diff --git a/Lib/distutils/command/bdist.py b/Lib/distutils/command/bdist.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..5630828580d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Lib/distutils/command/bdist.py
@@ -0,0 +1,70 @@
+"""distutils.command.bdist
+
+Implements the Distutils 'bdist' command (create a built [binary]
+distribution)."""
+
+# created 2000/03/29, Greg Ward
+
+__revision__ = "$Id$"
+
+import os, string
+from distutils.core import Command
+
+
+class bdist (Command):
+
+    description = "create a built (binary) distribution"
+
+    user_options = [('formats=', 'f',
+                     "formats for distribution (tar, ztar, gztar, zip, ... )"),
+                   ]
+
+    # This won't do in reality: will need to distinguish RPM-ish Linux,
+    # Debian-ish Linux, Solaris, FreeBSD, ..., Windows, Mac OS.
+    default_format = { 'posix': 'gztar',
+                       'nt': 'zip', }
+
+    format_command = { 'gztar': 'bdist_dumb',
+                       'zip':   'bdist_dumb', }
+
+
+    def initialize_options (self):
+        self.formats = None
+
+    # initialize_options()
+
+
+    def finalize_options (self):
+        if self.formats is None:
+            try:
+                self.formats = [self.default_format[os.name]]
+            except KeyError:
+                raise DistutilsPlatformError, \
+                      "don't know how to create built distributions " + \
+                      "on platform %s" % os.name
+        elif type (self.formats) is StringType:
+            self.formats = string.split (self.formats, ',')
+            
+
+    # finalize_options()
+
+
+    def run (self):
+
+        for format in self.formats:
+            cmd_name = self.format_command[format]
+            sub_cmd = self.find_peer (cmd_name)
+            sub_cmd.set_option ('format', format)
+
+            # XXX blecchhh!! should formalize this: at least a
+            # 'forget_run()' (?)  method, possibly complicate the
+            # 'have_run' dictionary to include some command state as well
+            # as the command name -- eg. in this case we might want
+            # ('bdist_dumb','zip') to be marked "have run", but not
+            # ('bdist_dumb','gztar').
+            self.distribution.have_run[cmd_name] = 0
+            self.run_peer (cmd_name)
+
+    # run()
+
+# class bdist