Index: merge/src/data/file-name.c
===================================================================
--- merge.orig/src/data/file-name.c	2007-07-29 20:09:42.000000000 -0700
+++ merge/src/data/file-name.c	2007-07-29 20:10:46.000000000 -0700
@@ -267,7 +267,7 @@ fn_open (const char *fn, const char *mod
       if (get_safer_mode ())
 	return safety_violation (fn);
 
-      return popen (&fn[1], mode);
+      return popen (&fn[1], mode[0] == 'r' ? "r" : "w");
     }
   else if (*fn && fn[strlen (fn) - 1] == '|')
     {
@@ -281,7 +281,7 @@ fn_open (const char *fn, const char *mod
       memcpy (s, fn, strlen (fn) - 1);
       s[strlen (fn) - 1] = 0;
 
-      f = popen (s, mode);
+      f = popen (s, mode[0] == 'r' ? "r" : "w");
 
       local_free (s);
 
Index: merge/src/data/por-file-reader.c
===================================================================
--- merge.orig/src/data/por-file-reader.c	2007-07-29 20:09:42.000000000 -0700
+++ merge/src/data/por-file-reader.c	2007-07-29 20:34:50.000000000 -0700
@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@
 #include <data/casereader.h>
 #include <data/dictionary.h>
 #include <data/file-handle-def.h>
+#include <data/file-name.h>
 #include <data/format.h>
 #include <data/missing-values.h>
 #include <data/value-labels.h>
@@ -136,12 +137,40 @@ warning (struct pfm_reader *r, const cha
   msg_emit (&m);
 }
 
+static bool
+close_reader (struct pfm_reader *r)
+{
+  bool ok;
+  if (r == NULL)
+    return true;
+
+  if (r->file)
+    {
+      if (fn_close (fh_get_file_name (r->fh), r->file) == EOF)
+        {
+          msg (ME, _("Error closing portable file \"%s\": %s."),
+               fh_get_file_name (r->fh), strerror (errno));
+          r->ok = false;
+        }
+      r->file = NULL;
+    }
+
+  if (r->fh != NULL)
+    fh_close (r->fh, "portable file", "rs");
+
+  ok = r->ok;
+  pool_destroy (r->pool);
+
+  return ok;
+}
+
 /* Closes portable file reader R, after we're done with it. */
 static void
-por_file_casereader_destroy (struct casereader *reader UNUSED, void *r_)
+por_file_casereader_destroy (struct casereader *reader, void *r_)
 {
   struct pfm_reader *r = r_;
-  pool_destroy (r->pool);
+  if (!close_reader (r))
+    casereader_force_error (reader);
 }
 
 /* Read a single character into cur_char.  */
@@ -217,10 +246,8 @@ pfm_open_reader (struct file_handle *fh,
   pool = pool_create ();
   r = pool_alloc (pool, sizeof *r);
   r->pool = pool;
-  if (setjmp (r->bail_out))
-    goto error;
   r->fh = fh;
-  r->file = pool_fopen (r->pool, fh_get_file_name (r->fh), "rb");
+  r->file = fn_open (fh_get_file_name (r->fh), "rb");
   r->line_length = 0;
   r->weight_index = -1;
   r->trans = NULL;
@@ -229,7 +256,10 @@ pfm_open_reader (struct file_handle *fh,
   r->value_cnt = 0;
   r->ok = true;
 
-  /* Check that file open succeeded, prime reading. */
+  if (setjmp (r->bail_out))
+    goto error;
+
+  /* Check that file open succeeded. */
   if (r->file == NULL)
     {
       msg (ME, _("An error occurred while opening \"%s\" for reading "
@@ -260,7 +290,7 @@ pfm_open_reader (struct file_handle *fh,
                                        &por_file_casereader_class, r);
 
  error:
-  pool_destroy (r->pool);
+  close_reader (r);
   dict_destroy (*dict);
   *dict = NULL;
   return NULL;
Index: merge/doc/language.texi
===================================================================
--- merge.orig/doc/language.texi	2007-07-29 20:29:12.000000000 -0700
+++ merge/doc/language.texi	2007-07-29 20:34:28.000000000 -0700
@@ -1331,6 +1331,14 @@ file, or scratch file.  Most often, a fi
 name of a file as a string, that is, enclosed within @samp{'} or
 @samp{"}.
 
+A file name string that begins or ends with @samp{|} is treated as the
+name of a command to pipe data to or from.  You can use this feature
+to read data over the network using a program such as @samp{curl}
+(e.g.@: @code{GET '|curl -s -S http://example.com/mydata.sav'}), to
+read compressed data from a file using a program such as @samp{zcat}
+(e.g.@: @code{GET '|zcat mydata.sav.gz'}), and for many other
+purposes.
+
 PSPP also supports declaring named file handles with the @cmd{FILE
 HANDLE} command.  This command associates an identifier of your choice
 (the file handle's name) with a file.  Later, the file handle name can
Index: merge/src/data/ChangeLog
===================================================================
--- merge.orig/src/data/ChangeLog	2007-07-29 20:43:54.000000000 -0700
+++ merge/src/data/ChangeLog	2007-07-29 20:47:27.000000000 -0700
@@ -1,3 +1,16 @@
+2007-07-29  Ben Pfaff  <blp@gnu.org>
+
+	* file-name.c (fn_open): Only pass "r" or "w" to popen as mode
+	argument (never "rb" or "wb") because SUSv3 says that only those
+	modes are defined, and glibc in fact rejects other modes.
+
+	Open portable files with fn_open so that they can be read from
+	pipes.  Fix missing fh_close call to go along with fh_open.
+	Report an error if the file close reports an error.
+	* por-file-reader.c (close_reader): New function.
+	(por_file_casereader_destroy): Use close_reader.
+	(pfm_open_reader): Open file with fn_open.
+
 2007-07-28  Ben Pfaff  <blp@gnu.org>
 
 	Make PSPP able to read all the portable files I could find on the
