diff --git a/vfs/fish.c b/vfs/fish.c
index 09bac1172..04c85273f 100644
--- a/vfs/fish.c
+++ b/vfs/fish.c
@@ -248,8 +248,23 @@ fish_open_archive_int (struct vfs_class *me, struct vfs_s_super *super)
 	    argv[i++] = gbuf;
 	}
 
-	argv[i++] = "-l";
-	argv[i++] = SUP.user;
+	/*
+	 * Add the user name to the ssh command line only if it was explicitly
+	 * set in vfs URL. rsh/ssh will get current user by default
+	 * plus we can set convenient overrides in  ~/.ssh/config (explicit -l
+	 * option breaks it for some)
+	 */
+
+	if (SUP.user) {
+		argv[i++] = "-l";
+		argv[i++] = SUP.user;
+	}
+	else
+	{
+		/* The rest of the code assumes it to be a valid username */
+		SUP.user = vfs_get_local_username();
+	}
+
 	argv[i++] = SUP.host;
 	argv[i++] = "echo FISH:; /bin/sh";
 	argv[i++] = NULL;
@@ -337,7 +352,7 @@ fish_open_archive (struct vfs_class *me, struct vfs_s_super *super,
     (void) archive_name;
 
     p = vfs_split_url (strchr (op, ':') + 1, &host, &user, &flags,
-		       &password, 0, URL_NOSLASH);
+		       &password, 0, URL_NOSLASH | URL_USE_ANONYMOUS);
 
     g_free (p);
 
@@ -358,22 +373,28 @@ fish_archive_same (struct vfs_class *me, struct vfs_s_super *super,
 {
     char *host, *user;
     int flags;
+    int result;
 
     (void) me;
     (void) archive_name;
     (void) cookie;
 
     op = vfs_split_url (strchr (op, ':') + 1, &host, &user, &flags, 0, 0,
-			URL_NOSLASH);
+                        URL_NOSLASH | URL_USE_ANONYMOUS);
 
     g_free (op);
 
-    flags = ((strcmp (host, SUP.host) == 0)
-	     && (strcmp (user, SUP.user) == 0) && (flags == SUP.flags));
+    if (user == NULL)
+        user = vfs_get_local_username();
+
+    result = ((strcmp (host, SUP.host) == 0)
+              && (strcmp (user, SUP.user) == 0)
+              && (flags == SUP.flags));
+
     g_free (host);
     g_free (user);
 
-    return flags;
+    return result;
 }
 
 static int
diff --git a/vfs/ftpfs.c b/vfs/ftpfs.c
index b533c066c..c4be6bf78 100644
--- a/vfs/ftpfs.c
+++ b/vfs/ftpfs.c
@@ -249,7 +249,7 @@ ftpfs_split_url(char *path, char **host, char **user, int *port, char **pass)
     char *p;
 
     p = vfs_split_url (path, host, user, port, pass, FTP_COMMAND_PORT,
-		       URL_ALLOW_ANON);
+		       URL_USE_ANONYMOUS);
 
     if (!*user) {
 	/* Look up user and password in netrc */
@@ -656,7 +656,7 @@ ftpfs_get_proxy_host_and_port (const char *proxy, char **host, int *port)
 
     dir =
 	vfs_split_url (proxy, host, &user, port, 0, FTP_COMMAND_PORT,
-		       URL_ALLOW_ANON);
+		       URL_USE_ANONYMOUS);
     g_free (user);
     g_free (dir);
 }
diff --git a/vfs/utilvfs.c b/vfs/utilvfs.c
index 7abc068ac..79bec13c7 100644
--- a/vfs/utilvfs.c
+++ b/vfs/utilvfs.c
@@ -43,8 +43,28 @@
 #include "vfs.h"
 #include "utilvfs.h"
 
-/* Extract the hostname and username from the path */
-/* path is in the form: [user@]hostname:port/remote-dir, e.g.:
+/** Get current username
+ *
+ * @return g_malloc()ed string with the name of the currently logged in
+ *         user ("anonymous" if uid is not registered in the system)
+ */
+char *
+vfs_get_local_username(void)
+{
+    struct passwd * p_i;
+
+    p_i = getpwuid (geteuid ());
+
+    return (p_i && p_i->pw_name)
+           ? g_strdup (p_i->pw_name)
+           : g_strdup ("anonymous"); /* Unknown UID, strange */
+}
+
+#ifdef USE_NETCODE
+
+/**  Extract the hostname and username from the path
+ *
+ * Format of the path is [user@]hostname:port/remote-dir, e.g.:
  *
  * ftp://sunsite.unc.edu/pub/linux
  * ftp://miguel@sphinx.nuclecu.unam.mx/c/nc
@@ -52,20 +72,25 @@
  * ftp://joe@foo.edu:11321/private
  * ftp://joe:password@foo.se
  *
- * Returns g_malloc()ed host, user and pass they are present.
- * If the user is empty, e.g. ftp://@roxanne/private, and URL_ALLOW_ANON
- * is not set, then the current login name is supplied.
+ * @param path is an input string to be parsed
+ * @param host is an outptun g_malloc()ed hostname
+ * @param user is an outptut g_malloc()ed username
+ *             (NULL if not specified)
+ * @param port is an outptut integer port number
+ * @param pass is an outptut g_malloc()ed password
+ * @param default_port is an input default port
+ * @param flags are parsing modifier flags (@see VFS_URL_FLAGS)
  *
- * Return value is a g_malloc()ed string with the pathname relative to the
- * host.
+ * @return g_malloc()ed host, user and pass if they are present.
+ *         If the user is empty, e.g. ftp://@roxanne/private, and URL_USE_ANONYMOUS
+ *         is not set, then the current login name is supplied.
+ *         Return value is a g_malloc()ed string with the pathname relative to the
+ *         host.
  */
-
-#ifdef USE_NETCODE
 char *
 vfs_split_url (const char *path, char **host, char **user, int *port,
-	       char **pass, int default_port, int flags)
+	       char **pass, int default_port, enum VFS_URL_FLAGS flags)
 {
-    struct passwd *passwd_info;
     char *dir, *colon, *inner_colon, *at, *rest;
     char *retval;
     char * const pcopy = g_strdup (path);
@@ -112,16 +137,8 @@ vfs_split_url (const char *path, char **host, char **user, int *port,
     } else
 	rest = pcopy;
 
-    if (!*user && !(flags & URL_ALLOW_ANON)) {
-	passwd_info = getpwuid (geteuid ());
-	if (passwd_info && passwd_info->pw_name)
-	    *user = g_strdup (passwd_info->pw_name);
-	else {
-	    /* This is very unlikely to happen */
-	    *user = g_strdup ("anonymous");
-	}
-	endpwent ();
-    }
+    if (!*user && !(flags & URL_USE_ANONYMOUS))
+        *user = vfs_get_local_username();
 
     /* Check if the host comes with a port spec, if so, chop it */
     if ('[' == *rest) {
diff --git a/vfs/utilvfs.h b/vfs/utilvfs.h
index 60b7a1a60..5e5d646b2 100644
--- a/vfs/utilvfs.h
+++ b/vfs/utilvfs.h
@@ -13,21 +13,29 @@
 
 #include "../src/global.h"
 
-/* Flags for vfs_split_url() */
-#define URL_ALLOW_ANON 1
-#define URL_NOSLASH 2
+/** Bit flags for vfs_split_url()
+ *
+ *  Modify parsing parameters according to flag meaning.
+ *  @see vfs_split_url()
+ */
+enum VFS_URL_FLAGS {
+    URL_USE_ANONYMOUS = 1, /**< if set, empty *user will contain NULL instead of current */
+    URL_NOSLASH       = 2  /**< if set, 'proto://' part in url is not searched */
+};
 
 int vfs_finduid (const char *name);
 int vfs_findgid (const char *name);
 
 char *vfs_split_url (const char *path, char **host, char **user, int *port,
-		     char **pass, int default_port, int flags);
+		     char **pass, int default_port, enum VFS_URL_FLAGS flags);
 int vfs_split_text (char *p);
 
 int vfs_mkstemps (char **pname, const char *prefix, const char *basename);
 void vfs_die (const char *msg);
 char *vfs_get_password (const char *msg);
 
+char * vfs_get_local_username(void);
+
 gboolean vfs_parse_filetype (const char *s, size_t *ret_skipped,
 			     mode_t *ret_type);
 gboolean vfs_parse_fileperms (const char *s, size_t *ret_skipped,