diff --git a/configure.in b/configure.in
index 5554437..abda612 100644
--- a/configure.in
+++ b/configure.in
@@ -1726,6 +1726,44 @@ int main () {
 }
 ], AC_DEFINE(HAVE_STRFTIME_z) AC_MSG_RESULT(yes) , AC_MSG_RESULT(no),  0)
 
+savedLIBS=$LIBS
+LIBS=
+dnl Need flex if we are to get a lexer which can read from a buffer
+if test $LEX = flex
+then
+    lib_for_curses=
+    lib_for_readline=
+
+    dnl first check for readline on its own then with curses
+    AC_CHECK_FUNC(readline,,
+        [
+            AC_CHECK_LIB(readline, readline,,
+                [
+                    dnl AC seems to cache lib/func results
+                    dnl so use another readline func here
+                    AC_CHECK_LIB(readline, add_history,,,[-lcurses])
+                ])
+	])
+
+    if test $ac_cvs_func_readline = yes
+    then
+    	AC_DEFINE(HAVE_READLINE)
+    elif test $ac_cv_lib_readline_readline = yes
+    then
+    	AC_DEFINE(HAVE_READLINE)
+        lib_for_readline=-lreadline
+    elif test $ac_cv_lib_readline_add_history = yes
+    then
+    	AC_DEFINE(HAVE_READLINE)
+        lib_for_curses=-lcurses
+        lib_for_readline=-lreadline
+    fi
+
+    AC_SUBST(lib_for_readline)
+    AC_SUBST(lib_for_curses)
+fi
+LIBS=$savedLIBS
+
 dnl
 dnl output files
 dnl
diff --git a/src/dbpmda/src/GNUmakefile b/src/dbpmda/src/GNUmakefile
index 859177b..700b4ac 100644
--- a/src/dbpmda/src/GNUmakefile
+++ b/src/dbpmda/src/GNUmakefile
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ LFILES	= lex.l
 YFILES	= gram.y
 
 LDIRT	= *.log foo.* gram.h $(YFILES:%.y=%.tab.?) $(LFILES:%.l=%.c)
-LLDLIBS	= -lpcp $(LIB_FOR_DLOPEN)
+LLDLIBS	= -lpcp $(LIB_FOR_DLOPEN) $(LIB_FOR_READLINE) $(LIB_FOR_CURSES)
 
 default:	$(CMDTARGET)
 
diff --git a/src/dbpmda/src/dbpmda.c b/src/dbpmda/src/dbpmda.c
index 1f42ce2..6c6c20d 100644
--- a/src/dbpmda/src/dbpmda.c
+++ b/src/dbpmda/src/dbpmda.c
@@ -78,7 +78,14 @@ main(int argc, char **argv)
 #endif
 
 	case 'e':		/* echo input */
+#if HAVE_READLINE
+	    /*
+	     * echo is not really optional when using readline(),
+	     * and setting eflag would only trigger a double echo
+	     */
+#else
 	    eflag++;
+#endif
 	    break;
 
 	case 'i':		/* be interactive */
diff --git a/src/dbpmda/src/lex.l b/src/dbpmda/src/lex.l
index b3c8117..83b79f9 100644
--- a/src/dbpmda/src/lex.l
+++ b/src/dbpmda/src/lex.l
@@ -24,6 +24,13 @@ int lineno = 0;
 
 #include "./lex.h"
 
+#if HAVE_READLINE
+#include <readline/readline.h>
+#include <readline/history.h>
+static char	*rl_str = NULL;
+static int	rl_strpos = 0;
+#endif
+
 #ifdef FLEX_SCANNER
 #define YY_NO_UNPUT
 #include "./gram.tab.h"
@@ -178,6 +185,46 @@ dbpmdaGetc (char * inbuf)
 {
     int inch;
 
+#if HAVE_READLINE
+    char rl_prompt_storage[64];
+    char *rl_prompt = rl_prompt_storage;
+
+    if (iflag)
+	snprintf(rl_prompt_storage, 64, "%s> ", prompt);
+    else
+        rl_prompt = NULL; 
+
+    rl_instream = yyin;
+
+    if (!rl_str) {
+        do {
+	    /* note, echo happens here independent of eflag setting */
+            rl_str = readline(rl_prompt);
+            if (!rl_str) {
+                inbuf[0] = 0;
+                return inbuf[0];
+            }
+        } while (!rl_str[0]);
+    }
+
+    inch = rl_str[rl_strpos++];
+    if (inch == '\r')
+        inch = rl_str[rl_strpos++];
+
+    if (!inch) {
+	/* end of input line, fake out \n so parser notices */
+        inch = '\n';
+	/* and setup to call readline() next time */
+        free(rl_str);
+        rl_str = NULL;
+        rl_strpos = 0;
+    }
+
+    inbuf[0] = inch & 0xFFU;
+
+    return inch;
+#endif
+
     while ((inch = fgetc (yyin)) != EOF ) {
 	inbuf[0] = inch & 0xFFU;
 	if (inbuf[0] == '\r') {
@@ -218,10 +265,21 @@ dbpmdaFlexInput (char * inbuf, int ms)
     }
 
     if ( lastc == '\n' ) {
+#if HAVE_READLINE
+
+	if (line != NULL && *line != '\0' && *line != '\n') {
+	    /* line is not empty, push it into history */
+	    char *newline = strchr(line, '\n');
+	    if (newline != NULL) *newline = '\0';
+	    add_history(line);
+	    if (newline != NULL) *newline = '\n';
+	}
+#else
 	if ( iflag ) {
 	    printf ("%s> ", prompt);
 	    fflush (stdout);
 	}
+#endif
 	lineno++;
 	linepos = 0;
     }
@@ -246,10 +304,13 @@ dbpmdaFlexInput (char * inbuf, int ms)
 		    lineno = 1;
 		    prompt = "dbpmda";
 		    configfile = NULL;
-		    if ( (iflag = save_iflag) ) {
-			printf ("%s >", prompt);
-			fflush (stdout);
+		    iflag = save_iflag;
+#ifndef HAVE_READLINE
+		    if ( iflag ) {
+		        printf("%s> ", prompt);
+		        fflush(stdout);
 		    }
+#endif
 		    eflag = save_eflag;
 		} else {
 		    return (0);
@@ -451,6 +512,18 @@ doargs(void)
 	    }
 	    if (c == '\n' || c == '\0') {
 #ifdef FLEX_SCANNER
+#if HAVE_READLINE
+		if (c == '\n') {
+		    /*
+		     * extra \n is faked after end of input line in
+		     * dbpmdaGetc ... to push this back into the input
+		     * stream requires an even bigger hack ...
+		     */
+		    rl_str = strdup("\n");
+		    rl_strpos = 0;
+		}
+#else
+#endif
 		ungetc (c, yyin);
 #else
 		unput('\n');
diff --git a/src/include/builddefs.in b/src/include/builddefs.in
index d934852..d2675e2 100644
--- a/src/include/builddefs.in
+++ b/src/include/builddefs.in
@@ -181,6 +181,8 @@ LIB_FOR_BASENAME = @lib_for_basename@
 LIB_FOR_DLOPEN = @lib_for_dlopen@
 LIB_FOR_REGEX = @lib_for_regex@
 LIB_FOR_MATH = @lib_for_math@
+LIB_FOR_READLINE = @lib_for_readline@
+LIB_FOR_CURSES = @lib_for_curses@
 
 SHELL = /bin/sh
 IMAGES_DIR = $(TOPDIR)/all-images
diff --git a/src/include/platform_defs.h.in b/src/include/platform_defs.h.in
index 88f39bd..526a993 100644
--- a/src/include/platform_defs.h.in
+++ b/src/include/platform_defs.h.in
@@ -137,6 +137,7 @@ extern "C" {
 #undef HAVE_SYS_ENDIAN_H
 #undef HAVE_SYS_MACHINE_H
 #undef HAVE_MACHINE_ENDIAN_H
+#undef HAVE_READLINE
 
 #if defined(HAVE_MALLOC_H)
 #include <malloc.h>