diff --git a/configure.in b/configure.in
index 79df58d8cc..db95eab0a2 100644
--- a/configure.in
+++ b/configure.in
@@ -163,7 +163,9 @@ dnl ------------------------------------------------------
 dnl Where do you live, libevent?  And how do we call you?
 
 if test $bwin32 = true; then
-  TOR_LIB_WS32=-lws2_32 -lwsock32
+  TOR_LIB_WS32=-lws2_32
+  # Some of the cargo-cults recommend -lwsock32 as well, but I don't
+  # think it's actually necessary.
   TOR_LIB_GDI=-lgdi32
 else
   TOR_LIB_WS32=
diff --git a/src/or/Makefile.am b/src/or/Makefile.am
index 4d4186d966..411c062faf 100644
--- a/src/or/Makefile.am
+++ b/src/or/Makefile.am
@@ -13,10 +13,13 @@ tor_SOURCES = buffers.c circuitbuild.c circuitlist.c \
 	eventdns.c \
 	tor_main.c
 
-tor_LDFLAGS = @TOR_LDFLAGS_zlib@ @TOR_LDFLAGS_openssl@ @TOR_LDFLAGS_libevent@ \
-        -lz -levent -lssl -lcrypto @TOR_LIB_WS32@ @TOR_LIB_GDI@
-tor_LDADD = ../common/libor.a ../common/libor-crypto.a
+# -L flags need to go in LDFLAGS. -l flags need to go in LDADD.
+# This seems to matter nowhere but on windows, but I assure you that it
+# matters a lot there, and is quite hard to debug if you forget to do it.
 
+tor_LDFLAGS = @TOR_LDFLAGS_zlib@ @TOR_LDFLAGS_openssl@ @TOR_LDFLAGS_libevent@
+tor_LDADD = ../common/libor.a ../common/libor-crypto.a \
+  -lz -levent -lssl -lcrypto @TOR_LIB_WS32@ @TOR_LIB_GDI@
 test_SOURCES = buffers.c circuitbuild.c circuitlist.c \
 	circuituse.c command.c config.c \
 	connection.c connection_edge.c connection_or.c control.c \
@@ -27,9 +30,9 @@ test_SOURCES = buffers.c circuitbuild.c circuitlist.c \
 	test.c
 
 test_LDFLAGS = @TOR_LDFLAGS_zlib@ @TOR_LDFLAGS_openssl@ \
-        @TOR_LDFLAGS_libevent@ -lz -levent -lssl -lcrypto \
-        @TOR_LIB_WS32@ @TOR_LIB_GDI@
-test_LDADD = ../common/libor.a ../common/libor-crypto.a
+        @TOR_LDFLAGS_libevent@
+test_LDADD = ../common/libor.a ../common/libor-crypto.a \
+        -lz -levent -lssl -lcrypto @TOR_LIB_WS32@ @TOR_LIB_GDI@
 
 noinst_HEADERS = or.h eventdns.h eventdns_tor.h micro-revision.i
 
diff --git a/src/tools/Makefile.am b/src/tools/Makefile.am
index 6d256a54a6..7d7f2c7b8f 100644
--- a/src/tools/Makefile.am
+++ b/src/tools/Makefile.am
@@ -1,11 +1,12 @@
 bin_PROGRAMS = tor-resolve tor-gencert
 
 tor_resolve_SOURCES = tor-resolve.c
-tor_resolve_LDFLAGS = @TOR_LDFLAGS_libevent@ -levent @TOR_LIB_WS32@
-tor_resolve_LDADD = ../common/libor.a
+tor_resolve_LDFLAGS = @TOR_LDFLAGS_libevent@
+tor_resolve_LDADD = ../common/libor.a -levent @TOR_LIB_WS32@
 
 tor_gencert_SOURCES = tor-gencert.c
 tor_gencert_LDFLAGS = @TOR_LDFLAGS_zlib@ @TOR_LDFLAGS_openssl@ \
-        @TOR_LDFLAGS_libevent@ -lz -lcrypto -levent \
-        @TOR_LIB_WS32@ @TOR_LIB_GDI@
-tor_gencert_LDADD = ../common/libor.a ../common/libor-crypto.a
+        @TOR_LDFLAGS_libevent@
+tor_gencert_LDADD = ../common/libor.a ../common/libor-crypto.a \
+        -lz -lcrypto -levent @TOR_LIB_WS32@ @TOR_LIB_GDI@
+