@@ -64,9 +64,10 @@ The header files are typically installed with Python.  On Unix, these  are
 located in the directories :file:`{prefix}/include/pythonversion/` and
 :file:`{exec_prefix}/include/pythonversion/`, where :envvar:`prefix` and
 :envvar:`exec_prefix` are defined by the corresponding parameters to Python's
-:program:`configure` script and *version* is ``sys.version[:3]``.  On Windows,
-the headers are installed in :file:`{prefix}/include`, where :envvar:`prefix` is
-the installation directory specified to the installer.
+:program:`configure` script and *version* is
+``'%d.%d' % sys.version_info[:2]``.  On Windows, the headers are installed
+in :file:`{prefix}/include`, where :envvar:`prefix` is the installation
+directory specified to the installer.
 
 To include the headers, place both directories (if different) on your compiler's
 search path for includes.  Do *not* place the parent directories on the search
 
@@ -204,7 +204,7 @@
 import os
 import sys
 from distutils.util import get_platform
-PLAT_SPEC = "%s-%s" % (get_platform(), sys.version[0:3])
+PLAT_SPEC = "%s-%d.%d" % (get_platform(), *sys.version_info[:2])
 src = os.path.join("build", "lib.%s" % PLAT_SPEC)
 sys.path.append(src)
 
 
@@ -163,7 +163,7 @@ Other functions
 .. function:: get_python_version()
 
    Return the ``MAJOR.MINOR`` Python version number as a string.  Similar to
-   ``sys.version[:3]``.
+   ``'%d.%d' % sys.version_info[:2]``.
 
 
 .. function:: get_platform()
 
@@ -199,7 +199,7 @@ def run(self):
             target_version = self.target_version
             if not target_version:
                 assert self.skip_build, "Should have already checked this"
-                target_version = sys.version[0:3]
+                target_version = '%d.%d' % sys.version_info[:2]
             plat_specifier = ".%s-%s" % (self.plat_name, target_version)
             build = self.get_finalized_command('build')
             build.build_lib = os.path.join(build.build_base,
 
@@ -141,7 +141,7 @@ def run(self):
             target_version = self.target_version
             if not target_version:
                 assert self.skip_build, "Should have already checked this"
-                target_version = sys.version[0:3]
+                target_version = '%d.%d' % sys.version_info[:2]
             plat_specifier = ".%s-%s" % (self.plat_name, target_version)
             build = self.get_finalized_command('build')
             build.build_lib = os.path.join(build.build_base,
 
@@ -81,7 +81,7 @@ def finalize_options(self):
                             "--plat-name only supported on Windows (try "
                             "using './configure --help' on your platform)")
 
-        plat_specifier = ".%s-%s" % (self.plat_name, sys.version[0:3])
+        plat_specifier = ".%s-%d.%d" % (self.plat_name, *sys.version_info[:2])
 
         # Make it so Python 2.x and Python 2.x with --with-pydebug don't
         # share the same build directories. Doing so confuses the build
@@ -114,7 +114,7 @@ def finalize_options(self):
                                            'temp' + plat_specifier)
         if self.build_scripts is None:
             self.build_scripts = os.path.join(self.build_base,
-                                              'scripts-' + sys.version[0:3])
+                                              'scripts-%d.%d' % sys.version_info[:2])
 
         if self.executable is None:
             self.executable = os.path.normpath(sys.executable)
 
@@ -290,8 +290,8 @@ def finalize_options(self):
                             'dist_version': self.distribution.get_version(),
                             'dist_fullname': self.distribution.get_fullname(),
                             'py_version': py_version,
-                            'py_version_short': py_version[0:3],
-                            'py_version_nodot': py_version[0] + py_version[2],
+                            'py_version_short': '%d.%d' % sys.version_info[:2],
+                            'py_version_nodot': '%d%d' % sys.version_info[:2],
                             'sys_prefix': prefix,
                             'prefix': prefix,
                             'sys_exec_prefix': exec_prefix,
 
@@ -21,10 +21,10 @@ def initialize_options(self):
 
     def finalize_options(self):
         self.set_undefined_options('install_lib',('install_dir','install_dir'))
-        basename = "%s-%s-py%s.egg-info" % (
+        basename = "%s-%s-py%d.%d.egg-info" % (
             to_filename(safe_name(self.distribution.get_name())),
             to_filename(safe_version(self.distribution.get_version())),
-            sys.version[:3]
+            *sys.version_info[:2]
         )
         self.target = os.path.join(self.install_dir, basename)
         self.outputs = [self.target]
 
@@ -70,7 +70,7 @@ def get_python_version():
     leaving off the patchlevel.  Sample return values could be '1.5'
     or '2.2'.
     """
-    return sys.version[:3]
+    return '%d.%d' % sys.version_info[:2]
 
 
 def get_python_inc(plat_specific=0, prefix=None):
 
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ def test_finalize_options(self):
         # build_platlib is 'build/lib.platform-x.x[-pydebug]'
         # examples:
         #   build/lib.macosx-10.3-i386-2.7
-        plat_spec = '.%s-%s' % (cmd.plat_name, sys.version[0:3])
+        plat_spec = '.%s-%d.%d' % (cmd.plat_name, *sys.version_info[:2])
         if hasattr(sys, 'gettotalrefcount'):
             self.assertTrue(cmd.build_platlib.endswith('-pydebug'))
             plat_spec += '-pydebug'
@@ -42,7 +42,8 @@ def test_finalize_options(self):
         self.assertEqual(cmd.build_temp, wanted)
 
         # build_scripts is build/scripts-x.x
-        wanted = os.path.join(cmd.build_base, 'scripts-' +  sys.version[0:3])
+        wanted = os.path.join(cmd.build_base,
+                              'scripts-%d.%d' % sys.version_info[:2])
         self.assertEqual(cmd.build_scripts, wanted)
 
         # executable is os.path.normpath(sys.executable)