diff --git a/Misc/NEWS b/Misc/NEWS
index a9ef3ee801d..e12f07fd597 100644
--- a/Misc/NEWS
+++ b/Misc/NEWS
@@ -12,6 +12,9 @@ What's New in Python 2.5 release candidate 1?
 Core and builtins
 -----------------
 
+- Patch #1521179: Python now accepts the standard options ``--help`` and
+  ``--version`` as well as ``/?`` on Windows.
+
 - Bug #1520864: unpacking singleton tuples in for loop (for x, in) work
   again.  Fixing this problem required changing the .pyc magic number.
   This means that .pyc files generated before 2.5c1 will be regenerated.
diff --git a/Modules/main.c b/Modules/main.c
index 0beea737405..ac5f96e62fc 100644
--- a/Modules/main.c
+++ b/Modules/main.c
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ static char **orig_argv;
 static int  orig_argc;
 
 /* command line options */
-#define BASE_OPTS "c:dEhim:OQ:StuUvVW:xX"
+#define BASE_OPTS "c:dEhim:OQ:StuUvVW:xX?"
 
 #ifndef RISCOS
 #define PROGRAM_OPTS BASE_OPTS
@@ -62,7 +62,7 @@ Options and arguments (and corresponding environment variables):\n\
 -c cmd : program passed in as string (terminates option list)\n\
 -d     : debug output from parser (also PYTHONDEBUG=x)\n\
 -E     : ignore environment variables (such as PYTHONPATH)\n\
--h     : print this help message and exit\n\
+-h     : print this help message and exit (also --help)\n\
 -i     : inspect interactively after running script, (also PYTHONINSPECT=x)\n\
          and force prompts, even if stdin does not appear to be a terminal\n\
 ";
@@ -78,7 +78,7 @@ static char *usage_2 = "\
 static char *usage_3 = "\
          see man page for details on internal buffering relating to '-u'\n\
 -v     : verbose (trace import statements) (also PYTHONVERBOSE=x)\n\
--V     : print the Python version number and exit\n\
+-V     : print the Python version number and exit (also --version)\n\
 -W arg : warning control (arg is action:message:category:module:lineno)\n\
 -x     : skip first line of source, allowing use of non-Unix forms of #!cmd\n\
 file   : program read from script file\n\
@@ -313,6 +313,7 @@ Py_Main(int argc, char **argv)
 			Py_UnicodeFlag++;
 			break;
 		case 'h':
+		case '?':
 			help++;
 			break;
 		case 'V':
diff --git a/Python/getopt.c b/Python/getopt.c
index 5429fac5ad5..659efcfff81 100644
--- a/Python/getopt.c
+++ b/Python/getopt.c
@@ -24,6 +24,9 @@
  * davegottner@delphi.com.
  *---------------------------------------------------------------------------*/
 
+/* Modified to support --help and --version, as well as /? on Windows
+ * by Georg Brandl. */
+
 #include <stdio.h>
 #include <string.h>
 
@@ -43,8 +46,17 @@ int _PyOS_GetOpt(int argc, char **argv, char *optstring)
 
 	if (*opt_ptr == '\0') {
 
-		if (_PyOS_optind >= argc || argv[_PyOS_optind][0] != '-' ||
-		    argv[_PyOS_optind][1] == '\0' /* lone dash */ )
+		if (_PyOS_optind >= argc)
+			return -1;
+#ifdef MS_WINDOWS
+		else if (strcmp(argv[_PyOS_optind], "/?") == 0) {
+			++_PyOS_optind;
+			return 'h';
+		}
+#endif
+
+		else if (argv[_PyOS_optind][0] != '-' ||
+		         argv[_PyOS_optind][1] == '\0' /* lone dash */ )
 			return -1;
 
 		else if (strcmp(argv[_PyOS_optind], "--") == 0) {
@@ -52,6 +64,17 @@ int _PyOS_GetOpt(int argc, char **argv, char *optstring)
 			return -1;
 		}
 
+		else if (strcmp(argv[_PyOS_optind], "--help") == 0) {
+			++_PyOS_optind;
+			return 'h';
+		}
+
+		else if (strcmp(argv[_PyOS_optind], "--version") == 0) {
+			++_PyOS_optind;
+			return 'V';
+		}
+
+
 		opt_ptr = &argv[_PyOS_optind++][1]; 
 	}
 
@@ -62,7 +85,7 @@ int _PyOS_GetOpt(int argc, char **argv, char *optstring)
 		if (_PyOS_opterr)
 			fprintf(stderr, "Unknown option: -%c\n", option);
 
-		return '?';
+		return '_';
 	}
 
 	if (*(ptr + 1) == ':') {
@@ -76,7 +99,7 @@ int _PyOS_GetOpt(int argc, char **argv, char *optstring)
 				if (_PyOS_opterr)
 					fprintf(stderr,
 			    "Argument expected for the -%c option\n", option);
-				return '?';
+				return '_';
 			}
 
 			_PyOS_optarg = argv[_PyOS_optind++];