diff --git a/configure b/configure
index a642f7fdc5035b3789164d78338e189456784fb5..c1258ee43e9c465471eeeb1b6cec1db0da6a1ab0 100755
--- a/configure
+++ b/configure
@@ -608,6 +608,7 @@ infodir
 docdir
 oldincludedir
 includedir
+runstatedir
 localstatedir
 sharedstatedir
 sysconfdir
@@ -672,6 +673,7 @@ datadir='${datarootdir}'
 sysconfdir='${prefix}/etc'
 sharedstatedir='${prefix}/com'
 localstatedir='${prefix}/var'
+runstatedir='${localstatedir}/run'
 includedir='${prefix}/include'
 oldincludedir='/usr/include'
 docdir='${datarootdir}/doc/${PACKAGE_TARNAME}'
@@ -924,6 +926,15 @@ do
   | -silent | --silent | --silen | --sile | --sil)
     silent=yes ;;
 
+  -runstatedir | --runstatedir | --runstatedi | --runstated \
+  | --runstate | --runstat | --runsta | --runst | --runs \
+  | --run | --ru | --r)
+    ac_prev=runstatedir ;;
+  -runstatedir=* | --runstatedir=* | --runstatedi=* | --runstated=* \
+  | --runstate=* | --runstat=* | --runsta=* | --runst=* | --runs=* \
+  | --run=* | --ru=* | --r=*)
+    runstatedir=$ac_optarg ;;
+
   -sbindir | --sbindir | --sbindi | --sbind | --sbin | --sbi | --sb)
     ac_prev=sbindir ;;
   -sbindir=* | --sbindir=* | --sbindi=* | --sbind=* | --sbin=* \
@@ -1061,7 +1072,7 @@ fi
 for ac_var in	exec_prefix prefix bindir sbindir libexecdir datarootdir \
 		datadir sysconfdir sharedstatedir localstatedir includedir \
 		oldincludedir docdir infodir htmldir dvidir pdfdir psdir \
-		libdir localedir mandir
+		libdir localedir mandir runstatedir
 do
   eval ac_val=\$$ac_var
   # Remove trailing slashes.
@@ -1214,6 +1225,7 @@ Fine tuning of the installation directories:
   --sysconfdir=DIR        read-only single-machine data [PREFIX/etc]
   --sharedstatedir=DIR    modifiable architecture-independent data [PREFIX/com]
   --localstatedir=DIR     modifiable single-machine data [PREFIX/var]
+  --runstatedir=DIR       modifiable per-process data [LOCALSTATEDIR/run]
   --libdir=DIR            object code libraries [EPREFIX/lib]
   --includedir=DIR        C header files [PREFIX/include]
   --oldincludedir=DIR     C header files for non-gcc [/usr/include]
diff --git a/dmt/commonPy/__init__.py.in b/dmt/commonPy/__init__.py.in
index 64261bda4b49052390a6e40ae639c15d83025d2a..cbf1c64c665709c39cf9df1a39f6cfe186fac185 100644
--- a/dmt/commonPy/__init__.py.in
+++ b/dmt/commonPy/__init__.py.in
@@ -16,10 +16,7 @@ from . import recursiveMapper
 from . import cleanupNodes
 
 import pkg_resources  # pragma: no cover
-try:
-    __version__ = pkg_resources.require("dmt")[0].version  # pragma: no cover
-except:
-    __version__ = "2.2-@SCM_REVISION@"
+__version__ = "2.2-@SCM_REVISION@"
 
 
 def print_version() -> None: