diff --git a/pkgs/development/libraries/ncurses/default.nix b/pkgs/development/libraries/ncurses/default.nix
index 569d7fe2a328..378abb812951 100644
--- a/pkgs/development/libraries/ncurses/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/development/libraries/ncurses/default.nix
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ let
      <http://mail.python.org/pipermail/python-bugs-list/2006-September/035362.html>,
      but this is left as an exercise to the reader.
      So disable them for now.  */
-  cxx = stdenv.system != "i686-solaris";
+  cxx = !stdenv.isSunOS;
 in
 stdenv.mkDerivation (rec {
   name = "ncurses-5.9";
@@ -23,6 +23,8 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation (rec {
     ${if unicode then "--enable-widec" else ""}${if cxx then "" else "--without-cxx-binding"}
   '';
 
+  patches = [ ./patch-ac ];
+
   selfNativeBuildInput = true;
 
   enableParallelBuilding = true;
diff --git a/pkgs/development/libraries/ncurses/patch-ac b/pkgs/development/libraries/ncurses/patch-ac
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..73578f8a3675
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkgs/development/libraries/ncurses/patch-ac
@@ -0,0 +1,40 @@
+$NetBSD: patch-ac,v 1.18 2011/11/01 14:47:46 hans Exp $
+
+--- ncurses-5.9/configure.orig	2011-02-21 01:40:36.000000000 +0000
++++ ncurses-5.9/configure
+@@ -7096,6 +7096,13 @@ sco*) #(vi
+ 	# setting _XOPEN_SOURCE breaks Lynx on SCO Unix / OpenServer
+ 	;;
+ solaris2.1[0-9]) #(vi
++	case "$GCC_VERSION" in 
++		4.[67].*)
++			cf_XOPEN_SOURCE=600
++			cf_add_cflags=-std=c99
++			CPPFLAGS="$CPPFLAGS -std=c99"
++			;;
++	esac
+ 	cf_xopen_source="-D__EXTENSIONS__ -D_XOPEN_SOURCE=$cf_XOPEN_SOURCE"
+ 	;;
+ solaris2.[1-9]) #(vi
+@@ -9640,12 +9647,7 @@ case ".$MANPAGE_RENAMES" in #(vi
+ .no) #(vi
+   ;;
+ .|.yes)
+-  # Debian 'man' program?
+-  if test -f /etc/debian_version ; then
+-    MANPAGE_RENAMES=`cd $srcdir && pwd`/man/man_db.renames
+-  else
+     MANPAGE_RENAMES=no
+-  fi
+   ;;
+ esac
+ 
+@@ -18449,7 +18444,7 @@ echo "${ECHO_T}$LIB_SUBSETS" >&6
+ 
+ ### Construct the list of include-directories to be generated
+ 
+-CPPFLAGS="$CPPFLAGS -I. -I../include"
++CPPFLAGS="-I. -I../include $CPPFLAGS"
+ if test "$srcdir" != "."; then
+ 	CPPFLAGS="$CPPFLAGS -I\${srcdir}/../include"
+ fi