ESC-$ fails on ispell version check

[Kim F. Storm]

ESC-$ now gives the following error:

Debugger entered--Lisp error: (error "Invalid version syntax: '.33.7.1 alpha'")
  signal(error ("Invalid version syntax: '.33.7.1 alpha'"))
  error("Invalid version syntax: '%s'" ".33.7.1 alpha")
  version-to-list(".33.7.1 alpha")
  version<(".33.7.1 alpha" "0.60")
  ispell-check-version()
  ispell-init-process()
  ispell-buffer-local-words()
  ispell-accept-buffer-local-defs()
  ispell-word(nil nil nil)
  call-interactively(ispell-word)

This is the version of ispell (really aspell) that came with Redhat 9.0:

$ ispell --version
Ispell compatibility script for Aspell.
Usage: /usr/bin/ispell [options] -a|-l|-v[v]|<file>

$ ispell -v
@(#) International Ispell Version 3.1.20 (but really Aspell .33.7.1 alpha)


I guess the problem is with version-to-list not accepting the aspell
version string.  Perhaps it should interpret ".n" as "0.n" ?

--
Kim F. Storm <address@hidden> http://www.cua.dk