>  Could you send me (privately if you wish)
>  - /etc/resolv.conf
>  - /etc/nsswitch.conf
>  - /etc/hosts
>  so that I can track your problem down better?  Also, when is "almost
>  -current"?  It looks to be a problem I've tackled in July.

phil (IPv4/v6 host) has -current from the beginning of July (3rd ???) - just
before the ELF change (I was afraid to break my running machine - but
maybe indeed it is time now for the change ...).

phil:
/etc/resolv.conf
search apc.aip.de ipv6.apc.aip.de
nameserver 141.33.241.1
lookup file bind

/etc/nssitch.conf
default, except the hosts: line
hosts:          files dns

/etc/hosts
127.0.0.1               localhost
141.33.241.1    spade
141.33.241.4    phil phil.apc.aip.de
3ffe:2a00:100:3022:2a0:24ff:fe53:5890   phil.ipv6.apc.aip.de
(plus some other entries related to other hosts)

BTW If I add spade.apc.aip.de to the 141.33.241.1 line, the
telnet spade.apc.aip.de "spade.apc.aip.de: non-recoverable failure
in name resolution" gose away and behaves exactly like telnet spade.

Greetings,

Andreas