diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index a5461bda..f8b9d412 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@
 /dist
 /license
 /*.egg-info
+/REV.txt
 
 # /bin/
 /bin/sip-*
diff --git a/build.py b/build.py
index a89b2db7..67f1b5cd 100755
--- a/build.py
+++ b/build.py
@@ -1482,7 +1482,21 @@ def cmd_bdist(options, args):
                 
     msg("Binary release built at %s" % tarfilename)
 
+
     
+def cmd_setrev(options, args):
+    # Grab the current SVN revision number (if possible) and write it to a
+    # file we'll use later for building the package version number
+    cmdTimer = CommandTimer('setrev')
+    assert os.getcwd() == phoenixDir()
+
+    svnrev = getSvnRev()
+    f = open('REV.txt', 'w')
+    f.write(svnrev)
+    f.close()
+        
+    
+
 #---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 if __name__ == '__main__':
diff --git a/buildtools/config.py b/buildtools/config.py
index d57f0439..99589935 100644
--- a/buildtools/config.py
+++ b/buildtools/config.py
@@ -95,16 +95,14 @@ class Configuration(object):
         versionfile = opj(os.path.split(__file__)[0], 'version.py')
         myExecfile(versionfile, self.__dict__)
 
-        # Include the subversion revision in the version number?
-        if os.environ.get('WXRELEASE') is None:
-            # TODO: It would be nice to have a better fallback than the date
-            # if this is not being run in a svn or git-svn environment...
-            # Perhaps writing the last used valid revision number to a file?
-            # Or perhaps pull it from the PKG-INFO file in egg-info?
-            #
-            # TODO #2: an environment variable is not a good way to control
-            # this...
-            self.VER_FLAGS = '-' + getSvnRev()
+        # Include the subversion revision in the version number? REV.txt can
+        # be created using the build.py setrev command. If it doesn't exist
+        # then the version number is built without a revision number. IOW, it
+        # is a release build.  (In theory)
+        if os.path.exists('REV.txt'):
+            f = open('REV.txt')
+            self.VER_FLAGS = '-' + f.read().strip()
+            f.close()
             
         self.VERSION = "%s.%s.%s.%s%s" % (self.VER_MAJOR, 
                                           self.VER_MINOR,