diff --git a/lisp/langs/org-babel-R.el b/lisp/langs/org-babel-R.el
index b4ec8327a..48783dbf3 100644
--- a/lisp/langs/org-babel-R.el
+++ b/lisp/langs/org-babel-R.el
@@ -90,7 +90,7 @@ R process in `org-babel-R-buffer'."
 
 (defun org-babel-R-initiate-session (session)
   "If there is not a current R process then create one."
-  (message "session is %S" session)
+  (setq session (or session "*R*"))
   (if (org-babel-comint-buffer-livep session)
       session
     (save-window-excursion (R) (rename-buffer (if (bufferp session) (buffer-name session)
diff --git a/lisp/langs/org-babel-shell.el b/lisp/langs/org-babel-shell.el
index 77e14ac8c..f1dc2e9ec 100644
--- a/lisp/langs/org-babel-shell.el
+++ b/lisp/langs/org-babel-shell.el
@@ -86,7 +86,9 @@ Emacs-lisp table, otherwise return the results as a string."
 (defun org-babel-shell-initiate-session (&optional session)
   "If there is not a current inferior-process-buffer in SESSION
 then create.  Return the initialized session."
-  (save-window-excursion (shell session) (current-buffer)))
+  (save-window-excursion (shell session)
+                         (org-babel-comint-wait-for-output (current-buffer))
+                         (current-buffer)))
 
 (defvar org-babel-shell-eoe-indicator "echo 'org_babel_shell_eoe'"
   "Used to indicate that evaluation is has completed.")
diff --git a/lisp/org-babel-comint.el b/lisp/org-babel-comint.el
index 38905e0ca..b9769e700 100644
--- a/lisp/org-babel-comint.el
+++ b/lisp/org-babel-comint.el
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@
 (require 'comint)
 
 (defun org-babel-comint-buffer-livep (buffer)
-  (let ((buffer (get-buffer buffer)))
+  (let ((buffer (if buffer (get-buffer buffer))))
     (and buffer (buffer-live-p buffer) (get-buffer-process buffer) buffer)))
 
 (defmacro org-babel-comint-in-buffer (buffer &rest body)
diff --git a/org-babel.org b/org-babel.org
index 7f9095332..8ed4f2285 100644
--- a/org-babel.org
+++ b/org-babel.org
@@ -1980,14 +1980,14 @@ of these tests may fail.
 | shell                   | basic-shell                |     |           6 |           6 | pass                              |
 | ruby                    | basic-ruby                 |     |   org-babel |   org-babel | pass                              |
 | python                  | basic-python               |     | hello world | hello world | pass                              |
-| R                       | basic-R                    |     |          13 |      #ERROR | expected "13" but was "#ERROR"    |
+| R                       | basic-R                    |     |          13 |          13 | pass                              |
 |-------------------------+----------------------------+-----+-------------+-------------+-----------------------------------|
 | tables                  |                            |     |             |             | pass                              |
 |-------------------------+----------------------------+-----+-------------+-------------+-----------------------------------|
 | emacs lisp              | table-elisp                |     |           3 |           3 | pass                              |
 | ruby                    | table-ruby                 |     |       1-2-3 |       1-2-3 | pass                              |
 | python                  | table-python               |     |           5 |           5 | pass                              |
-| R                       | table-R                    |     |         3.5 |      #ERROR | expected "3.5" but was "#ERROR"   |
+| R                       | table-R                    |     |         3.5 |         3.5 | pass                              |
 |-------------------------+----------------------------+-----+-------------+-------------+-----------------------------------|
 | source block references |                            |     |             |             | pass                              |
 |-------------------------+----------------------------+-----+-------------+-------------+-----------------------------------|
@@ -2005,10 +2005,10 @@ of these tests may fail.
 |-------------------------+----------------------------+-----+-------------+-------------+-----------------------------------|
 | bugs and tasks          |                            |     |             |             | pass                              |
 |-------------------------+----------------------------+-----+-------------+-------------+-----------------------------------|
-| simple ruby arrays      | ruby-array-test            |     |           3 |           3 | pass                              |
-| R number evaluation     | bug-R-number-evaluation    |     |           2 |      #ERROR | expected "2" but was "#ERROR"     |
-| multi-line ruby blocks  | multi-line-ruby-test       |     |           2 |      #ERROR | expected "2" but was "#ERROR"     |
-| forcing vector results  | test-forced-vector-results |     |       Array |      #ERROR | expected "Array" but was "#ERROR" |
+| simple ruby arrays      | ruby-array-test            |     |           3 |      #ERROR | expected "3" but was "#ERROR"     |
+| R number evaluation     | bug-R-number-evaluation    |     |           2 |           2 | pass                              |
+| multi-line ruby blocks  | multi-line-ruby-test       |     |           2 |           2 | pass                              |
+| forcing vector results  | test-forced-vector-results |     |       Array |      Fixnum | expected "Array" but was "Fixnum" |
 #+TBLFM: $5='(if (= (length $3) 1) (progn (message (format "running %S" '(sbe $2 (n $3)))) (sbe $2 (n $3))) (sbe $2))::$6='(if (string= $4 $5) "pass" (format "expected %S but was %S" $4 $5))
 
 ** basic tests