diff --git a/usr.bin/fetch/fetch.1 b/usr.bin/fetch/fetch.1
index f3be659841f..bab5988fdf0 100644
--- a/usr.bin/fetch/fetch.1
+++ b/usr.bin/fetch/fetch.1
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-.\" $Id: fetch.1,v 1.26 1998/12/08 13:00:48 cracauer Exp $
+.\" $Id: fetch.1,v 1.27 1999/01/15 16:56:22 wollman Exp $
 .Dd January 15, 1999
 .Dt FETCH 1
 .Os FreeBSD 3.1
@@ -151,6 +151,12 @@ URL's, a username and password may be specified, using the syntax
 If the path is to be absolute, as opposed to relative to the user's
 home directory, it must start with %2F, as in
 .Li ftp://root:mypass@localhost/%2Fetc/passwd .
+.Nm Fetch
+condenses multiple slashes in an
+.Tn ftp
+URL into a single slash; literal multiple slashes translate to an
+.Tn ftp
+protocol error.
 .Sh PROXY SERVERS
 Many sites use application gateways (``proxy servers'') in their
 firewalls in order to allow communication across the firewall using a
@@ -326,6 +332,27 @@ connection.
 .%O RFC 2068
 .%D January 1997
 .Re
+.Rs
+.%A T. Berners-Lee
+.%A L. Masinter
+.%A M. McCahill
+.%T "Uniform Resource Locators (URL)"
+.%O RFC 1738
+.%D December 1994
+.Re
+.Rs
+.%A J. Postel
+.%A J.K. Reynolds
+.%T "File Transfer Protocol"
+.%O RFC 959 / STD 9
+.%D October 1985
+.Re
+.Rs
+.%A M.R. Horton
+.%T "Standard for interchange of USENET messages."
+.%O RFC 850
+.%D June 1983
+.Re
 .Sh HISTORY
 The 
 .Nm fetch
diff --git a/usr.bin/fetch/ftp.c b/usr.bin/fetch/ftp.c
index 45c8ecfc508..78b57ff639c 100644
--- a/usr.bin/fetch/ftp.c
+++ b/usr.bin/fetch/ftp.c
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@
  * OF THE USE OF THIS SOFTWARE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF
  * SUCH DAMAGE.
  *
- *	$Id: ftp.c,v 1.10 1998/09/20 00:01:26 jkh Exp $
+ *	$Id: ftp.c,v 1.11 1998/12/08 13:00:49 cracauer Exp $
  */
 
 #include <sys/types.h>
@@ -180,9 +180,10 @@ ftp_parse(struct fetch_state *fs, const char *uri)
 			 * we just pretend that multiple slashes are a
 			 * single slash.
 			 */
-			if (*r == '\0')
+			if (*r == '\0') {
+				warnx("skipping double slash in FTP URL; see man page or RFC1738.");
 				ftps->ftp_remote_ndirs--;
-			else
+			} else
 				*dp++ = percent_decode(r);
 			r = s;
 		}
@@ -366,6 +367,8 @@ ftp_retrieve(struct fetch_state *fs)
 		}
 	} else
 		ftpBinary(ftp);
+	if (getenv("FTP_PASSIVE_MODE"))
+		fs->fs_passive_mode = 1;
 	ftpPassive(ftp, fs->fs_passive_mode);
 	for (i = 0, dp = ftps->ftp_remote_dirs; i < ftps->ftp_remote_ndirs; i++, dp++) {
 		if ((status = ftpChdir(ftp, *dp)) != 0) {