diff --git a/autogen.sh b/autogen.sh
index dee45c0ab..9c83202bb 100755
--- a/autogen.sh
+++ b/autogen.sh
@@ -8,6 +8,6 @@
   && aclocal -I ./m4 \
   && libtoolize --copy --force --automake \
   && autoheader \
+  && autoconf  \
   && automake --add-missing --gnu --copy \
-  && autoconf \
   && ./configure $@
diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index d33490982..008e89e78 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -129,6 +129,20 @@ AM_CONDITIONAL(BUILD_TRAYICON, $have_trayicon)
 AM_CHECK_PYTHON_HEADERS(,[AC_MSG_ERROR(could not find Python headers)])
 AC_SUBST([PYTHON_INCLUDES])
 
+AS_AC_EXPAND(DATADIR, "${datadir}")
+
+AS_AC_EXPAND(LIBDIR, ${libdir})
+
+AS_AC_EXPAND(DOCDIR, "${docdir}")
+
+AC_SUBST(VERSION)
+AC_SUBST(PACKAGE)
+AC_SUBST(DATADIR)
+AC_SUBST(LIBDIR)
+AS_AC_EXPAND(DATADIR, "${DATADIR}")
+AC_SUBST(DOCDIR)
+AS_AC_EXPAND(DOCDIR, "${DOCDIR}")
+
 AC_CONFIG_FILES([ 
 	Makefile
 	data/Makefile
@@ -139,6 +153,7 @@ AC_CONFIG_FILES([
 	data/gajim.desktop.in
 	src/Makefile
 	src/common/Makefile
+	src/common/defs.py
 	scripts/gajim
 	po/Makefile.in
 ])
diff --git a/scripts/dev/translations.py b/scripts/dev/translations.py
deleted file mode 100755
index 876787827..000000000
--- a/scripts/dev/translations.py
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,76 +0,0 @@
-#!/usr/bin/env python
-# -*- coding: utf-8 -*-
-# Initially written by Nikos Kouremenos
-# Dedicated to Yann Le Boulanger
-# Usage: './translations.py [help] [stats] [update]'
-
-import os
-import sys
-
-stats = False
-update = False
-check = False
-path_to_dir = '../../po'
-
-def visit(files):
-	for file in files:
-		if file.endswith('.po'):
-			path_to_po = os.path.join(path_to_dir, file)
-			if update: # update an existing po file)
-				os.system('msgmerge -q -U %s %s' % (path_to_po, os.path.join(path_to_dir, 'gajim.pot')))
-			if stats:
-				print file[:-3], 'has now:'
-				os.system('msgfmt --statistics ' + path_to_po)
-			if check:
-				os.system('msgfmt -c ' + path_to_po)
-
-def show_help():
-	print sys.argv[0], '[help] [stats] [update] [check]'
-	sys.exit(0)
-
-def update_pot():
-	# create header for glade strings
-	os.system("""
-	for i in `ls ../../data/glade/*.glade`;do 
-		intltool-extract --type=gettext/glade $i
-	done
-	""")
-	# update the pot
-	os.system('make -C ../../po/ all gajim.pot')
-	print 'gajim.pot was updated successfully'
-
-if __name__ == '__main__':
-	if os.path.basename(os.getcwd()) != 'dev':
-		print 'run me with cwd: scripts/dev'
-		sys.exit()
-
-	path_to_dir = '../../po'
-
-	files = os.listdir(path_to_dir)
-	if len(sys.argv) == 2:
-		if sys.argv[1].startswith('h'):
-			show_help()
-
-		param = sys.argv[1]
-		if param == 'stats': # stats only
-			stats = True
-			visit(files)
-		elif param == 'update': # update only
-			update_pot()
-			update = True
-			visit(files)
-			print 'Done'
-		elif param == 'check':
-			check = True
-			visit(files)
-
-	elif len(sys.argv) == 1: # update & stats & no check
-		update_pot()
-		update = True
-		stats = True
-		visit(files)
-		print 'Done'
-
-	else:
-		show_help()
-
diff --git a/scripts/gajim.in b/scripts/gajim.in
index 82ef6f822..518087459 100644
--- a/scripts/gajim.in
+++ b/scripts/gajim.in
@@ -27,11 +27,9 @@ if [ `id -u` -eq 0 ]; then
 	echo "You must not launch Gajim as root, it is INSECURE"
 fi
 
-
-prefix=@prefix@
-exec_prefix=@exec_prefix@
+datadir=@DATADIR@
 PYTHON_EXEC=@PYTHON@
 
-cd ${prefix}/share/gajim/src
-export PYTHONPATH="$PYTHONPATH:@libdir@/gajim"
+cd ${datadir}/gajim/src
+export PYTHONPATH="$PYTHONPATH:@LIBDIR@/gajim"
 exec -a gajim ${PYTHON_EXEC} -OO gajim.py $@
diff --git a/src/Makefile.am b/src/Makefile.am
index 3ebe37a2d..311704396 100644
--- a/src/Makefile.am
+++ b/src/Makefile.am
@@ -57,6 +57,8 @@ gajimsrc3dir = $(pkgdatadir)/src/common/zeroconf
 gajimsrc3_DATA = \
 				$(srcdir)/common/zeroconf/*.py 
 
+DISTCLEANFILES =$(srcdir)/common/defs.py
+
 EXTRA_DIST = $(gajimsrc_DATA) \
 			$(gajimsrc1_DATA) \
 			$(gajimsrc2_DATA) \
@@ -66,6 +68,7 @@ EXTRA_DIST = $(gajimsrc_DATA) \
 			trayiconmodule.c \
 			eggtrayicon.h \
 			trayicon.defs \
-			trayicon.override
+			trayicon.override \
+			common/defs.py.in
 
 MAINTAINERCLEANFILES = Makefile.in
diff --git a/src/common/Makefile.am b/src/common/Makefile.am
index 18f4cb796..d031154e0 100644
--- a/src/common/Makefile.am
+++ b/src/common/Makefile.am
@@ -15,4 +15,8 @@ idle_la_LDFLAGS = \
 idle_la_CFLAGS = $(XSCREENSAVER_CFLAGS) $(PYTHON_INCLUDES)
 endif
 
+DISTCLEANFILES = defs.py
+
+EXTRA_DIST = defs.py.in
+
 MAINTAINERCLEANFILES = Makefile.in
diff --git a/src/common/defs.py.in b/src/common/defs.py.in
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..55af93a75
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/common/defs.py.in
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+# this file is automatically generate by configure
+# do not edit it!
+docdir = "@DOCDIR@"
+
+datadir = "@DATADIR@"
+
+version = "@VERSION@"