diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index 012da6702..66ca5a625 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -707,11 +707,14 @@ AC_CHECK_FUNCS([dirname], [],
         [AC_DEFINE([HAVE_DIRNAME], [1], [Have dirname in libgen])
          LIBS="$LIBS -lgen"])])
 
-AC_CHECK_HEADERS([getopt.h])
+AC_CHECK_HEADERS([getopt.h], [getopt_h=true])
+AM_CONDITIONAL([HAVE_GETOPT_H_WANTED], [test "x$getopt_h" = xtrue])
+
 AC_CHECK_FUNC([getopt_long], [getopt_long=true])
 if test "x$getopt_long" = xtrue; then
     AC_DEFINE([HAVE_GETOPT_LONG], [1], [Have fcn getopt_long()])
 fi
+AM_CONDITIONAL([HAVE_GETOPT_LONG_WANTED], [test "x$getopt_long" = xtrue])
 
 AC_DEFINE_UNQUOTED([NGSPICEBINDIR], ["`echo $dprefix/bin`"], [Define the directory for executables])
 AC_DEFINE_UNQUOTED([NGSPICEDATADIR], ["`echo $dprefix/share/ngspice`"], [Define the directory for architecture independent data files])
diff --git a/src/misc/Makefile.am b/src/misc/Makefile.am
index ad8b9a58a..f474b8494 100644
--- a/src/misc/Makefile.am
+++ b/src/misc/Makefile.am
@@ -4,8 +4,6 @@ noinst_LTLIBRARIES = libmisc.la
 
 
 libmisc_la_SOURCES = \
-		getopt_long_bsd.c	\
-		getopt_bsd.h	\
 		alloc.c		\
 		alloc.h		\
 		dup2.c		\
@@ -27,11 +25,19 @@ libmisc_la_SOURCES = \
 		util.c		\
 		util.h
 
-## Note that the getopt files get compiled unconditionnaly but some
-## magic #define away the body of their own code if the compilation environment
-## provides an implementation of its own (like GNU libc)
-
 
+### getopt_long_bsd.c ###
+if !HAVE_GETOPT_H_WANTED
+if !HAVE_GETOPT_LONG_WANTED
+libmisc_la_SOURCES += getopt_long_bsd.c getopt_bsd.h
+else
+libmisc_la_SOURCES += getopt_long_bsd.c getopt_bsd.h
+endif
+else
+if !HAVE_GETOPT_LONG_WANTED
+libmisc_la_SOURCES += getopt_long_bsd.c getopt_bsd.h
+endif
+endif
 
 
 AM_CPPFLAGS = @AM_CPPFLAGS@ -I$(top_srcdir)/src/include
diff --git a/src/misc/getopt_long_bsd.c b/src/misc/getopt_long_bsd.c
index ad3c8d23a..ce82dbfb6 100644
--- a/src/misc/getopt_long_bsd.c
+++ b/src/misc/getopt_long_bsd.c
@@ -73,7 +73,6 @@
    will not be used. Otherwise (as in MS Visual Studio) this file provides the fcn
    getopt_long(), used in main() of ngspice 
 */
-#if !defined(HAVE_GETOPT_LONG) || !defined(HAVE_GETOPT_H)
 
 #include "getopt_bsd.h"
 
@@ -552,6 +551,3 @@ getopt_long_only(int nargc, char * const *nargv, const char *options,
    return (getopt_internal(nargc, nargv, options, long_options, idx,
        FLAG_PERMUTE|FLAG_LONGONLY));
 }
-
-#endif /* HAVE_GETOPT_LONG */
-