diff -rNu slrn-0.9.8.0-debian/configure.in slrn-0.9.8.0/configure.in
--- slrn-0.9.8.0-debian/configure.in	Mon Aug 25 15:38:10 2003
+++ slrn-0.9.8.0/configure.in	Fri Aug 29 15:01:15 2003
@@ -309,6 +309,7 @@
 gettimeofday \
 setlocale \
 isalpha isspace isdigit isalnum ispunct \
+strsignal \
 getaddrinfo getnameinfo \
 )
 
diff -rNu slrn-0.9.8.0-debian/src/config.h.in slrn-0.9.8.0/src/config.h.in
--- slrn-0.9.8.0-debian/src/config.h.in	Mon Aug 25 15:40:50 2003
+++ slrn-0.9.8.0/src/config.h.in	Fri Aug 29 15:03:31 2003
@@ -123,6 +123,9 @@
 /* Define to 1 if you have the <string.h> header file. */
 #undef HAVE_STRING_H
 
+/* Define to 1 if you have the `strsignal' function. */
+#undef HAVE_STRSIGNAL
+
 /* Define to 1 if you have the <sys/dir.h> header file, and it defines `DIR'.
    */
 #undef HAVE_SYS_DIR_H
diff -rNu slrn-0.9.8.0-debian/src/nntplib.c slrn-0.9.8.0/src/nntplib.c
--- slrn-0.9.8.0-debian/src/nntplib.c	Thu Jul 31 16:54:50 2003
+++ slrn-0.9.8.0/src/nntplib.c	Fri Aug 29 15:29:03 2003
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@
 #include "slrnfeat.h"
 #include <stdio.h>
 #include <string.h>
+#include <errno.h>
 
 #ifdef HAVE_STDLIB_H
 # include <stdlib.h>
@@ -31,6 +32,15 @@
 # include <unistd.h>
 #endif
 
+#if HAVE_SYS_WAIT_H
+# define NNTPAUTH 1
+#endif
+
+#ifdef NNTPAUTH
+# include <sys/types.h>
+# include <sys/wait.h>
+#endif
+
 #include <stdarg.h>
 #include <slang.h>
 #include "jdmacros.h"
@@ -407,6 +417,74 @@
 int nntp_authorization (NNTP_Type *s)
 {
    char *name, *pass;
+
+#ifdef NNTPAUTH
+   const char *nntpauth = getenv("NNTPAUTH");
+
+   if(nntpauth) {
+     static int cookie_fd = -1;
+     pid_t child, r;
+     int status;
+
+     slrn_message_now ("Authenticating with AUTHINFO GENERIC ...");
+     if(cookie_fd == -1) {
+       const char *nntp_auth_fds = getenv("NNTP_AUTH_FDS");
+       if(nntp_auth_fds)
+	 sscanf(nntp_auth_fds, "%*u.%*u.%d", &cookie_fd);
+       if(cookie_fd == -1) {
+	 FILE *cookie_file = tmpfile();
+	 
+	 if(!cookie_file) {
+	   slrn_error ("error creating temporary file: %s", strerror(errno));
+	   return -1;
+	 }
+	 cookie_fd = fileno(cookie_file);
+       }
+     }
+     if (-1 == nntp_start_server_vcmd (s, "AUTHINFO GENERIC %s", nntpauth))
+       return -1;
+     child = fork();
+     if(child == -1) {
+       slrn_error ("error forking NNTPAUTH child: %s", strerror(errno));
+       return -1;
+     }
+     if(!child) {
+       char buf[128];
+
+       sprintf(buf, "NNTP_AUTH_FDS=%d.%d.%d",
+	       sltcp_get_fd(s->tcp), sltcp_get_fd(s->tcp), cookie_fd);
+       /* XXX we'd like to generate an error message, but what's the
+          right way to do it? */
+       if(putenv(buf))
+	 _exit(-1);
+       execlp("sh", "sh", "-c", nntpauth, (char *)0);
+       _exit(-1);
+     }
+     while((r = waitpid(child, &status, 0)) < 0 && errno == EINTR)
+       ;
+     if(r < 0) {
+       slrn_error ("error waiting for NNTPAUTH child: %s", strerror(errno));
+       return -1;
+     }
+     if(WIFEXITED(status) && WEXITSTATUS(status)) {
+       slrn_error ("NNTPAUTH failed: status %d", WEXITSTATUS(status));
+       return -1;
+     } else if(WIFSIGNALED(status)) {
+#if HAVE_STRSIGNAL
+       slrn_error ("NNTPAUTH failed: signal %d (%s)",
+		   WTERMSIG(status), strsignal(WTERMSIG(status)));
+#else
+       slrn_error ("NNTPAUTH failed: signal %d", WTERMSIG(status));
+#endif
+       return -1;
+     } else if(status) {
+       slrn_error ("NNTPAUTH failed: wstat %#x", (unsigned)status);
+       return -1;
+     }
+     s->can_post = 1;
+     return 0;
+   }
+#endif
 
    if ((NNTP_Authorization_Hook == NULL) ||
        (-1 == (*NNTP_Authorization_Hook) (s->name, &name, &pass)) ||