diff --git a/src/apps/debugger/user_interface/gui/team_window/SourceView.cpp b/src/apps/debugger/user_interface/gui/team_window/SourceView.cpp
index ea0015fcca..88d8ddc1b1 100644
--- a/src/apps/debugger/user_interface/gui/team_window/SourceView.cpp
+++ b/src/apps/debugger/user_interface/gui/team_window/SourceView.cpp
@@ -78,7 +78,7 @@ static rgb_color kSyntaxColors[] = {
 	{0x44, 0x8a, 0, 255},		// SYNTAX_HIGHLIGHT_OPERATOR
 	{0, 0, 0, 255}, 			// SYNTAX_HIGHLIGHT_TYPE
 	{0x85, 0x19, 0x19, 255},	// SYNTAX_HIGHLIGHT_NUMERIC_LITERAL
-	{0x85, 0x19, 0x19, 255},	// SYNTAX_HIGHLIGHT_STRING_LITERAL
+	{0x3f, 0x48, 0x84, 255},	// SYNTAX_HIGHLIGHT_STRING_LITERAL
 	{0xa1, 0x64, 0xe, 255},		// SYNTAX_HIGHLIGHT_COMMENT
 };
 
@@ -330,9 +330,11 @@ private:
 			};
 
 			float				_MaxLineWidth();
-			void				_FormatLine(const char* line,
-									BString& formattedLine,
-									int32* columns, int32 columnCount);
+			void				_DrawLineSyntaxSection(const char* line,
+									int32 length, int32& _column,
+									BPoint& _offset);
+	inline	void				_DrawLineSegment(const char* line,
+									int32 length, BPoint& _offset);
 	inline 	int32				_NextTabStop(int32 column) const;
 			float				_FormattedPosition(int32 line,
 									int32 offset) const;
@@ -1179,8 +1181,6 @@ SourceView::TextView::Draw(BRect updateRect)
 
 		SetLowColor(ui_color(B_DOCUMENT_BACKGROUND_COLOR));
 		y = i * fFontInfo->lineHeight;
-		BString lineString;
-		_FormatLine(fSourceCode->LineAt(i), lineString, columns, syntaxCount);
 
 		FillRect(BRect(0.0, y, kLeftTextMargin, y + fFontInfo->lineHeight),
 			B_SOLID_LOW);
@@ -1208,27 +1208,29 @@ SourceView::TextView::Draw(BRect updateRect)
 
 		FillRect(BRect(kLeftTextMargin, y, Bounds().right,
 			y + fFontInfo->lineHeight - 1), B_SOLID_LOW);
-		syntax_highlight_type currentHighlight = SYNTAX_HIGHLIGHT_NONE;
-		int32 currentColumn = 0;
-		SetHighColor(kSyntaxColors[currentHighlight]);
-		BPoint linePoint(kLeftTextMargin, y + fFontInfo->fontHeight.ascent);
-		for (int32 j = 0; j < syntaxCount; j++) {
-			int32 length = columns[j] - currentColumn;
-			if (length != 0) {
-				DrawString(lineString.String() + currentColumn, length,
-					linePoint);
-				currentColumn += length;
-				linePoint.x += fCharacterWidth * length;
 
+		syntax_highlight_type currentHighlight = SYNTAX_HIGHLIGHT_NONE;
+		SetHighColor(kSyntaxColors[currentHighlight]);
+		const char* lineData = fSourceCode->LineAt(i);
+		int32 lineLength = fSourceCode->LineLengthAt(i);
+		BPoint linePoint(kLeftTextMargin, y + fFontInfo->fontHeight.ascent);
+		int32 lineOffset = 0;
+		int32 currentColumn = 0;
+		for (int32 j = 0; j < syntaxCount; j++) {
+			int32 length = columns[j] - lineOffset;
+			if (length != 0) {
+				_DrawLineSyntaxSection(lineData + lineOffset, length,
+					currentColumn, linePoint);
+				lineOffset += length;
 			}
 			currentHighlight = types[j];
 			SetHighColor(kSyntaxColors[currentHighlight]);
 		}
 
 		// draw remainder, if any.
-		if (currentColumn < lineString.Length()) {
-			DrawString(lineString.String() + currentColumn, lineString.Length()
-					- currentColumn, linePoint);
+		if (lineOffset < lineLength) {
+			_DrawLineSyntaxSection(lineData + lineOffset,
+				lineLength - lineOffset, currentColumn, linePoint);
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -1532,33 +1534,40 @@ SourceView::TextView::_MaxLineWidth()
 
 
 void
-SourceView::TextView::_FormatLine(const char* line, BString& formattedLine,
-	int32* columns, int32 columnCount)
+SourceView::TextView::_DrawLineSyntaxSection(const char* line, int32 length,
+	int32& _column, BPoint& _offset)
 {
-	int32 column = 0;
-	int32 columnAdjustments[columnCount];
-	memset(columnAdjustments, 0, sizeof(columnAdjustments));
-	for (int32 i = 0; line[i] != '\0'; i++) {
-		// TODO: That's probably not very efficient!
+	int32 start = 0;
+	int32 currentLength = 0;
+	for (int32 i = 0; i < length; i++) {
 		if (line[i] == '\t') {
-			int32 nextTabStop = _NextTabStop(column);
-			int32 diff = nextTabStop - column;
-			for (; column < nextTabStop; column++)
-				formattedLine << ' ';
-			for (int32 j = 0; j < columnCount; j++) {
-				// syntax highlights need to be offset according
-				// to our tabstop adjustments as well.
-				if (columns[j] >= i && diff > 0)
-					columnAdjustments[j] += (diff - 1);
-			}
-		} else {
-			formattedLine << line[i];
-			column++;
-		}
+			currentLength = i - start;
+			if (currentLength != 0)
+				_DrawLineSegment(line + start, currentLength, _offset);
+
+			// set new starting offset to the position after this tab
+			start = i + 1;
+			int32 nextTabStop = _NextTabStop(_column);
+			int32 diff = nextTabStop - _column;
+			_column = nextTabStop;
+			_offset.x += diff * fCharacterWidth;
+		} else
+			_column++;
 	}
 
-	for (int32 i = 0; i < columnCount; i++)
-		columns[i] += columnAdjustments[i];
+	// draw last segment
+	currentLength = length - start;
+	if (currentLength > 0)
+		_DrawLineSegment(line + start, currentLength, _offset);
+}
+
+
+void
+SourceView::TextView::_DrawLineSegment(const char* line, int32 length,
+	BPoint& _offset)
+{
+	DrawString(line, length, _offset);
+	_offset.x += fCharacterWidth * length;
 }