diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index b2fae31429859ec917a64abe17e0b1d3cb2e76e1..53cb0216899fc56d433bad65e0e6c358928419fe 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -67,5 +67,3 @@ ui_*
 *.so*
 *.moc
 *.prl
-git_version.cpp
-git_version.obj
diff --git a/QGCApplication.pro b/QGCApplication.pro
index 5e606a094a50ed5cab9e760f3c62456eb93f1092..40787ffe4760d987516985180b0ca6f02d293f43 100644
--- a/QGCApplication.pro
+++ b/QGCApplication.pro
@@ -18,10 +18,9 @@
 # -------------------------------------------------
 
 include(QGCCommon.pri)
-include(git_version.pri)
 
 TARGET = qgroundcontrol
-TEMPLATE = app
+TEMPLATE =  app
 
 # Load additional config flags from user_config.pri
 exists(user_config.pri):infile(user_config.pri, CONFIG) {
diff --git a/deploy/ubuntu_ppa b/deploy/ubuntu_ppa
old mode 100755
new mode 100644
index 5d17661856ee89d4e4b85bc4115c45834c2a9e59..d9cf41645a4a4b6f8228838da605ee046e99b9da
--- a/deploy/ubuntu_ppa
+++ b/deploy/ubuntu_ppa
@@ -1,28 +1,17 @@
 #! /bin/bash
 
-tmpdir=`mktemp -d`
-long_version=`git describe --always --tags`
-short_version=`git describe --always --tags | cut -d "-" -f 1,2`
+version="2.4"
+rsync -av --delete --exclude=.git ~/git/qgroundcontrol/ ~/tmp/qgroundcontrol-${version}/
 
-version=${long_version:1}
-dir_version=${short_version:1}
-echo $version
+cd ~/tmp
+tar pczf qgroundcontrol_${version}.orig.tar.gz qgroundcontrol-${version}
 
-debchange -v ${version} --distribution trusty
-
-qmake -r qgroundcontrol.pro
-make git_ver
-
-rsync -av --delete --exclude={.git,build-release,release,Makefile\*} . ${tmpdir}/qgroundcontrol-${dir_version}/
-
-cd ${tmpdir}
-tar pczf qgroundcontrol_${dir_version}.orig.tar.gz qgroundcontrol-${dir_version}
-
-cd ${tmpdir}/qgroundcontrol-${dir_version}/
+cd ~/tmp/qgroundcontrol-${version}/
 debuild -S
 
-dput ppa:qgroundcontrol/ppa ${tmpdir}/qgroundcontrol_${version}_source.changes
+dput ppa:qgroundcontrol/ppa qgroundcontrol_${version}-0ubuntu1_source.changes
+
 
 
 # test building the source deb locally
-#debuild --prepend-path=/usr/lib/ccache -sa
+debuild --prepend-path=/usr/lib/ccache -sa
diff --git a/git_version.pri b/git_version.pri
deleted file mode 100644
index 229fcbe474714d70810f04bba85a132342d4e873..0000000000000000000000000000000000000000
--- a/git_version.pri
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,26 +0,0 @@
-# set the QGC version from git
-
-exists ($$PWD/.git) {
-  GIT_DESCRIBE = $$system(git --git-dir $$PWD/.git --work-tree $$PWD describe --always --tags)
-  WindowsBuild {
-    QGC_GIT_VER = echo extern \"C\" { const char *git_version() { return \"$$GIT_DESCRIBE\"; } } > git_version.cpp
-    LIBS += git_version.obj
-  } else {
-    QGC_GIT_VER = echo \"extern \\\"C\\\" { const char *git_version() { return \\\"$$GIT_DESCRIBE\\\"; } }\" > git_version.cpp
-    LIBS += git_version.o
-  }
-}
-
-WindowsBuild {
-  LIBS += git_version.obj
-} else {
-  LIBS += git_version.o
-}
-
-CONFIG(debug) {
-  GIT_VERSION_CXXFLAGS = $$QMAKE_CXXFLAGS_DEBUG
-} else {
-  GIT_VERSION_CXXFLAGS = $$QMAKE_CXXFLAGS_RELEASE
-}
-
-QMAKE_PRE_LINK += $$QGC_GIT_VER && $$QMAKE_CXX -c $$GIT_VERSION_CXXFLAGS git_version.cpp
diff --git a/qgroundcontrol.pro b/qgroundcontrol.pro
index d577d25b70df10639ca792d8a975989a8f59ecfa..6928aadf96b2ef13c0e8365a3b6c38315f2aa07e 100644
--- a/qgroundcontrol.pro
+++ b/qgroundcontrol.pro
@@ -22,8 +22,6 @@ CONFIG  +=  ordered
 SUBDIRS  =  ./QGCLocationPlugin.pro
 SUBDIRS +=  ./QGCApplication.pro
 
-include(git_version.pri)
-
 QGCApplication.depends = QGCLocationPlugin
 
 message(Qt version $$[QT_VERSION])
@@ -32,6 +30,3 @@ message(Qt version $$[QT_VERSION])
     error("Unsupported Qt version, 5.4+ is required")
 }
 
-message(QGroundControl version $${GIT_DESCRIBE})
-git_ver.commands = $$QGC_GIT_VER
-QMAKE_EXTRA_TARGETS += git_ver
diff --git a/src/QGCApplication.cc b/src/QGCApplication.cc
index f4f42243d87936da74e774ce181d4aebb81dce18..0f9ed762cbc17a70012ebd7698bfced3e3359cf2 100644
--- a/src/QGCApplication.cc
+++ b/src/QGCApplication.cc
@@ -48,7 +48,6 @@ GST_PLUGIN_STATIC_DECLARE(QTVIDEOSINK_NAME);
 G_END_DECLS
 #endif
 
-#include "git_version.h"
 #include "configuration.h"
 #include "QGC.h"
 #include "QGCApplication.h"
@@ -256,12 +255,10 @@ QGCApplication::QGCApplication(int &argc, char* argv[], bool unitTesting)
     setOrganizationName(QGC_ORG_NAME);
     setOrganizationDomain(QGC_ORG_DOMAIN);
 
-    QString versionString(git_version());
-    // stable versions are on tags (v1.2.3)
-    // development versions are full git describe versions (v1.2.3-18-g879e8b3)
-    if (versionString.length() > 8) {
-        versionString.append(" (Development)");
-    }
+    // Version string is build from component parts. Format is:
+    //  vMajor.Minor.BuildNumber BuildType
+    QString versionString("v%1.%2.%3 %4");
+    versionString = versionString.arg(QGC_APPLICATION_VERSION_MAJOR).arg(QGC_APPLICATION_VERSION_MINOR).arg(QGC_APPLICATION_VERSION_BUILDNUMBER).arg(QGC_APPLICATION_VERSION_BUILDTYPE);
     this->setApplicationVersion(versionString);
 
     // Set settings format
diff --git a/src/QGCConfig.h b/src/QGCConfig.h
index 517ec21126c2c6f9e5718fe131189666e4320a7e..9772e411b44324a0bfb4aceb7a5068dd43cfb33e 100644
--- a/src/QGCConfig.h
+++ b/src/QGCConfig.h
@@ -18,4 +18,21 @@
 #define QGC_ORG_NAME "QGroundControl.org"
 #define QGC_ORG_DOMAIN "org.qgroundcontrol"
 
+#define QGC_APPLICATION_VERSION_MAJOR 2
+#define QGC_APPLICATION_VERSION_MINOR 7
+
+// The following #definess can be overriden from the command line so that automated build systems can
+// add additional build identification.
+
+// Only comes from command line
+//#define QGC_APPLICATION_VERSION_COMMIT "..."
+
+#ifndef QGC_APPLICATION_VERSION_BUILDNUMBER
+#define QGC_APPLICATION_VERSION_BUILDNUMBER 1
+#endif
+
+#ifndef QGC_APPLICATION_VERSION_BUILDTYPE
+#define QGC_APPLICATION_VERSION_BUILDTYPE "(Stable)"
+#endif
+
 #endif // QGC_CONFIGURATION_H
diff --git a/src/comm/MAVLinkProtocol.cc b/src/comm/MAVLinkProtocol.cc
index 379a2cde65d40cb935133ac96579ac47c9983539..adf786321a478b50b8f3012e7fd8c8edf5e21753 100644
--- a/src/comm/MAVLinkProtocol.cc
+++ b/src/comm/MAVLinkProtocol.cc
@@ -190,7 +190,7 @@ void MAVLinkProtocol::_linkStatusChanged(LinkInterface* link, bool connected)
         // Send command to start MAVLink
         // XXX hacky but safe
         // Start NSH
-        const char init[] = {0x0d, 0x0d, 0x0d, 0x0d};
+        const char init[] = {0x0d, 0x0d, 0x0d};
         link->writeBytes(init, sizeof(init));
         const char* cmd = "sh /etc/init.d/rc.usb\n";
         link->writeBytes(cmd, strlen(cmd));
diff --git a/src/git_version.h b/src/git_version.h
deleted file mode 100644
index 84dd2fbb58a93145c2ea4272cef578ca63e869df..0000000000000000000000000000000000000000
--- a/src/git_version.h
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,3 +0,0 @@
-extern "C" {
-	const char *git_version();
-}