diff -r 992ce0dcfb29 Lib/http/server.py
--- a/Lib/http/server.py	Thu Jan 15 22:52:59 2015 +0100
+++ b/Lib/http/server.py	Sat Jan 17 19:20:25 2015 +0530
@@ -672,6 +672,8 @@
 
     server_version = "SimpleHTTP/" + __version__
 
+    base_files = ['index.html', 'index.html']
+
     def do_GET(self):
         """Serve a GET request."""
         f = self.send_head()
@@ -702,40 +704,70 @@
         f = None
         if os.path.isdir(path):
             parts = urllib.parse.urlsplit(self.path)
-            if not parts.path.endswith('/'):
-                # redirect browser - doing basically what apache does
-                self.send_response(301)
-                new_parts = (parts[0], parts[1], parts[2] + '/',
-                             parts[3], parts[4])
-                new_url = urllib.parse.urlunsplit(new_parts)
-                self.send_header("Location", new_url)
-                self.end_headers()
+
+            if self.redirect_browser(path, parts):
                 return None
-            for index in "index.html", "index.htm":
-                index = os.path.join(path, index)
-                if os.path.exists(index):
-                    path = index
-                    break
-            else:
-                return self.list_directory(path)
-        ctype = self.guess_type(path)
+
+            path = self.get_html_or_dir_path(path)
+            if isinstance(path, io.BytesIO):
+                return path
+
+        f = self.get_file(path)
+        if not f:
+            return None
+
         try:
-            f = open(path, 'rb')
-        except OSError:
-            self.send_error(404, "File not found")
-            return None
-        try:
-            self.send_response(200)
-            self.send_header("Content-type", ctype)
-            fs = os.fstat(f.fileno())
-            self.send_header("Content-Length", str(fs[6]))
-            self.send_header("Last-Modified", self.date_time_string(fs.st_mtime))
-            self.end_headers()
+            self.apply_headers(f, path)
             return f
         except:
             f.close()
             raise
 
+    def redirect_browser(self, path, parts):
+        """If the path does not have a trailing backslash,
+        redirect browser to path with trailing backslash.
+        Similar to Apache.
+        """
+        if not parts.path.endswith('/'):
+            self.send_response(301)
+            new_parts = (parts[0], parts[1], parts[2] + "/",
+                         parts[3], parts[4])
+            new_url = urllib.parse.urlunsplit(new_parts)
+            self.send_header("Location", new_url)
+            self.end_headers()
+            return True
+        return False
+
+    def get_html_or_dir_path(self, path):
+        """For the given `path`, depending on if it is file or directory
+        return file object for a file and io.BytesIO object for a directory.
+        """
+        for base_file in self.base_files:
+            index = os.path.join(path, base_file)
+            if os.path.exists(index):
+                return index
+        else:
+            return self.list_directory(path)
+
+    def get_file(self, path):
+        """Open path or send 404"""
+        try:
+            return open(path, 'rb')
+        except OSError:
+            self.send_error(404, "File not found")
+            return None
+
+    def apply_headers(self, f, path):
+        """Apply remaining headers before sending back the file object"""
+        ctype = self.guess_type(path)
+
+        self.send_response(200)
+        self.send_header("Content-type", ctype)
+        fs = os.fstat(f.fileno())
+        self.send_header("Content-Length", str(fs[6]))
+        self.send_header("Last-Modified", self.date_time_string(fs.st_mtime))
+        self.end_headers()
+
     def list_directory(self, path):
         """Helper to produce a directory listing (absent index.html).