--- a/configure.in
+++ b/configure.in
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@
 ### Software Foundation, 59 Temple Place - Suite 330, Boston, MA
 ### 02111-1307, USA. 
 
-AC_REVISION($Revision: 1.236 $)
+AC_REVISION($Revision: 1.237 $)
 AC_PREREQ(2.9)
 AC_INIT(src/octave.cc)
 AC_CONFIG_HEADER(config.h)
@@ -458,6 +458,20 @@
 
 OCTAVE_CXXLIBS
 
+### We need these before trying to find libf2c.
+
+if test -z "$AR"; then
+  AR=ar
+fi
+AC_SUBST(AR)
+
+if test -z "$ARFLAGS"; then
+  ARFLAGS="rc"
+fi
+AC_SUBST(ARFLAGS)
+
+AC_PROG_RANLIB
+
 ### If we haven't been forced to use f2c, try to find a Fortran compiler
 ### under any one of several common Un*x Fortran compiler names. 
 ### Put fc last to avoid confusion with some vendor's /bin/sh fc
@@ -571,13 +585,36 @@
 elif $have_f2c; then
   AC_DEFINE(F77_APPEND_UNDERSCORE, 1)
   AC_MSG_RESULT([defining F77_APPEND_UNDERSCORE to be 1])
-  AC_CHECK_LIB(f2c, f_open, FLIBS=-lf2c, [], -lm)
-  if test -z "$FLIBS"; then
-    AC_CHECK_LIB(F77, d_sin, FLIBS=-lF77, [], -lm)
-    if test -n "$FLIBS"; then
-      AC_CHECK_LIB(I77, f_rew, FLIBS="$FLIBS -lI77", [], -lF77)
+
+### This seems to be necessary on some Linux system.
+
+  cat > conftest.$ac_ext << EOF
+int MAIN_ () { return 0; }
+int MAIN__ () { return 0; }
+EOF
+
+### XXX FIMXE XXX -- these shouldn't be fixed names, eh?
+
+  oct_conflib=libconflib.a
+  oct_obj_ext=o
+
+  if AC_TRY_EVAL(ac_compile); then
+    $AR $ARFLAGS $oct_conflib conftest.$oct_obj_ext 1>&AC_FD_CC
+    if test -n "$RANLIB"; then
+      $RANLIB $oct_conflib 1>&AC_FD_CC
     fi
   fi
+  rm -f conftest*
+  AC_CHECK_LIB(f2c, f_open, FLIBS=-lf2c, FLIBS=, [-L. -lconflib -lm])
+  rm -f $oct_conflib
+
+  if test -z "$FLIBS"; then
+    AC_CHECK_LIB(F77, d_sin, FLIBS=-lF77, FLIBS=, -lm)
+    if test -n "$FLIBS"; then
+      AC_CHECK_LIB(I77, f_rew, FLIBS="$FLIBS -lI77", FLIBS=, -lF77)
+    fi
+  fi
+
   if test -z "$FLIBS"; then
     AC_MSG_WARN([I found f2c but not libf2c.a, or libF77.a and libI77.a])
   fi
@@ -921,18 +958,6 @@
   ;;
 esac
 
-if test -z "$AR"; then
-  AR=ar
-fi
-AC_SUBST(AR)
-
-if test -z "$ARFLAGS"; then
-  ARFLAGS="rc"
-fi
-AC_SUBST(ARFLAGS)
-
-AC_PROG_RANLIB
-
 AC_PROG_LN_S
 
 ### Kluge for SunOS 4.x vs. shared libraries.