diff --git a/ChangeLog b/ChangeLog
index 1807a780ff89b07e3ea5e481291dfbf5d1577114..5e531dad2b37deeb76645d8739fae00db9085f8f 100644
--- a/ChangeLog
+++ b/ChangeLog
@@ -115,6 +115,8 @@ CVS code -
 	  to remove redundant code.  New function add_unicode_digit();
 	  changes to get_unicode_kbinput() and parse_verbatim_kbinput().
 	  (Benno Schulenberg, minor tweaks by DLR)
+	- Allow normal typing of high-bit control characters, as Pico
+	  does.  Changes to do_output() and do_statusbar_output(). (DLR)
 - browser.c:
   do_browser()
 	- Reference NANO_GOTODIR_(ALT|F)?KEY instead of
@@ -292,6 +294,8 @@ CVS code -
   do_verbatim_input()
 	- Add a translator comment explaining the "Verbatim Input"
 	  statusbar message. (Benno Schulenberg)
+	- Unconditionally blank the statusbar as soon as we're finished
+	  getting input. (DLR, suggested by Benno Schulenberg)
 - winio.c:
   parse_kbinput()
 	- If we get NANO_CONTROL_8, properly handle it in all cases.
@@ -309,6 +313,9 @@ CVS code -
 	- Add Ctrl-/ as an alias for Ctrl-_. (DLR, found by Benno
 	  Schulenberg)
 	- Simplify the if blocks wherever possible. (DLR)
+  parse_verbatim_kbinput()
+	- Don't include the ability to enter a Unicode sequence via
+	  verbatim input mode if ENABLE_UTF8 isn't defined. (DLR)
   display_string()
 	- Properly display double-column characters if they're past the
 	  first virtual page and their first column is covered by the
diff --git a/src/nano.c b/src/nano.c
index afca8c67cbcf79fa5371bf38520ac29722af02a4..0a744948a2a234ddf02695933d0b581d4ad6e2e7 100644
--- a/src/nano.c
+++ b/src/nano.c
@@ -1473,7 +1473,7 @@ bool do_mouse(void)
 #endif /* !DISABLE_MOUSE */
 
 /* The user typed output_len multibyte characters.  Add them to the edit
- * buffer, filtering out all control characters if allow_cntrls is
+ * buffer, filtering out all ASCII control characters if allow_cntrls is
  * TRUE. */
 void do_output(char *output, size_t output_len, bool allow_cntrls)
 {
@@ -1491,7 +1491,7 @@ void do_output(char *output, size_t output_len, bool allow_cntrls)
 
     while (i < output_len) {
 	/* If allow_cntrls is FALSE, filter out nulls and newlines,
-	 * since they're control characters. */
+	 * since they're ASCII control characters. */
 	if (allow_cntrls) {
 	    /* Null to newline, if needed. */
 	    if (output[i] == '\0')
@@ -1509,8 +1509,10 @@ void do_output(char *output, size_t output_len, bool allow_cntrls)
 
 	i += char_buf_len;
 
-	/* If allow_cntrls is FALSE, filter out a control character. */
-	if (!allow_cntrls && is_cntrl_mbchar(output + i - char_buf_len))
+	/* If allow_cntrls is FALSE, filter out an ASCII control
+	 * character. */
+	if (!allow_cntrls && is_ascii_cntrl_char(*(output + i -
+		char_buf_len)))
 	    continue;
 
 	/* If the NO_NEWLINES flag isn't set, when a character is
diff --git a/src/prompt.c b/src/prompt.c
index 6d4b5a83344d1404426ab8869aa21aa5728e71a6..07d990319f8fd1d4bdba14f67b639f619ae1598d 100644
--- a/src/prompt.c
+++ b/src/prompt.c
@@ -301,7 +301,8 @@ bool do_statusbar_mouse(void)
 
 /* The user typed output_len multibyte characters.  Add them to the
  * statusbar prompt, setting got_enter to TRUE if we get a newline, and
- * filtering out all control characters if allow_cntrls is TRUE. */
+ * filtering out all ASCII control characters if allow_cntrls is
+ * TRUE. */
 void do_statusbar_output(char *output, size_t output_len, bool
 	*got_enter, bool allow_cntrls)
 {
@@ -316,7 +317,7 @@ void do_statusbar_output(char *output, size_t output_len, bool
 
     while (i < output_len) {
 	/* If allow_cntrls is FALSE, filter out nulls and newlines,
-	 * since they're control characters. */
+	 * since they're ASCII control characters. */
 	if (allow_cntrls) {
 	    /* Null to newline, if needed. */
 	    if (output[i] == '\0')
@@ -338,8 +339,10 @@ void do_statusbar_output(char *output, size_t output_len, bool
 
 	i += char_buf_len;
 
-	/* If allow_cntrls is FALSE, filter out a control character. */
-	if (!allow_cntrls && is_cntrl_mbchar(output + i - char_buf_len))
+	/* If allow_cntrls is FALSE, filter out an ASCII control
+	 * character. */
+	if (!allow_cntrls && is_ascii_cntrl_char(*(output + i -
+		char_buf_len)))
 	    continue;
 
 	/* More dangerousness fun =) */
diff --git a/src/proto.h b/src/proto.h
index ef3481e42d94b994eb49443cceaf53232a46a551..6d3561081f62573df9da5b0136fab833941f62a8 100644
--- a/src/proto.h
+++ b/src/proto.h
@@ -728,8 +728,10 @@ int get_escape_seq_kbinput(const int *seq, size_t seq_len, bool
 int get_escape_seq_abcd(int kbinput);
 int parse_escape_seq_kbinput(int kbinput);
 int get_byte_kbinput(int kbinput);
+#ifdef ENABLE_UTF8
 long get_unicode_kbinput(int kbinput);
 long add_unicode_digit(int kbinput, long factor, long *uni);
+#endif
 int get_control_kbinput(int kbinput);
 void unparse_kbinput(char *output, size_t output_len);
 int *get_verbatim_kbinput(WINDOW *win, size_t *kbinput_len);
diff --git a/src/text.c b/src/text.c
index c23ac7cf93a8c2a6a69ce8054c0f35fa71178a22..5ebeb9b2bdfda149c479b46b6a5cf1069d8780ba 100644
--- a/src/text.c
+++ b/src/text.c
@@ -2436,6 +2436,10 @@ void do_verbatim_input(void)
     /* Read in all the verbatim characters. */
     kbinput = get_verbatim_kbinput(edit, &kbinput_len);
 
+    /* Blank the statusbar. */
+    blank_statusbar();
+    wnoutrefresh(bottomwin);
+
     /* Display all the verbatim characters at once, not filtering out
      * control characters. */
     output = charalloc(kbinput_len + 1);
@@ -2447,7 +2451,4 @@ void do_verbatim_input(void)
     do_output(output, kbinput_len, TRUE);
 
     free(output);
-
-    /* Blank the statusbar if we need to. */
-    check_statusblank();
 }
diff --git a/src/winio.c b/src/winio.c
index 80538073be420e26f56ebc78cf2af04ed838f411..372f919c48e8100f7041d0f2c4d44d170887ad39 100644
--- a/src/winio.c
+++ b/src/winio.c
@@ -1253,6 +1253,7 @@ int get_byte_kbinput(int kbinput)
     return retval;
 }
 
+#ifdef ENABLE_UTF8
 /* Translate a Unicode sequence: turn a six-digit hexadecimal number
  * (from 000000 to 10FFFF, case-insensitive) into its corresponding
  * multibyte value. */
@@ -1353,6 +1354,7 @@ long add_unicode_digit(int kbinput, long factor, long *uni)
 
     return retval;
 }
+#endif /* ENABLE_UTF8 */
 
 /* Translate a control character sequence: turn an ASCII non-control
  * character into its corresponding control character. */
@@ -1439,11 +1441,14 @@ int *get_verbatim_kbinput(WINDOW *win, size_t *kbinput_len)
 int *parse_verbatim_kbinput(WINDOW *win, size_t *kbinput_len)
 {
     int *kbinput, *retval;
+#ifdef ENABLE_UTF8
     long uni;
+#endif
 
     /* Read in the first keystroke. */
     while ((kbinput = get_input(win, 1)) == NULL);
 
+#ifdef ENABLE_UTF8
     /* Check whether the first keystroke is a valid hexadecimal
      * digit. */
     uni = get_unicode_kbinput(*kbinput);
@@ -1451,7 +1456,11 @@ int *parse_verbatim_kbinput(WINDOW *win, size_t *kbinput_len)
     /* If the first keystroke isn't a valid hexadecimal digit, put back
      * the first keystroke. */
     if (uni != ERR)
+#endif /* ENABLE_UTF8 */
+
 	unget_input(kbinput, 1);
+
+#ifdef ENABLE_UTF8
     /* Otherwise, read in keystrokes until we have a complete Unicode
      * sequence, and put back the corresponding Unicode value. */
     else {
@@ -1482,6 +1491,7 @@ int *parse_verbatim_kbinput(WINDOW *win, size_t *kbinput_len)
 	free(seq);
 	free(uni_mb);
     }
+#endif /* ENABLE_UTF8 */
 
     /* Get the complete sequence, and save the characters in it as the
      * result. */