@@ -130,7 +130,7 @@
 
 import sys, os, tempfile
 
-if sys.hexversion >= 0x03000000:
+if sys.version_info[0] >= 3:
     def ascii(s): return bytes(s, 'ascii')
 else:
     ascii = str
 
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 from __future__ import division, generators
+from matplotlib import IS_PY3K
 import math, sys, warnings, datetime
 from operator import itemgetter
 import itertools
@@ -8468,7 +8469,7 @@ def subplot_class_factory(axes_class=None):
 
     new_class = _subplot_classes.get(axes_class)
     if new_class is None:
-        if sys.hexversion >= 0x03000000:
+        if IS_PY3K:
             new_class = type("%sSubplot" % (axes_class.__name__),
                              (SubplotBase, axes_class),
                              {'_axes_class': axes_class})
 
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@
 import os.path
 import random
 import urllib2
-if sys.hexversion > 0x03000000:
+if sys.version_info[0] >= 3:
     import types
 else:
     import new
@@ -186,7 +186,7 @@ def __call__(self, *args, **kwargs):
                 raise ReferenceError
             elif self.inst is not None:
                 # build a new instance method with a strong reference to the instance
-                if sys.hexversion >= 0x03000000:
+                if sys.version_info[0] >= 3:
                     mtd = types.MethodType(self.func, self.inst())
                 else:
                     mtd = new.instancemethod(self.func, self.inst(), self.klass)
 
@@ -102,7 +102,7 @@ def do_copy(target):
 def dedent_interpd(func):
     """A special case of the interpd that first performs a dedent on
     the incoming docstring"""
-    if isinstance(func, types.MethodType) and sys.hexversion <= 0x03000000:
+    if isinstance(func, types.MethodType) and sys.version_info[0] < 3:
         func = func.im_func
     return interpd(dedent(func))
 
 
@@ -1337,10 +1337,10 @@ def findfont(prop, fontext='ttf'):
         return result
 
 else:
-    if sys.hexversion >= 0x03000000:
+    if sys.version_info[0] >= 3:
         _fmcache = os.path.join(get_configdir(), 'fontList.py3k.cache')
     else:
-        _fmcache = os.path.join(get_configdir(), 'fontList.py3k.cache')
+        _fmcache = os.path.join(get_configdir(), 'fontList.cache')
 
     fontManager = None
 
 
@@ -135,7 +135,7 @@
         ('PY_ARRAY_UNIQUE_SYMBOL', 'MPL_ARRAY_API'),
         ('PYCXX_ISO_CPP_LIB', '1')]
 
-if sys.hexversion >= 0x03000000:
+if sys.version_info[0] >= 3:
     defines.append(('PYCXX_PYTHON_2TO3', '1'))
 
 setup_cfg = os.environ.get('MPLSETUPCFG', 'setup.cfg')