diff --git a/src/qtgui/confgui/main.cpp b/src/qtgui/confgui/main.cpp
index 7eedbedd..606f75c4 100644
--- a/src/qtgui/confgui/main.cpp
+++ b/src/qtgui/confgui/main.cpp
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 #ifndef lint
-static char rcsid[] = "@(#$Id: main.cpp,v 1.5 2007-10-09 11:08:17 dockes Exp $ (C) 2005 J.F.Dockes";
+static char rcsid[] = "@(#$Id: main.cpp,v 1.6 2008-11-24 15:23:12 dockes Exp $ (C) 2005 J.F.Dockes";
 #endif
 /*
  *   This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify
@@ -84,8 +84,6 @@ using namespace std;
 
 using namespace confgui;
 
-const string recoll_datadir = RECOLL_DATADIR;
-
 static const char *thisprog;
 static int    op_flags;
 #define OPT_MOINS 0x1
@@ -151,7 +149,7 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv)
     app.installTranslator( &qt );
 
     // Translations for Recoll
-    string translatdir = path_cat(recoll_datadir, "translations");
+    string translatdir = path_cat(config->getDatadir(), "translations");
     QTranslator translator( 0 );
     // QTextCodec::locale() returns $LANG
     translator.load( QString("recoll_") + QTextCodec::locale(), 
diff --git a/src/qtgui/guiutils.cpp b/src/qtgui/guiutils.cpp
index 25f840bf..f8112317 100644
--- a/src/qtgui/guiutils.cpp
+++ b/src/qtgui/guiutils.cpp
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 #ifndef lint
-static char rcsid[] = "@(#$Id: guiutils.cpp,v 1.39 2008-10-03 08:09:35 dockes Exp $ (C) 2005 Jean-Francois Dockes";
+static char rcsid[] = "@(#$Id: guiutils.cpp,v 1.40 2008-11-24 15:23:12 dockes Exp $ (C) 2005 Jean-Francois Dockes";
 #endif
 /*
  *   This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify
@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@ bool startHelpBrowser(const string &iurl)
 {
     string url;
     if (iurl.empty()) {
-	url = path_cat(recoll_datadir, "doc");
+	url = path_cat(rclconfig->getDatadir(), "doc");
 	url = path_cat(url, "usermanual.html");
 	url = string("file://") + url;
     } else
diff --git a/src/qtgui/main.cpp b/src/qtgui/main.cpp
index cec336ab..e89bd3c2 100644
--- a/src/qtgui/main.cpp
+++ b/src/qtgui/main.cpp
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 #ifndef lint
-static char rcsid[] = "@(#$Id: main.cpp,v 1.70 2008-09-30 12:38:29 dockes Exp $ (C) 2005 J.F.Dockes";
+static char rcsid[] = "@(#$Id: main.cpp,v 1.71 2008-11-24 15:23:12 dockes Exp $ (C) 2005 J.F.Dockes";
 #endif
 /*
  *   This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify
@@ -73,8 +73,6 @@ static KCmdLineOptions options[] =
 };
 #endif
 
-const string recoll_datadir = RECOLL_DATADIR;
-
 RclConfig *rclconfig;
 Rcl::Db *rcldb;
 #ifdef RCL_USE_ASPELL
@@ -237,8 +235,18 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv)
     qt.load( QString( "qt_" ) + QTextCodec::locale(), "." );
     app.installTranslator( &qt );
 
+    string reason;
+    rclconfig = recollinit(recollCleanup, sigcleanup, reason, &a_config);
+    if (!rclconfig || !rclconfig->ok()) {
+	QString msg = "Configuration problem: ";
+	msg += QString::fromUtf8(reason.c_str());
+	QMessageBox::critical(0, "Recoll",  msg);
+	exit(1);
+    }
+    //    fprintf(stderr, "recollinit done\n");
+
     // Translations for Recoll
-    string translatdir = path_cat(recoll_datadir, "translations");
+    string translatdir = path_cat(rclconfig->getDatadir(), "translations");
     QTranslator translator( 0 );
     // QTextCodec::locale() returns $LANG
     translator.load( QString("recoll_") + QTextCodec::locale(), 
@@ -247,16 +255,6 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv)
 
     //    fprintf(stderr, "Translations installed\n");
 
-    string reason;
-    rclconfig = recollinit(recollCleanup, sigcleanup, reason, &a_config);
-    if (!rclconfig || !rclconfig->ok()) {
-	QString msg = app.translate("Main", "Configuration problem: ");
-	msg += QString::fromUtf8(reason.c_str());
-	QMessageBox::critical(0, "Recoll",  msg);
-	exit(1);
-    }
-    //    fprintf(stderr, "recollinit done\n");
-
 #ifdef RCL_USE_ASPELL
     aspell = new Aspell(rclconfig);
     aspell->init(reason);
diff --git a/src/qtgui/recoll.h b/src/qtgui/recoll.h
index 8be10f3b..fcd9166f 100644
--- a/src/qtgui/recoll.h
+++ b/src/qtgui/recoll.h
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@
  */
 #ifndef _RECOLL_H_INCLUDED_
 #define _RECOLL_H_INCLUDED_
-/* @(#$Id: recoll.h,v 1.18 2007-11-21 14:15:48 dockes Exp $  (C) 2004 J.F.Dockes */
+/* @(#$Id: recoll.h,v 1.19 2008-11-24 15:23:12 dockes Exp $  (C) 2004 J.F.Dockes */
 #include <string>
 
 #include "rclconfig.h"
@@ -33,7 +33,6 @@ extern RclConfig *rclconfig;
 extern Rcl::Db *rcldb;
 extern int recollNeedsExit;
 extern int startIndexingAfterConfig; // 1st startup
-extern const std::string recoll_datadir;
 extern RclHistory *g_dynconf;
 #ifdef RCL_USE_ASPELL
 class Aspell;