fail to install libmodbus on hardy ubuntu

I fail when installing modbus: I cd to the libmodbus directory, type "sudo ./configure"

The configure complaing (from config.log) is

configure:2786: gcc -V >&5
gcc: '-V' option must have argument
configure:2789: $? = 1
configure:2812: checking for C compiler default output file name
configure:2839: gcc conftest.c >&5
/usr/bin/ld: crt1.o: No such file: No such file or directory
collect2: ld returned 1 exit status
configure:2842: $? = 1
configure:2880: result:
configure: failed program was:
| /* confdefs.h. */
| #define PACKAGE_NAME "libmodbus"
| #define PACKAGE_TARNAME "libmodbus"
| #define PACKAGE_VERSION "2.0.0"
| #define PACKAGE_STRING "libmodbus 2.0.0"
| #define PACKAGE_BUGREPORT "<email address hidden>"
| #define PACKAGE "libmodbus"
| #define VERSION "2.0.0"
| /* end confdefs.h. */
|
| int
| main ()
| {
|
| ;
| return 0;
| }
configure:2887: error: C compiler cannot create executables
See `config.log' for more details.

I had no trouble installing this on Fedora. What is wrong here?
Thanks.