumCols()
+    {
+      return MatrixBase<Derived>::hasDynamicNumCols();
+    }
+    
+    int rows() const { return m_tmp.rows(); }
+    int cols() const { return m_tmp.cols(); }
+    
+    Scalar& operator()(int row, int col)
+    {
+      return m_tmp(row, col);
+    }
+    
+    Ref ref()
+    {
+      return Ref(*this);
+    }
+    
+    template<typename XprContent> 
+    void operator=(const MatrixConstXpr<XprContent> &xpr)
+    {
+      ref().xpr() = xpr;
+    }
+    
+  protected:
+    MatrixRef<MatrixBase<Derived> > m_ref;
+    Derived m_tmp;
+};
+
+template<typename Derived>
+typename MatrixBase<Derived>::Alias
+MatrixBase<Derived>::alias()
+{
+  return Alias(*static_cast<Derived*>(this));
+}
+
 } // namespace Eigen
 
 #endif // EIGEN_MATRIXBASE_H
diff --git a/src/MatrixXpr.h b/src/MatrixXpr.h
index 9a1ab1085..937d4e280 100644
--- a/src/MatrixXpr.h
+++ b/src/MatrixXpr.h
@@ -97,16 +97,17 @@ template<typename Content> class MatrixXpr
     }
     
     template<typename OtherContent>
-    void operator=(const MatrixConstXpr<OtherContent> &other)
+    MatrixXpr& operator=(const MatrixConstXpr<OtherContent> &other)
     {
       assert(rows() == other.rows() && cols() == other.cols());
       for(int i = 0; i < rows(); i++)
         for(int j = 0; j < cols(); j++)
           this->operator()(i, j) = other(i, j);
+      return *this;
     }
     
     template<typename Derived>
-    void operator=(const MatrixBase<Derived>& matrix);
+    MatrixXpr& operator=(const MatrixBase<Derived>& matrix);
     
     MatrixXpr<MatrixRow<MatrixXpr<Content> > > row(int i);
     MatrixXpr<MatrixCol<MatrixXpr<Content> > > col(int i);
diff --git a/src/ScalarOps.h b/src/ScalarOps.h
index 26698c751..5d0a16ec9 100644
--- a/src/ScalarOps.h
+++ b/src/ScalarOps.h
@@ -116,6 +116,30 @@ operator *(typename Derived::Scalar scalar,
   return XprType(ProductType(matrix.constRef(), scalar));
 }
 
+template<typename Content>
+const MatrixConstXpr<
+  const ScalarProduct<
+    MatrixConstXpr<Content>
+  >
+>
+operator /(const MatrixConstXpr<Content>& xpr,
+                typename Content::Scalar scalar)
+{
+  return xpr * (static_cast<typename Content::Scalar>(1) / scalar);
+}
+
+template<typename Derived>
+const MatrixConstXpr<
+  const ScalarProduct<
+    MatrixConstRef<MatrixBase<Derived> >
+  >
+>
+operator /(const MatrixBase<Derived>& matrix,
+                typename Derived::Scalar scalar)
+{
+  return matrix * (static_cast<typename Derived::Scalar>(1) / scalar);
+}
+
 } // namespace Eigen
 
 #endif // EIGEN_SCALAROPS_H
diff --git a/src/Util.h b/src/Util.h
index b789b891e..f1b51bbe1 100644
--- a/src/Util.h
+++ b/src/Util.h
@@ -48,6 +48,7 @@ template<typename T> class MatrixX;
 template<typename T, int Size> class Vector;
 template<typename T> class VectorX;
 template<typename Derived> class MatrixBase;
+template<typename Derived> class MatrixAlias;
 
 template<typename T> struct ForwardDecl;
 template<typename T, int Rows, int Cols> struct ForwardDecl< Matrix<T, Rows, Cols> >
@@ -60,12 +61,20 @@ template<typename T> struct ForwardDecl< VectorX<T> >
 { typedef T Scalar; };
 template<typename T, int Rows, int Cols> struct ForwardDecl< MatrixBase<Matrix<T, Rows, Cols> > >
 { typedef T Scalar; };
+template<typename T, int Rows, int Cols> struct ForwardDecl< MatrixAlias<Matrix<T, Rows, Cols> > >
+{ typedef T Scalar; };
 template<typename T> struct ForwardDecl< MatrixBase<MatrixX<T> > >
 { typedef T Scalar; };
+template<typename T> struct ForwardDecl< MatrixAlias<MatrixX<T> > >
+{ typedef T Scalar; };
 template<typename T, int Size> struct ForwardDecl< MatrixBase<Vector<T, Size> > >
 { typedef T Scalar; };
+template<typename T, int Size> struct ForwardDecl< MatrixAlias<Vector<T, Size> > >
+{ typedef T Scalar; };
 template<typename T> struct ForwardDecl< MatrixBase<VectorX<T> > >
 { typedef T Scalar; };
+template<typename T> struct ForwardDecl< MatrixAlias<VectorX<T> > >
+{ typedef T Scalar; };
 
 template<typename MatrixType> class MatrixRef;
 
diff --git a/test/matrixmanip.cpp b/test/matrixmanip.cpp
index 153af365c..5ce8fa615 100644
--- a/test/matrixmanip.cpp
+++ b/test/matrixmanip.cpp
@@ -37,6 +37,7 @@ template<typename MatrixType> void matrixManip(const MatrixType& m)
   a.block(1, rows-1, 1, cols-1);
   a.xpr().row(i) = b.row(i);
   a.xpr().minor(i, j) = b.block(1, rows-1, 1, cols-1);
+  a.alias().xpr().minor(i, j) = a.block(1, rows-1, 1, cols-1);
 }
 
 void EigenTest::testMatrixManip()
diff --git a/test/matrixops.cpp b/test/matrixops.cpp
index 6e95f7893..a9034dcf2 100644
--- a/test/matrixops.cpp
+++ b/test/matrixops.cpp
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ template<typename MatrixType1,
   a = b;
   a = b + c;
   a = s * (b - c);
-  a << a + b;
+  a.alias() = a + b;
   
   MatrixType1 d(rows1, cols1);
   MatrixType2 e(rows2, cols2);
diff --git a/test/vectorops.cpp b/test/vectorops.cpp
index abd5ef0c2..b4b638495 100644
--- a/test/vectorops.cpp
+++ b/test/vectorops.cpp
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ template<typename VectorType> void vectorOps(const VectorType& v)
   a = b;
   a = b + c;
   a = s * (b - c);
-  a << a + b;
+  a.alias() = a + b;
 }
 
 void EigenTest::testVectorOps()