diff --git a/ChangeLog b/ChangeLog
index 22c456ef7..edd3545e4 100644
--- a/ChangeLog
+++ b/ChangeLog
@@ -1,3 +1,10 @@
+2002-07-13  Pavel Roskin  <proski@gnu.org>
+
+	* acinclude.m4 (AC_NCURSES): Remove.
+	* configure.in: Use AC_CHECK_HEADERS to find ncurses headers and
+	AC_CHECK_LIB to check existance of ncurses library.  Eliminate
+	variables force_ncurses and search_ncurses.
+
 2002-07-10  Pavel Roskin  <proski@gnu.org>
 
 	* configure.in: Remove --with-netrc, it is now default and can
diff --git a/acinclude.m4 b/acinclude.m4
index 77987df14..9f9fbc5b4 100644
--- a/acinclude.m4
+++ b/acinclude.m4
@@ -714,7 +714,6 @@ AC_DEFUN([AC_USE_TERMCAP], [
 AC_DEFUN([AC_WITH_SLANG], [
 	AC_DEFINE(HAVE_SLANG, 1,
 		  [Define to use S-Lang library for screen management])
-	search_ncurses=false
 	screen_type="slang"
 	if $slang_use_system_installed_lib
 	then
@@ -780,22 +779,3 @@ AC_DEFUN([AC_EXT2_UNDEL], [
   fi
 ])
 
-dnl
-dnl Parameters: directory filename LIBS_append CPPFLAGS_append nicename
-dnl
-AC_DEFUN([AC_NCURSES], [
-    if $search_ncurses
-    then
-        if test -f $1/$2
-	then
-	    AC_MSG_NOTICE([found ncurses header $1/$2])
- 	    MCLIBS="$MCLIBS $3"
-	    CPPFLAGS="$CPPFLAGS $4"
-	    search_ncurses=false
-	    screen_type="ncurses"
-	    screen_manager="$5"
-	    AC_DEFINE(USE_NCURSES, 1,
-		      [Define to use ncurses for screen management])
-	fi
-    fi
-])
diff --git a/configure.in b/configure.in
index f39cede7d..736b33db4 100644
--- a/configure.in
+++ b/configure.in
@@ -302,8 +302,6 @@ screen_type=""
 dnl Screen manager name (for the output only)
 screen_manager=unknown
 
-search_ncurses=false
-
 mouse_lib="xterm only"
 case $host_os in
 linux*)
@@ -333,18 +331,24 @@ esac
 
 AC_ARG_WITH(ncurses,
 	[--with-ncurses[=base-dir]    Compile with ncurses/locate base dir],
-	[force_ncurses=true
-	if test x$withval = xyes
-	then
-		search_ncurses=true
-	else
-		MCLIBS="$MCLIBS -L$withval/lib -lncurses"
+	[if test x$withval != xyes; then
+		MCLIBS="$MCLIBS -L$withval/lib"
 		CPPFLAGS="$CPPFLAGS -I$withval/include"
-		search_ncurses=false
-		screen_type="ncurses"
-		screen_manager="ncurses"
-		AC_DEFINE(USE_NCURSES)
 	fi
+
+	AC_CHECK_HEADERS([ncurses/curses.h ncurses.h curses.h], [break],
+			 [AC_MSG_ERROR([Could not find ncurses header])])
+
+	dnl -lncurses should not go to LIBS, hence [:]
+	dnl curses_version is specific to ncurses, it's not in old curses
+	AC_CHECK_LIB(ncurses, curses_version, [:],
+		     [AC_MSG_ERROR([Could not find ncurses library])])
+
+	MCLIBS="$MCLIBS -lncurses"
+	screen_type="ncurses"
+	screen_manager="ncurses"
+	AC_DEFINE(USE_NCURSES, 1,
+		  [Define to use ncurses for screen management])
 ])
 
 AC_ARG_WITH(hsc,
@@ -518,7 +522,7 @@ AC_ARG_WITH(efence,
 	mem_debug="Electric Fence"
 fi])
 
-if test -z "$force_ncurses"; then
+if test "x$screen_type" != xncurses; then
 	slang_check_lib=true
 	slang_term=""
 	slang_use_system_installed_lib=false
@@ -612,28 +616,6 @@ fi
 
 AC_SUBST(undelfs_o)
 	
-if $search_ncurses
-then
-    AC_MSG_NOTICE([checking location of ncurses.h file])
-
-    AC_NCURSES(/usr/include, ncurses.h, -lncurses,,
-	       [ncurses in /usr/include])
-    AC_NCURSES(/usr/include/ncurses, ncurses.h, -lncurses, -I/usr/include/ncurses,
-	       [ncurses in /usr/include/ncurses])
-    AC_NCURSES(/usr/local/include, ncurses.h, -L/usr/local/lib -lncurses, -I/usr/local/include,
-	       [ncurses in /usr/local])
-    AC_NCURSES(/usr/local/include/ncurses, ncurses.h, -L/usr/local/lib -L/usr/local/lib/ncurses -lncurses, -I/usr/local/include/ncurses,
-	       [ncurses in /usr/local/include/ncurses])
-    AC_NCURSES(/usr/local/include/ncurses, curses.h, -L/usr/local/lib -lncurses, -I/usr/local/include/ncurses -DRENAMED_NCURSES,
-	       [renamed ncurses in /usr/local/include/ncurses])
-    AC_NCURSES(/usr/include/ncurses, curses.h, -lncurses, -I/usr/include/ncurses -DRENAMED_NCURSES,
-	       [renamed ncurses in /usr/include/ncurses])
-fi
-
-if test "x$screen_type" != xncurses && test -n "$force_ncurses"; then
-    AC_MSG_ERROR([Could not find ncurses])
-fi
-
 
 dnl Ncurses specific checks
 dnl