diff --git a/dev.makefile b/dev.makefile
index 7e4b3fb78..1a4be6a91 100644
--- a/dev.makefile
+++ b/dev.makefile
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 # This is only for jsoncpp developers/contributors.
 # We use this to sign releases, generate documentation, etc.
-VER?=$(shell cat version)
+VER?=$(shell cat version.txt)
 
 default:
 	@echo "VER=${VER}"
diff --git a/version b/version.txt
similarity index 100%
rename from version
rename to version.txt