--- a/acconfig.h
+++ b/acconfig.h
@@ -60,6 +60,9 @@
 /* Define if signal handlers must be reinstalled after they are called. */
 #undef MUST_REINSTALL_SIGHANDLERS
 
+/* Define (to string::npos) if <string> doesn't. */
+#undef NPOS
+
 /* Define if you don't have NPSOL. */
 #undef NPSOL_MISSING
 

--- a/aclocal.m4
+++ b/aclocal.m4
@@ -369,6 +369,22 @@
 fi
 ])
 dnl
+dnl See if the standard string class has npos as a member.
+dnl
+AC_DEFUN(OCTAVE_STRING_NPOS,
+[AC_CACHE_CHECK([whether including <string> defines NPOS],
+octave_cv_string_npos,
+[AC_LANG_SAVE
+AC_LANG_CPLUSPLUS
+AC_TRY_COMPILE([#include <string>],
+[size_t foo = NPOS],
+octave_cv_string_npos=yes, octave_cv_string_npos=no)])
+if test $octave_cv_string_npos = no; then
+  AC_DEFINE(NPOS, string::npos)
+fi
+AC_LANG_RESTORE
+])
+dnl
 dnl The following test is from Karl Berry's Kpathseach library.  I'm
 dnl including it here in case we someday want to make the use of
 dnl kpathsea optional.

--- a/config.h.bot
+++ b/config.h.bot
@@ -7,12 +7,6 @@
 #define GCC_ATTR_UNUSED
 #endif
 
-#if defined (__GNUC__)
-#if __GNUC__ > 2 || (__GNUC__ == 2 && __GNUC_MINOR__ > 7)
-#define NPOS string::npos
-#endif
-#endif
-
 #define STATIC_CAST(T, E) (T) (E)
 
 #define DYNAMIC_CAST(T, E) (T) (E)

--- 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: 1.238 $)
+AC_REVISION($Revision: 1.239 $)
 AC_PREREQ(2.9)
 AC_INIT(src/octave.cc)
 AC_CONFIG_HEADER(config.h)
@@ -458,6 +458,10 @@
 
 OCTAVE_CXXLIBS
 
+### See if we should define NPOS.
+
+OCTAVE_STRING_NPOS
+
 ### We need these before trying to find libf2c.
 
 if test -z "$AR"; then