Methods are given for using readily available nonlinear regression programs to produce maximum likelihood estimates in a rather natural way. Used as suggested the common Gauss-Newton algorithm for nonlinear least squares becomes the Fisher scoring algorithm for maximum likelihood estimation. In some cases it is also the Newton-Raphson algorithm. The standard errors produced are the information theory standard errors up to a possible common multiple. This means that much of the auxiliary output produced by a nonlinear least squares analysis is directly applicable to a maximum likelihood analysis. Illustrative applications to Poisson, quantal response, multinomial, and long-linear models are given. (38pp.)