diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index b0156035f1..9860f11596 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -392,6 +392,9 @@ char * strerror(int n);
 #endif
 ])
 
+AC_DEFINE_UNQUOTED([LYX_DATE],"$LYX_DATE",[Date of release])
+AC_DEFINE_UNQUOTED([VERSION_INFO],"$VERSION_INFO",[Full version info])
+
 ### Finish the work.
 AC_CONFIG_FILES([Makefile
        boost/Makefile \
@@ -413,7 +416,6 @@ AC_CONFIG_FILES([Makefile
        sourcedoc/Makefile \
        src/client/Makefile \
        src/Makefile \
-       src/version.cpp-tmp:src/version.cpp.in \
        src/tex2lyx/Makefile \
        src/support/Makefile \
        src/frontends/Makefile \
diff --git a/development/cmake/src/CMakeLists.txt b/development/cmake/src/CMakeLists.txt
index 18b1bee1fe..4a3c671c86 100644
--- a/development/cmake/src/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/development/cmake/src/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -18,8 +18,6 @@ if(NOT MERGE_FILES)
 endif(NOT MERGE_FILES)
 
 
-configure_file(${TOP_SRC_DIR}/src/version.cpp.in ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/version.cpp)
-
 file(GLOB lyx_sources ${TOP_SRC_DIR}/src/${LYX_CPP_FILES})
 file(GLOB lyx_headers ${TOP_SRC_DIR}/src/${LYX_HPP_FILES})
 
@@ -41,11 +39,10 @@ lyx_add_msvc_pch(lyx)
 
 
 if(NOT MERGE_FILES)
-	set(lyx_sources ${lyx_sources} ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/version.cpp)
+	set(lyx_sources ${lyx_sources})
 else(NOT MERGE_FILES)
 	lyx_const_touched_files(_allinone  lyx_sources)
-	set(lyx_sources ${_allinone_files} ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/version.cpp
-	)
+	set(lyx_sources ${_allinone_files})
 endif(NOT MERGE_FILES)
 
 add_executable(lyx-${qt_postfix}
diff --git a/development/qmake/src/src.pro b/development/qmake/src/src.pro
index ed85a17d1a..d95b7aca4f 100644
--- a/development/qmake/src/src.pro
+++ b/development/qmake/src/src.pro
@@ -221,6 +221,7 @@ CPP += paragraph_funcs.cpp
 CPP += rowpainter.cpp
 CPP += sgml.cpp
 CPP += toc.cpp
+CPP += version.cpp
 
 for(FILE,CPP) { SOURCES += $${BUILD_BASE_SOURCE_DIR}/src/$${FILE} }
 for(FILE,HPP) { HEADERS += $${BUILD_BASE_SOURCE_DIR}/src/$${FILE} }
@@ -233,16 +234,6 @@ configtarget.target = $${BUILD_BASE_TARGET_DIR}/src/config.h
 configtarget.commands = \
 	cp $${BUILD_BASE_SOURCE_DIR}/development/qmake/config.h.template config.h
 
-versiontarget.target = version.cpp
-versiontarget.commands = \
-	cp $${BUILD_BASE_SOURCE_DIR}/src/version.cpp.in version.cpp 
-versiontarget.depends = config.h
-
-versiontarget2.target = version.o
-versiontarget2.commands = $${QMAKE_RUN_CXX1} -c version.cpp -o version.o
-versiontarget2.depends = version.cpp config.h
-
-
 packagetarget.target = Package.cpp
 packagetarget.commands = \
 	cp $${BUILD_BASE_SOURCE_DIR}/src/support/Package.cpp.in Package.cpp 
@@ -254,14 +245,12 @@ packagetarget2.depends = Package.cpp config.h
 
 
 QMAKE_EXTRA_TARGETS += configtarget
-QMAKE_EXTRA_TARGETS += versiontarget versiontarget2
 QMAKE_EXTRA_TARGETS += packagetarget packagetarget2
 
-QMAKE_CLEAN += Package.o Package.cpp version.o version.cpp config.h
+QMAKE_CLEAN += Package.o Package.cpp config.h
 
 PRE_TARGETDEPS += $${BUILD_BASE_TARGET_DIR}/src/config.h
 PRE_TARGETDEPS += Package.o 
-PRE_TARGETDEPS += version.o 
 
-LIBS += version.o Package.o
+LIBS += Package.o
 
diff --git a/development/scons/SConstruct b/development/scons/SConstruct
index 568af6cc96..91bcac43cf 100644
--- a/development/scons/SConstruct
+++ b/development/scons/SConstruct
@@ -371,15 +371,10 @@ env.AppendUnique(LIBPATH = ['$LOCALLIBPATH'])
 #       TOP_SRCDIR, LOCALEDIR, LYX_DIR, PROGRAM_SUFFIX
 #     lib/lyx2lyx/lyx2lyx_version.py.in
 #       PACKAGE_VERSION
-#     src/version.cpp.in
-#       PACKAGE_VERSION, LYX_DATE, VERSION_INFO
 
 # full path name is used to build msvs project files
 # and to replace TOP_SRCDIR in package.C
 env['TOP_SRCDIR'] = Dir(top_src_dir).abspath
-# needed by src/version.cpp.in => src/version.cpp
-env['PACKAGE_VERSION'] = package_version
-env['LYX_DATE'] = time.asctime()
 
 # determine share_dir etc
 packaging_method = env.get('packaging')
@@ -1824,9 +1819,6 @@ if build_lyxbase:
     #
     print "Processing files in src..."
 
-    env.Depends('$BUILDDIR/common/version.cpp', '$BUILDDIR/common/config.h')
-    version_cpp = env.substFile('$BUILDDIR/common/version.cpp', '$TOP_SRCDIR/src/version.cpp.in')
-
     if env.has_key('USE_ASPELL') and env['USE_ASPELL']:
         src_post_files.append('ASpell.cpp')
     elif env.has_key('USE_PSPELL') and env['USE_PSPELL']:
@@ -1838,7 +1830,7 @@ if build_lyxbase:
     # so I exclude main.cpp from lyxbase
     lyxbase_pre = env.StaticLibrary(
         target = '$LOCALLIBPATH/lyxbase_pre',
-        source = ['$BUILDDIR/common/%s' % x for x in src_pre_files] + version_cpp
+        source = ['$BUILDDIR/common/%s' % x for x in src_pre_files]
     )
     lyxbase_post = env.StaticLibrary(
         target = '$LOCALLIBPATH/lyxbase_post',
diff --git a/development/scons/scons_manifest.py b/development/scons/scons_manifest.py
index 61ccfe3644..ebde867e50 100644
--- a/development/scons/scons_manifest.py
+++ b/development/scons/scons_manifest.py
@@ -234,6 +234,7 @@ src_pre_files = Split('''
     rowpainter.cpp
     sgml.cpp
     toc.cpp
+    version.cpp
 ''')
 
 
@@ -253,8 +254,6 @@ src_extra_src_files = Split('''
     Section.cpp
     Variables.cpp
     main.cpp
-    stamp-h.in
-    version.cpp.in
 ''')
 
 
diff --git a/src/Makefile.am b/src/Makefile.am
index 320e9b939d..5d26a6369c 100644
--- a/src/Makefile.am
+++ b/src/Makefile.am
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ include $(top_srcdir)/config/common.am
 
 ############################### Core  ##############################
 
-DISTCLEANFILES += config.h libintl.h version.cpp stamp-version version.cpp-tmp
+DISTCLEANFILES += config.h libintl.h
 
 MAINTAINERCLEANFILES += $(srcdir)/config.h.in
 
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ AM_CPPFLAGS += $(PCH_FLAGS) -I$(top_srcdir)/src $(BOOST_INCLUDES)
 
 SUBDIRS = support frontends .
 
-EXTRA_DIST = config.h.in stamp-h.in version.cpp.in \
+EXTRA_DIST = config.h.in \
 	Section.h \
 	Section.cpp \
 	Variables.cpp \
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ lyx$(EXEEXT): $(FRONTENDS_PROGS)
 
 #lyx_LDFLAGS=-Wl,-O1
 
-BUILT_SOURCES = $(PCH_FILE) version.cpp
+BUILT_SOURCES = $(PCH_FILE)
 
 if USE_ASPELL
 ASPELL = ASpell.cpp ASpell_local.h
@@ -259,19 +259,6 @@ liblyxcore_la_SOURCES = \
 	VSpace.cpp \
 	VSpace.h
 
-version.cpp: stamp-version
-	@:
-
-stamp-version: version.cpp-tmp
-	if cmp -s $< version.cpp ; then \
-		: ;\
-	else \
-		rm -f version.cpp ;\
-		cp $< version.cpp ;\
-	fi
-	echo timestamp > $@
-
-
 ############################### Graphics ##############################
 
 pkglib_LTLIBRARIES += liblyxgraphics.la
diff --git a/src/stamp-h.in b/src/stamp-h.in
deleted file mode 100644
index 9788f70238..0000000000
--- a/src/stamp-h.in
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1 +0,0 @@
-timestamp
diff --git a/src/version.cpp.in b/src/version.cpp
similarity index 63%
rename from src/version.cpp.in
rename to src/version.cpp
index c0777ffdd6..6027f9a06c 100644
--- a/src/version.cpp.in
+++ b/src/version.cpp
@@ -12,10 +12,12 @@
  * All changes to this file will be lost.
  */
 
-///
-char const * lyx_version = "@PACKAGE_VERSION@";
-///
-char const * lyx_release_date = "@LYX_DATE@";
+#include <config.h>
 
-/// This is the version information shown by 'lyx -version'
-char const * lyx_version_info = "@VERSION_INFO@";
+///
+char const * lyx_version = PACKAGE_VERSION;
+///
+char const * lyx_release_date = LYX_DATE;
+
+/// This is the version information shown by 'lyx --version'
+char const * lyx_version_info = VERSION_INFO;