diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index d607e5cdf..ba9a01156 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -113,19 +113,24 @@ DEFINE = -DTPROXY
 # Now let's determine the version, sub-version and release date.
 # If we're in the GIT tree, we can use the last commit's version and date.
 ifeq ($(IGNOREGIT),)
-VERSION := $(shell [ -d .git/. ] && ref=`git-describe --tags 2>/dev/null` && ref=$${ref%-g*} && echo "$${ref\#v}" )
-endif
-
+VERSION := $(shell [ -d .git/. ] && ref=`(git-describe --tags) 2>/dev/null` && ref=$${ref%-g*} && echo "$${ref\#v}")
 ifneq ($(VERSION),)
 # OK git is there and works.
 SUBVERS := $(shell comms=`git-log --no-merges v$(VERSION).. 2>/dev/null |grep -c ^commit `; [ $$comms -gt 0 ] && echo "-$$comms" )
 VERDATE := $(shell date +%Y/%m/%d -d "`git-log HEAD^.. 2>/dev/null | grep -m 1 ^Date: | cut -f2- -d: | cut -f1 -d+`" )
-else
+endif
+endif
+
 # Otherwise, use the hard-coded version of last tag, number of changes
 # since last tag, and release date.
-VERSION := 1.3.12
-SUBVERS := 
-VERDATE := 2007/06/17
+ifeq ($(VERSION),)
+VERSION := $(shell cat VERSION 2>/dev/null || touch VERSION)
+endif
+ifeq ($(SUBVERS),)
+SUBVERS := $(shell cat SUBVERS 2>/dev/null || touch SUBVERS)
+endif
+ifeq ($(VERDATE),)
+VERDATE := $(shell cat VERDATE 2>/dev/null || touch VERDATE)
 endif
 
 #### build options
@@ -256,3 +261,19 @@ tar:	clean
 
 git-tar: clean
 	git-tar-tree HEAD haproxy-$(VERSION) | gzip -9 > haproxy-$(VERSION)$(SUBVERS).tar.gz
+
+version:
+	@echo "VERSION: $(VERSION)"
+	@echo "SUBVERS: $(SUBVERS)"
+	@echo "VERDATE: $(VERDATE)"
+
+# never use this one if you don't know what it is used for.
+update-version:
+	@echo "Ready to update the following versions :"
+	@echo "VERSION: $(VERSION)"
+	@echo "SUBVERS: $(SUBVERS)"
+	@echo "VERDATE: $(VERDATE)"
+	@echo "Press [ENTER] to continue or Ctrl-C to abort now.";read
+	echo "$(VERSION)" > VERSION
+	echo "$(SUBVERS)" > SUBVERS
+	echo "$(VERDATE)" > VERDATE
diff --git a/Makefile.bsd b/Makefile.bsd
index 892cdb288..f4ff4f2b6 100644
--- a/Makefile.bsd
+++ b/Makefile.bsd
@@ -7,8 +7,6 @@
 #   make TARGET=freebsd CPU=i686 DLMALLOC_SRC=/usr/local/src/dlmalloc.c \
 #        OPT_OBJS=src/dlmalloc.o
 
-VERSION := 1.3.12
-
 # Select target OS. TARGET must match a system for which COPTS and LIBS are
 # correctly defined below.
 TARGET = openbsd
@@ -87,10 +85,17 @@ TARGET_OPTS=$(COPTS.$(TARGET))
 REGEX_OPTS=$(COPTS.$(REGEX))
 CPU_OPTS=$(COPTS.$(CPU))
 
-COPTS=-Iinclude $(ADDINC) $(CPU_OPTS) $(TARGET_OPTS) $(REGEX_OPTS) $(SMALL_OPTS) $(DEFINE)
-LIBS=$(LIBS.$(TARGET)) $(LIBS.$(REGEX)) $(ADDLIB)
+VERSION != cat VERSION 2>/dev/null || touch VERSION
+SUBVERS != cat SUBVERS 2>/dev/null || touch SUBVERS
+VERDATE != cat VERDATE 2>/dev/null || touch VERDATE
 
-CFLAGS = -Wall $(COPTS) $(DEBUG)
+VER_OPTS := -DCONFIG_HAPROXY_VERSION=\"$(VERSION)$(SUBVERS)\" \
+            -DCONFIG_HAPROXY_DATE=\"$(VERDATE)\"
+
+COPTS   = -Iinclude $(ADDINC) $(CPU_OPTS) $(TARGET_OPTS) $(REGEX_OPTS) \
+          $(SMALL_OPTS) $(VER_OPTS) $(DEFINE)
+LIBS    = $(LIBS.$(TARGET)) $(LIBS.$(REGEX)) $(ADDLIB)
+CFLAGS  = -Wall $(COPTS) $(DEBUG)
 LDFLAGS = -g
 
 OBJS = src/haproxy.o src/sessionhash.o src/base64.o \
@@ -118,3 +123,8 @@ clean:
 	rm -f *.[oas] src/*.[oas] core haproxy test
 	for dir in . src include/* doc; do rm -f $$dir/*~ $$dir/*.rej;done
 	rm -f haproxy-$(VERSION).tar.gz haproxy-$(VERSION) nohup.out gmon.out
+
+version:
+	@echo "VERSION: $(VERSION)"
+	@echo "SUBVERS: $(SUBVERS)"
+	@echo "VERDATE: $(VERDATE)"
diff --git a/Makefile.osx b/Makefile.osx
index a920f98d9..1c24e777e 100644
--- a/Makefile.osx
+++ b/Makefile.osx
@@ -7,8 +7,6 @@
 #   make DLMALLOC_SRC=/usr/local/src/dlmalloc.c \
 #        OPT_OBJS=src/dlmalloc.o
 
-VERSION := 1.3.12
-
 # Select target OS. TARGET must match a system for which COPTS and LIBS are
 # correctly defined below.
 TARGET = generic
@@ -84,10 +82,17 @@ TARGET_OPTS=$(COPTS.$(TARGET))
 REGEX_OPTS=$(COPTS.$(REGEX))
 CPU_OPTS=$(COPTS.$(CPU))
 
-COPTS=-Iinclude $(ADDINC) $(CPU_OPTS) $(TARGET_OPTS) $(REGEX_OPTS) $(SMALL_OPTS) $(DEFINE)
-LIBS=$(LIBS.$(TARGET)) $(LIBS.$(REGEX)) $(ADDLIB)
+VERSION != cat VERSION 2>/dev/null || touch VERSION
+SUBVERS != cat SUBVERS 2>/dev/null || touch SUBVERS
+VERDATE != cat VERDATE 2>/dev/null || touch VERDATE
 
-CFLAGS = -Wall $(COPTS) $(DEBUG) -isysroot /Developer/SDKs/MacOSX10.4u.sdk -arch ppc -arch i386
+VER_OPTS := -DCONFIG_HAPROXY_VERSION=\"$(VERSION)$(SUBVERS)\" \
+            -DCONFIG_HAPROXY_DATE=\"$(VERDATE)\"
+
+COPTS   = -Iinclude $(ADDINC) $(CPU_OPTS) $(TARGET_OPTS) $(REGEX_OPTS) \
+          $(SMALL_OPTS) $(VER_OPTS) $(DEFINE)
+LIBS    = $(LIBS.$(TARGET)) $(LIBS.$(REGEX)) $(ADDLIB)
+CFLAGS  = -Wall $(COPTS) $(DEBUG) -isysroot /Developer/SDKs/MacOSX10.4u.sdk -arch ppc -arch i386
 LDFLAGS = -g -isysroot /Developer/SDKs/MacOSX10.4u.sdk -arch ppc -arch i386
 
 OBJS = src/haproxy.o src/sessionhash.o src/base64.o \
@@ -115,3 +120,8 @@ clean:
 	rm -f *.[oas] src/*.[oas] core haproxy test
 	for dir in . src include/* doc; do rm -f $$dir/*~ $$dir/*.rej;done
 	rm -f haproxy-$(VERSION).tar.gz haproxy-$(VERSION) nohup.out gmon.out
+
+version:
+	@echo "VERSION: $(VERSION)"
+	@echo "SUBVERS: $(SUBVERS)"
+	@echo "VERDATE: $(VERDATE)"
diff --git a/SUBVERS b/SUBVERS
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..8b1378917
--- /dev/null
+++ b/SUBVERS
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+
diff --git a/VERDATE b/VERDATE
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..70d00fb0c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/VERDATE
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+2007/06/17
diff --git a/VERSION b/VERSION
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..90a7f6029
--- /dev/null
+++ b/VERSION
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+1.3.12
diff --git a/include/common/version.h b/include/common/version.h
index 8022244ba..c9f5f16c6 100644
--- a/include/common/version.h
+++ b/include/common/version.h
@@ -57,13 +57,13 @@
 #ifdef CONFIG_HAPROXY_VERSION
 #define HAPROXY_VERSION CONFIG_HAPROXY_VERSION
 #else
-#define HAPROXY_VERSION "1.3.12"
+#error "Must define CONFIG_HAPROXY_VERSION"
 #endif
 
 #ifdef CONFIG_HAPROXY_DATE
 #define HAPROXY_DATE    CONFIG_HAPROXY_DATE
 #else
-#define HAPROXY_DATE    "2007/06/17"
+#error "Must define CONFIG_HAPROXY_DATE"
 #endif
 
 #endif /* _COMMON_VERSION_H */