diff --git a/misc/doclifter/README b/misc/doclifter/README
index be6e5ab4be..acbba9eb69 100644
--- a/misc/doclifter/README
+++ b/misc/doclifter/README
@@ -1,12 +1,19 @@
-doclifter lifts documents in nroff markups to XML-DocBook.
+doclifter (convert nroff markup to XML-DocBook)
 
 This package ships two Python scripts:
-_doclifter translates documents written in troff macros like man pages to
- DocBook, that can then be converted to other formats or translated.
-_manlifter is a mass-conversion script and test harness for doclifter.
- It can find and convert _all_ man pages in your system with one simple
- command, but in a few cases.
+
+- doclifter translates documents written in troff macros (like man
+  pages) to DocBook, that can then be converted to other formats or
+  translated.
+
+- manlifter is a mass-conversion script and test harness for doclifter.
+  It can find and convert _all_ man pages in your system with one simple
+  command.
  
 See the man pages, also in HTML format in /usr/doc/docfilter*/html
 
 docfilter's author is Eric S. Raymond.
+
+Optional runtime dependency: plotutils. This is required for
+converting PIC diagrams to SVG. Not many man pages actually require
+this.
diff --git a/misc/doclifter/doclifter.SlackBuild b/misc/doclifter/doclifter.SlackBuild
index 2c4e54079b..470780d28e 100644
--- a/misc/doclifter/doclifter.SlackBuild
+++ b/misc/doclifter/doclifter.SlackBuild
@@ -2,40 +2,30 @@
 
 # Slackware build script for doclifter
 
-# Copyright 2015 Didier Spaier Paris, France
-# All rights reserved.
-#
-# Redistribution and use of this script, with or without modification, is
-# permitted provided that the following conditions are met:
-#
-# 1. Redistributions of this script must retain the above copyright
-#    notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer.
-#
-#  THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED BY THE AUTHOR "AS IS" AND ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED
-#  WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF
-#  MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE ARE DISCLAIMED.  IN NO
-#  EVENT SHALL THE AUTHOR BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL,
-#  SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO,
-#  PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR SERVICES; LOSS OF USE, DATA, OR PROFITS;
-#  OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION) HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY,
-#  WHETHER IN CONTRACT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE OR
-#  OTHERWISE) ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF THE USE OF THIS SOFTWARE, EVEN IF
-#  ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.
+# Originally written 2015 Didier Spaier Paris, France
+# Now maintained by B. Watson (yalhcru@gmail.com)
+
+# Licensed under the WTFPL. See http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ for details.
+
+# 20220110 bkw:
+# - take over maintenance.
+# - relicense as WTFPL with permission from Didier.
+# - update for v2.20.
+# - tweak README and slack-desc.
+# - simplify build.
+# - document plotutils optional dep (search for pic2plot in the man page).
 
 cd $(dirname $0) ; CWD=$(pwd)
 
 PRGNAM=doclifter
-VERSION=${VERSION:-2.15}
+VERSION=${VERSION:-2.20}
 BUILD=${BUILD:-1}
 TAG=${TAG:-_SBo}
 PKGTYPE=${PKGTYPE:-tgz}
 
-# We package Python scripts, so:
+# We're packaging only Python scripts, so:
 ARCH=noarch
 
-# If the variable PRINT_PACKAGE_NAME is set, then this script will report what
-# the name of the created package would be, and then exit. This information
-# could be useful to other scripts.
 if [ ! -z "${PRINT_PACKAGE_NAME}" ]; then
   echo "$PRGNAM-$VERSION-$ARCH-$BUILD$TAG.$PKGTYPE"
   exit 0
@@ -54,24 +44,21 @@ rm -rf $PRGNAM-$VERSION
 tar xvf $CWD/$PRGNAM-$VERSION.tar.gz
 cd $PRGNAM-$VERSION
 chown -R root:root .
-find -L . \
- \( -perm 777 -o -perm 775 -o -perm 750 -o -perm 711 -o -perm 555 \
-  -o -perm 511 \) -exec chmod 755 {} \; -o \
- \( -perm 666 -o -perm 664 -o -perm 640 -o -perm 600 -o -perm 444 \
-  -o -perm 440 -o -perm 400 \) -exec chmod 644 {} \;
+find -L .  -perm /111 -a \! -perm 755 -a -exec chmod 755 {} \+ -o \
+        \! -perm /111 -a \! -perm 644 -a -exec chmod 644 {} \+
 
-mkdir -p $PKG/usr/doc/$PRGNAM-$VERSION/html $PKG/usr/man/man1 $PKG/usr/bin
+PKGDOC=$PKG/usr/doc/$PRGNAM-$VERSION
+mkdir -p $PKGDOC/html $PKG/usr/man/man1 $PKG/usr/bin
 
-cp doclifter manlifter $PKG/usr/bin
-gzip <doclifter.1 >$PKG/usr/man/man1/doclifter.1.gz
-gzip <manlifter.1 >$PKG/usr/man/man1/manlifter.1.gz
+for i in {doc,man}lifter; do
+  install -m0755 $i $PKG/usr/bin
+  gzip -9c < $i.1 > $PKG/usr/man/man1/$i.1.gz
+  xmlto xhtml-nochunks $i.xml
+  cp -a $i.html $PKGDOC/html
+done
 
-xmlto xhtml-nochunks doclifter.xml
-xmlto xhtml-nochunks manlifter.xml
-cp -a doclifter.html manlifter.html $PKG/usr/doc/$PRGNAM-$VERSION/html
-
-cp -a COPYING README TODO $PKG/usr/doc/$PRGNAM-$VERSION
-cat $CWD/$PRGNAM.SlackBuild > $PKG/usr/doc/$PRGNAM-$VERSION/$PRGNAM.SlackBuild
+cp -a COPYING README TODO PATCHES $PKGDOC
+cat $CWD/$PRGNAM.SlackBuild > $PKGDOC/$PRGNAM.SlackBuild
 
 mkdir -p $PKG/install
 cat $CWD/slack-desc > $PKG/install/slack-desc
diff --git a/misc/doclifter/doclifter.info b/misc/doclifter/doclifter.info
index 9a3444a5a0..c6e02b0545 100644
--- a/misc/doclifter/doclifter.info
+++ b/misc/doclifter/doclifter.info
@@ -1,10 +1,10 @@
 PRGNAM="doclifter"
-VERSION="2.15"
+VERSION="2.20"
 HOMEPAGE="http://www.catb.org/~esr/doclifter/"
-DOWNLOAD="http://www.catb.org/~esr/doclifter/doclifter-2.15.tar.gz"
-MD5SUM="2615cdf2081d31c003d8a41c1c5201c2"
+DOWNLOAD="http://www.catb.org/~esr/doclifter/doclifter-2.20.tar.gz"
+MD5SUM="60b9c173bdafbdc00e3286acd5332318"
 DOWNLOAD_x86_64=""
 MD5SUM_x86_64=""
 REQUIRES=""
-MAINTAINER="Didier Spaier"
-EMAIL="didier at slint dot fr"
+MAINTAINER="B. Watson"
+EMAIL="yalhcru@gmail.com"
diff --git a/misc/doclifter/slack-desc b/misc/doclifter/slack-desc
index 75b6489a68..0505eace63 100644
--- a/misc/doclifter/slack-desc
+++ b/misc/doclifter/slack-desc
@@ -6,13 +6,13 @@
 # customary to leave one space after the ':' except on otherwise blank lines.
 
          |-----handy-ruler------------------------------------------------------|
-doclifter: doclifter (convert document)
+doclifter: doclifter (convert nroff markup to XML-DocBook)
 doclifter:
-doclifter: doclifter lifts documents in nroff markups to XML-DocBook.
+doclifter: doclifter lifts documents in nroff markup to XML-DocBook.
 doclifter: This package ships two Python scripts:
-doclifter: _doclifter translates documents written in troff macros like man
-doclifter: pages to DocBook, that can then be converted to other formats.
-doclifter: _manlifter is a mass-conversion script and test harness for
+doclifter: - doclifter translates documents written in troff macros (like man
+doclifter: pages) to DocBook, that can then be converted to other formats.
+doclifter: - manlifter is a mass-conversion script and test harness for
 doclifter: doclifter.
 doclifter:
 doclifter: docfilter's author is Eric S. Raymond.