diff --git a/make/projects.mk b/make/projects.mk
index 1fded724..bb2406da 100644
--- a/make/projects.mk
+++ b/make/projects.mk
@@ -27,11 +27,12 @@ ifndef WHICH
   WHICH                     := $(firstword $(wildcard /usr/bin/which) $(shell which which))
 endif
 
+# note: This is redundant to py-defs.mk
 ifneq ($(PYTHON_VERSION),)
   PYTHON                    := /usr/bin/python$(PYTHON_VERSION)
 else
   ifeq ($(PYTHON),)
-    PYTHON                  := $(lastword $(shell ls -v /usr/bin/python[0-9].[0-9]))
+    PYTHON                  := $(lastword $(shell /bin/bash -O extglob -c "ls -v /usr/bin/python[0-9].+([0-9])"))
   endif
   PYTHON_VERSION            ?= $(patsubst python%,%,$(notdir $(PYTHON)))
 endif
diff --git a/make/py-defs.mk b/make/py-defs.mk
index 9931c480..417231c4 100644
--- a/make/py-defs.mk
+++ b/make/py-defs.mk
@@ -1,10 +1,11 @@
 ENV_PYTHONPATH              := $(PYTHONPATH)
 
+# note: This is redundant to projects.mk
 ifneq ($(PYTHON_VERSION),)
   PYTHON                    := /usr/bin/python$(PYTHON_VERSION)
 else
   ifeq ($(PYTHON),)
-    PYTHON                  := $(lastword $(shell ls -v /usr/bin/python[0-9].[0-9]))
+    PYTHON                  := $(lastword $(shell /bin/bash -O extglob -c "ls -v /usr/bin/python[0-9].+([0-9])"))
   endif
   PYTHON_VERSION            ?= $(patsubst python%,%,$(notdir $(PYTHON)))
 endif