diff --git a/src/net/java/sip/communicator/impl/version/VersionImpl.java b/src/net/java/sip/communicator/impl/version/VersionImpl.java
index cbb16c70b..abe4c9ee2 100644
--- a/src/net/java/sip/communicator/impl/version/VersionImpl.java
+++ b/src/net/java/sip/communicator/impl/version/VersionImpl.java
@@ -25,6 +25,11 @@ public class VersionImpl
      */
     public static final int VERSION_MAJOR = 1;
 
+    /**
+     * The version major field. Default value is VERSION_MAJOR.
+     */
+    private int versionMajor = VERSION_MAJOR;
+
     /**
      * The version major of the current Jitsi version. In an
      * example 2.3.1 version string 2 is the version major. The version major
@@ -33,6 +38,11 @@ public class VersionImpl
      */
     public static final int VERSION_MINOR = 1;
 
+    /**
+     * The version minor field. Default value is VERSION_MINOR.
+     */
+    private int versionMinor = VERSION_MINOR;
+
     /**
      * Indicates whether this version represents a prerelease (i.e. a
      * non-complete release like an alpha, beta or release candidate version).
@@ -51,6 +61,11 @@ public class VersionImpl
      */
     public static final boolean IS_NIGHTLY_BUILD = true;
 
+    /**
+     * The nightly build id field. Default value is NightlyBuildID.BUILD_ID.
+     */
+    private String nightlyBuildID = NightlyBuildID.BUILD_ID;
+
     /**
      * The default name of this application.
      */
@@ -67,6 +82,28 @@ public class VersionImpl
      */
     public static final VersionImpl CURRENT_VERSION = new VersionImpl();
 
+    /**
+     * Creates version object with default (current) values.
+     */
+    private VersionImpl()
+    {}
+
+    /**
+     * Creates version object with custom major, minor and nightly build id.
+     *
+     * @param majorVersion the major version to use.
+     * @param minorVersion the minor version to use.
+     * @param nightlyBuildID the nightly build id value for new version object.
+     */
+    private VersionImpl(int majorVersion,
+                       int minorVersion,
+                       String nightlyBuildID)
+    {
+        this.versionMajor = majorVersion;
+        this.versionMinor = minorVersion;
+        this.nightlyBuildID = nightlyBuildID;
+    }
+
     /**
      * Returns the version major of the current Jitsi version. In an
      * example 2.3.1 version string 2 is the version major. The version major
@@ -77,7 +114,7 @@ public class VersionImpl
      */
     public int getVersionMajor()
     {
-        return VERSION_MAJOR;
+        return versionMajor;
     }
 
     /**
@@ -90,7 +127,7 @@ public int getVersionMajor()
      */
     public int getVersionMinor()
     {
-        return VERSION_MINOR;
+        return versionMinor;
     }
 
     /**
@@ -118,7 +155,7 @@ public String getNightlyBuildID()
         if(!isNightly())
             return null;
 
-        return NightlyBuildID.BUILD_ID;
+        return nightlyBuildID;
     }
 
     /**
@@ -160,11 +197,16 @@ public String getPreReleaseID()
      */
     public int compareTo(Version version)
     {
-        //our versioning system is built to produce lexicographically ordered
-        //names so we could simply return the comparison of the version strings.
-        return toString().compareTo( (version == null)
-                                        ? "null"
-                                        : version.toString());
+        if(version == null)
+            return -1;
+
+        if(getVersionMajor() != version.getVersionMajor())
+            return getVersionMajor() - version.getVersionMajor();
+
+        if(getVersionMinor() != version.getVersionMinor())
+            return getVersionMinor() - version.getVersionMinor();
+
+        return getNightlyBuildID().compareTo(version.getNightlyBuildID());
     }
 
     /**
@@ -230,6 +272,24 @@ public static final VersionImpl currentVersion()
         return CURRENT_VERSION;
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Returns the VersionImpl instance describing the version with the
+     * parameters supplied.
+     *
+     * @param majorVersion the major version to use.
+     * @param minorVersion the minor version to use.
+     * @param nightlyBuildID the nightly build id value for new version object.
+     * @return the VersionImpl instance describing the version with parameters
+     * supplied.
+     */
+    public static final VersionImpl customVersion(
+        int majorVersion,
+        int minorVersion,
+        String nightlyBuildID)
+    {
+        return new VersionImpl(majorVersion, minorVersion, nightlyBuildID);
+    }
+
     /**
      * Returns the name of the application that we're currently running. Default
      * MUST be Jitsi.
diff --git a/src/net/java/sip/communicator/impl/version/VersionServiceImpl.java b/src/net/java/sip/communicator/impl/version/VersionServiceImpl.java
index db0ea7e8a..d18ca996a 100644
--- a/src/net/java/sip/communicator/impl/version/VersionServiceImpl.java
+++ b/src/net/java/sip/communicator/impl/version/VersionServiceImpl.java
@@ -8,8 +8,10 @@
 
 import org.jitsi.service.version.*;
 
+import java.util.regex.*;
+
 /**
- * The version service keeps track of the SIP Communicator version that we are
+ * The version service keeps track of the Jitsi version that we are
  * currently running. Other modules (such as a Help->About dialog) query and
  * use this service in order to show the current application version.
  * <p>
@@ -21,13 +23,18 @@
 public class VersionServiceImpl
     implements VersionService
 {
+    /**
+     * The pattern that will parse strings to version object.
+     */
+    private static final Pattern PARSE_VERSION_STRING_PATTERN =
+        Pattern.compile("(\\d+)\\.(\\d+)\\.([\\d\\.]+)");
 
     /**
      * Returns a <tt>Version</tt> object containing version details of the
-     * SIP Communicator version that we're currently running.
+     * Jitsi version that we're currently running.
      *
      * @return a <tt>Version</tt> object containing version details of the
-     *   SIP Communicator version that we're currently running.
+     *   Jitsi version that we're currently running.
      */
     public Version getCurrentVersion()
     {
@@ -41,11 +48,20 @@ public Version getCurrentVersion()
      * @param version a version String that we have obtained by calling a
      *   <tt>Version.toString()</tt> method.
      * @return the <tt>Version</tt> object corresponding to the
-     *   <tt>version</tt> string.
+     *   <tt>version</tt> string. Or null if we cannot parse the string.
      */
     public Version parseVersionString(String version)
     {
-        /** @todo implement parseVersionString() */
+        Matcher matcher = PARSE_VERSION_STRING_PATTERN.matcher(version);
+
+        if(matcher.matches() && matcher.groupCount() == 3)
+        {
+            return VersionImpl.customVersion(
+                Integer.parseInt(matcher.group(1)),
+                Integer.parseInt(matcher.group(2)),
+                matcher.group(3));
+        }
+
         return null;
     }
 }