diff --git a/src/CHANGELOG b/src/CHANGELOG
index 25074ecb7..619a3f5ea 100644
--- a/src/CHANGELOG
+++ b/src/CHANGELOG
@@ -11,6 +11,14 @@ ECL 0.9h
  - New hash routine, similar to SBCL's one, faster and leading to fewer
    collisions between similar strings.
 
+* Visible changes:
+
+ - The code for handling command line options has been redesigned. Now multiple
+   -compile options are allowed; the -o/-c/-h/-data options have to come before
+   the associated -compile; we introduce a new -rc option to force loading
+   initialization files; errors during initialization are intercepted and cause
+   ECL to abort.
+
 ;;; Local Variables: ***
 ;;; mode:text ***
 ;;; fill-column:79 ***
diff --git a/src/lsp/cmdline.lsp b/src/lsp/cmdline.lsp
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..4146cfce6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/lsp/cmdline.lsp
@@ -0,0 +1,120 @@
+;;;;  command-line.lsp -- command line processing
+;;;;
+;;;;  Copyright (c) 2005, Juan Jose Garcia-Ripoll
+;;;;
+;;;;    This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or
+;;;;    modify it under the terms of the GNU Library General Public
+;;;;    License as published by the Free Software Foundation; either
+;;;;    version 2 of the License, or (at your option) any later version.
+;;;;
+;;;;    See file '../Copyright' for full details.
+;;;;
+
+(in-package "SYSTEM")
+
+(export '(*lisp-init-file-list* command-args))
+
+(defvar *lisp-init-file-list* '("~/.ecl" "~/.eclrc")
+  "List of files automatically loaded when ECL is invoked.")
+
+(defun command-args ()
+  "Returns the command line arguments as list"
+  (loop for i from 0 below (argc)
+	collect (argv i)))
+
+(defun help-message (stream)
+  "Prints a help message about command line arguments of ECL"
+  (princ "
+Usage: ecl [-? | --help]
+           [-dir dir] [-load file] [-shell file] [-eval expr] [-rc | -norc]
+           [[-o ofile] [-c [cfile]] [-h [hfile]] [-data [datafile]] [-s] [-q]
+            -compile file]
+
+"
+	 stream))
+
+(defun command-arg-error (str &rest fmt-args)
+  ;; Format an error message and quit
+  (declare (si::c-local))
+  (apply #'format *error-output* str fmt-args)
+  (help-message *error-output*)
+  (quit 1))
+
+(defconstant +command-arg-rules+
+  '(("--help" 0 #0=(progn (help-message *standard-output*) (quit)))
+    ("-?" 0 #0#)
+    ("-eval" 1 (eval (read-from-string 1)))
+    ("-shell" 1 (progn (setq quit 0) (load 1 :verbose nil)))
+    ("-load" 1 (load 1 :verbose verbose))
+    ("-dir" 1 (setf (logical-pathname-translations "SYS")
+	       `(("**;*.*" ,(merge-pathnames "**/*.*" (truename 1))))))
+    ("-compile" 1
+     (progn
+       (setq quit
+	     (if (nth-value 3
+		     (compile-file 1 :output-file output-file :c-file c-file
+				   :h-file h-file :data-file data-file
+				   :verbose verbose :system-p system-p))
+		 1
+		 0)
+	     output-file t
+	     c-file nil
+	     h-file nil
+	     data-file nil
+	     system-p nil)))
+    ("-o" 1 (setq output-file 1))
+    ("-c" 1 (setq c-file 1))
+    ("-h" 1 (setq h-file 1))
+    ("-data" 1 (setq data-file 1))
+    ("-q" 0 (setq verbose nil))
+    ("-s" 1 (setq system-p t))))
+
+(defun produce-init-code (option-list)
+  (declare (si::c-local))
+  (do* ((commands '())
+	(loadrc t))
+       ((null option-list)
+	(values `(let ((output-file t)
+		       (c-file nil)
+		       (h-file nil)
+		       (data-file nil)
+		       (verbose t)
+		       (system-p nil)
+		       (quit nil))
+		   ,@(nreverse commands)
+		   (when quit (quit 0)))
+		loadrc))
+    (let* ((option (pop option-list))
+	   (rule (assoc option +command-arg-rules+ :test #'string=)))
+      (cond ((string= option "-rc")
+	     (setq loadrc t))
+	    ((string= option "-norc")
+	     (setq loadrc nil))
+	    ((string= option "--")
+	     (setf option-list nil))
+	    ((null rule)
+	     (command-arg-error "Unknown command line option ~A.~%" option))
+	    (t
+	     (let ((pattern (third rule)))
+	       (unless (zerop (second rule))
+		 (when (null option-list)
+		   (command-arg-error
+		    "Missing argument after command line option ~A.~%"
+		    option))
+		 (nsubst (pop option-list) 1 pattern))
+	       (push pattern commands)))))))
+
+(defun process-command-args (&optional (args (rest (command-args))))
+  (multiple-value-bind (commands loadrc)
+      (produce-init-code args)
+    (handler-case
+	(progn
+	  (when loadrc
+	    (dolist (file *lisp-init-file-list*)
+	      (when (load file :if-does-not-exist nil :search-list nil :verbose nil)
+		(return))))
+	  (eval commands))
+      (error (c)
+	(format *error-output*
+		"An error occurred during initialization:~%~A.~%" c)
+	(quit 1)))))
diff --git a/src/lsp/load.lsp.in b/src/lsp/load.lsp.in
index 5907fd3ad..8c88418d1 100644
--- a/src/lsp/load.lsp.in
+++ b/src/lsp/load.lsp.in
@@ -38,6 +38,7 @@
   "src:lsp;tk-init.lsp"
   "build:lsp;config.lsp"
   "src:lsp;module.lsp"
+  "src:lsp;cmdline.lsp"
   "src:lsp;top.lsp"
 #+threads
   "src:lsp;mp.lsp"
diff --git a/src/lsp/top.lsp b/src/lsp/top.lsp
index 7ca94d8fc..d5687fb01 100644
--- a/src/lsp/top.lsp
+++ b/src/lsp/top.lsp
@@ -19,10 +19,7 @@
 (in-package "SYSTEM")
 
 (export '(*break-readtable* *break-on-warnings* *break-enable*
-	  *lisp-init-file-list* *tpl-evalhook*))
-
-(defvar *lisp-init-file-list* '("~/.ecl" "~/.eclrc")
-  "List of files automatically loaded when ECL is invoked.")
+	  *tpl-evalhook*))
 
 (defvar *quit-tag* (cons nil nil))
 (defvar *quit-tags* nil)
@@ -335,91 +332,6 @@ value of this variable is non-NIL.")
       )
   )
 
-(eval-when (compile eval)
-  (defmacro notinline (form)
-    `(locally (declare (notinline ,(car form)))
-	      ,form)))
-
-(defun process-command-args (&aux (load-rc t) (commands nil) (quit nil))
-  #-ecl-min
-  (do ((load-rc t)
-       (commands nil)
-       (quit nil)
-       (stop-processing nil)
-       (i 1 (1+ i))
-       (argc (argc)))
-      ((or (>= i argc)
-	   stop-processing)
-       (when load-rc
-	 (dolist (file *lisp-init-file-list*)
-	   (when (load file :if-does-not-exist nil :search-list nil :verbose nil)
-	     (return))))
-       (eval `(progn ,@(nreverse commands)))
-       (when quit (quit))
-       )
-    (labels
-	((get-argument (n k default)
-	   (do ((j (1+ n) (1+ j))
-		(argc (argc)))
-	       ((>= j argc) default)
-	     (when (string= k (argv j))
-	       (incf j)
-	       (return
-		 (or (= j argc)
-		     (eql (schar (argv j) 0) #\-)
-		     (let ((arg (argv j)))
-		       (if (string-equal "nil" arg)
-			   NIL
-			   (or (string-equal "t" arg) arg))))))))
-	 (help-message (stream)
-	   (princ "Usage: ecl [-? | --help]
-           [-dir dir] [-load file] [-shell file] [-eval expr] [-norc]
-           [-compile file [-o ofile] [-c [cfile]] [-h [hfile]]
-                          [-data [datafile]] [-s] [-q]]
-"
-		  stream))
-	 (pop-arg (option)
-	   (when (= (incf i) argc)
-	     (format *error-output* "Missing argument to command line option ~A.~%" option)
-	     (help-message *error-output*)
-	     (quit 1))
-	   (argv i)))
-      (let ((option (argv i)))
-	(cond
-	  ((string= "-dir" option)
-	   (setf (logical-pathname-translations "SYS")
-		 `(("**;*.*" ,(merge-pathnames "**/*.*" (truename (pop-arg "-dir")))))))
-	  ((string= "-compile" option)
-	   (if (nth-value 3
-			  (compile-file
-			   (pop-arg "-compile")
-			   :output-file (get-argument i "-o" T)
-			   :c-file  (get-argument i "-c" NIL)
-			   :h-file  (get-argument i "-h" NIL)
-			   :data-file (get-argument i "-data" NIL)
-			   :verbose (not (get-argument i "-q" NIL))
-			   :system-p  (get-argument i "-s" NIL)))
-	       (quit 1)
-	       (quit 0)))
-	  ((string= "-load" option)
-	   (push `(load ,(pop-arg "-load") :verbose t) commands))
-	  ((string= "-shell" option)
-	   (push `(load ,(pop-arg "-shell") :verbose nil) commands)
-	   (setf quit t load-rc nil))
-	  ((string= "-eval" option)
-	   (push (read-from-string (pop-arg "-eval")) commands))
-	  ((string= "-norc" option)
-	   (setf load-rc nil))
-	  ((or (string= "-?" option) (string= "--help" option))
-	   (help-message t)
-	   (quit 0))
-	  ((string= "--" option)
-	   (setq stop-processing t))
-	  (t
-	   (format *error-output* "Unknown command line option ~A.~%" option)
-	   (help-message *error-output*)
-	   (quit 1)))))))
-
 (defvar *lisp-initialized* nil)
 
 (defun top-level ()
@@ -436,7 +348,7 @@ file.  When the saved image is invoked, it will start the redefined top-level."
       (catch *quit-tag*
 	(let ((*break-enable* nil))
 	  ;; process command arguments
-	  (notinline (process-command-args))))
+	  (process-command-args)))
 
       (format t "ECL (Embeddable Common-Lisp) ~A" (lisp-implementation-version))
       (format t "~%Copyright (C) 1984 Taiichi Yuasa and Masami Hagiya~@
@@ -484,7 +396,7 @@ file.  When the saved image is invoked, it will start the redefined top-level."
 	   (reset-stack-limits))
      (when (catch *quit-tag*
 	     (tpl-prompt)
-	     (setq - (notinline (tpl-read)))
+	     (setq - (locally (declare (notinline tpl-read)) (tpl-read)))
 	     (setq values
 		   (multiple-value-list
 		    (eval-with-env - *break-env*)))