diff --git a/Makefile.am b/Makefile.am
index 499ec44601..15abbe267b 100644
--- a/Makefile.am
+++ b/Makefile.am
@@ -92,7 +92,6 @@ AM_CPPFLAGS = \
 	@BOOST_CPPFLAGS@ \
 	@LIBEV_CPPFLAGS@ \
 	@MATH_CPPFLAGS@ \
-	@NCURSES_CPPFLAGS@ \
 	@OPENSSL_CPPFLAGS@ \
 	@READLINE_CPPFLAGS@ \
 	@PROTOBUF_CPPFLAGS@ \
@@ -128,7 +127,6 @@ AM_LDFLAGS = \
 	@BOOST_LDFLAGS@ \
 	@LIBEV_LDFLAGS@ \
 	@MATH_LDFLAGS@ \
-	@NCURSES_LDFLAGS@ \
 	@OPENSSL_LDFLAGS@ \
 	@READLINE_LDFLAGS@ \
 	@PROTOBUF_LDFLAGS@ \
@@ -149,7 +147,6 @@ LIBS = \
 	@BOOST_LIBS@ \
 	@LIBEV_LIBS@ \
 	@MATH_LIBS@ \
-	@NCURSES_LIBS@ \
 	@OPENSSL_LIBS@ \
 	@PROTOBUF_LIBS@ \
 	@READLINE_LIBS@
diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index 9f9f2794ad..e5fe722666 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -137,12 +137,6 @@ dnl ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 m4_include([m4/external.math])
 
-dnl ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-dnl NCURSES
-dnl ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-m4_include([m4/external.ncurses]) # before readline
-
 dnl ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 dnl READLINE
 dnl ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
diff --git a/lib/BasicsC/init.c b/lib/BasicsC/init.c
index 891e522f60..a008c0f13e 100644
--- a/lib/BasicsC/init.c
+++ b/lib/BasicsC/init.c
@@ -59,9 +59,6 @@ void TRI_InitialiseC (int argc, char* argv[]) {
 
   LOG_TRACE("%s", "$Revision: BASICS-C " TRIAGENS_VERSION " (c) triAGENS GmbH $");
 
-#ifdef TRI_NCURSES_VERSION
-  LOG_TRACE("%s", "$Revision: NCURSES " TRI_NCURSES_VERSION " $");
-#endif
 }
 
 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
diff --git a/lib/BasicsC/operating-system.h b/lib/BasicsC/operating-system.h
index cdae47a91d..48149652d3 100644
--- a/lib/BasicsC/operating-system.h
+++ b/lib/BasicsC/operating-system.h
@@ -75,7 +75,6 @@
 
 #define TRI_ENABLE_SYSLOG                   1
 
-#define TRI_HAVE_CURSES_H                   1
 #define TRI_HAVE_DIRENT_H                   1
 #define TRI_HAVE_SIGNAL_H                   1
 #define TRI_HAVE_STDBOOL_H                  1
@@ -87,7 +86,6 @@
 
 #define TRI_HAVE_LINUX_SOCKETS              1
 #define TRI_HAVE_MACOS_SPIN                 1
-#define TRI_HAVE_NCURSES                    1
 #define TRI_HAVE_POSIX_THREADS              1
 
 #define TRI_HAVE_GETPPID                    1
@@ -143,13 +141,11 @@
 #define TRI_ENABLE_SYSLOG                   1
 
 #define TRI_HAVE_DIRENT_H                   1
-#define TRI_HAVE_NCURSES_CURSES_H           1
 #define TRI_HAVE_STDBOOL_H                  1
 #define TRI_HAVE_SYS_RESOURCE_H             1
 #define TRI_HAVE_UNISTD_H                   1
 
 #define TRI_HAVE_LINUX_SOCKETS              1
-#define TRI_HAVE_NCURSES                    1
 #define TRI_HAVE_POSIX_SPIN                 1
 #define TRI_HAVE_POSIX_THREADS              1
 
@@ -211,7 +207,6 @@
 
 #define TRI_GCC_THREAD_LOCAL_STORAGE        1
 
-#define TRI_HAVE_CURSES_H                   1
 #define TRI_HAVE_DIRENT_H                   1
 #define TRI_HAVE_SIGNAL_H                   1
 #define TRI_HAVE_STDBOOL_H                  1
@@ -224,7 +219,6 @@
 
 #define TRI_HAVE_LINUX_PROC                 1
 #define TRI_HAVE_LINUX_SOCKETS              1
-#define TRI_HAVE_NCURSES                    1
 #define TRI_HAVE_POSIX_SPIN                 1
 #define TRI_HAVE_POSIX_THREADS              1
 
diff --git a/m4/external.readline b/m4/external.readline
index 393391aeb1..2376653935 100644
--- a/m4/external.readline
+++ b/m4/external.readline
@@ -60,7 +60,6 @@ if test "x$tr_READLINE" = xyes -o "x$tr_READLINE" = xmaybe;  then
   AC_CHECK_HEADERS(readline/readline.h, [tr_READLINE="yes"], [tr_READLINE="no"])
 
   if test "x$tr_READLINE" = xyes;  then
-    LIBS="$LIBS $NCURSES_LIBS" # centos 5.5
     TR_FIND_C_LIBRARY([readline], [readline], [READLINE_LIBS], [readline])
     tr_READLINE=$tr_library_found
   fi