diff --git a/configure/E3/CONFIG b/configure/E3/CONFIG
index bd6ac2a15e12bc7871d36f4fa28018f67fdf993b..0a8d8fed1edaf90e8f5116854b041c9590018f57 100644
--- a/configure/E3/CONFIG
+++ b/configure/E3/CONFIG
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 # -*- mode: Makefile;-*-
 
 # Update the module version (for numeric versions) with a build number of 0 if none is specified
-E3_MODULE_VERSION:=$(E3_MODULE_VERSION)$(shell [[ "$(E3_MODULE_VERSION)" =~ ^[0-9]+\.[0-9]+\.[0-9]+$$ ]] && echo +0)
+E3_MODULE_VERSION:=$(E3_MODULE_VERSION)$(shell (echo "$(E3_MODULE_VERSION)" | grep -Eq "^[0-9]+\.[0-9]+\.[0-9]+\$$") && echo +0)
 
 E3_MODULES_PATH?=$(E3_SITEMODS_PATH)
 
diff --git a/require-ess/tools/driver.makefile b/require-ess/tools/driver.makefile
index 1c792be0bb6d14cb4dd6f7f8d6ddbf3bd718bcde..ae52ef5a6df1cadb6b01eec31044957307d47fff 100644
--- a/require-ess/tools/driver.makefile
+++ b/require-ess/tools/driver.makefile
@@ -507,25 +507,6 @@ LOADABLE_LIBRARY=$(if ${LIBRARY_OBJS},${PRJ},)
 # See ${REGISTRYFILE} rule below.
 LIBOBJS += $(if $(MODULEDBD), $(addsuffix $(OBJ),$(basename ${REGISTRYFILE})))
 
-
-# For backward compatibility:
-# Provide a global symbol for every version with the same
-# major and equal or smaller minor version number.
-# Other code using this will look for one of those symbols.
-# Add an undefined symbol for the version of every used driver.
-# This is done with the #define in the used headers (see below).
-MAJOR_MINOR_PATCH=$(subst ., ,${LIBVERSION})
-MAJOR=$(word 1,${MAJOR_MINOR_PATCH})
-MINOR=$(word 2,${MAJOR_MINOR_PATCH})
-PATCH=$(word 3,${MAJOR_MINOR_PATCH})
-ifneq (${MINOR},)
-ALLMINORS := $(shell for ((i=0;i<=${MINOR};i++));do echo $$i;done)
-ifeq (${OS_CLASS}, Linux)
-PROVIDES = ${ALLMINORS:%=-Wl,--defsym,${PRJ}Lib_${MAJOR}.%=0}
-endif # Linux
-endif # MINOR
-LDFLAGS += ${PROVIDES} ${USR_LDFLAGS_${T_A}}
-
 # Create and include dependency files.
 HDEPENDS =
 HDEPENDS_METHOD = COMP