diff -uNr a/popper_config.py b/popper_config.py
--- a/popper_config.py	2010-12-03 23:58:31.126132000 +0800
+++ b/popper_config.py	2010-12-04 01:33:07.209999955 +0800
@@ -394,7 +394,7 @@
 		start, end = self.filter_text.get_bounds()
 		cfg.set('filter', 'filter_text', self.filter_text.get_text(start, end))
 
-		cfg_file = user_folder + ".popper/popper.cfg"					# folder: /home/user/.popper/popper.cfg
+		cfg_file = os.path.join(popper_configdir, "popper.cfg")			# folder: $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/popper/popper.cfg
 		with open(cfg_file, 'wb') as configfile: cfg.write(configfile)
 
 		headline = self.headline.get_text()								# always write headline..
@@ -639,7 +639,7 @@
 		dialog = gtk.FileChooserDialog("Open..", None, \
 			gtk.FILE_CHOOSER_ACTION_OPEN, (gtk.STOCK_CANCEL, \
 			gtk.RESPONSE_CANCEL, gtk.STOCK_OPEN, gtk.RESPONSE_OK))		# create file dialog
-		dialog.set_current_folder(user_folder + ".popper")				# set default folder
+		dialog.set_current_folder(os.path.expanduser("~"))				# set default folder
 		dialog.set_default_response(gtk.RESPONSE_OK)					# set default button to OK
 		response = dialog.run()											# show file dialog
 		if response == gtk.RESPONSE_OK:									# if OK clicked
@@ -816,7 +816,7 @@
 
 def read_config():														# read config file or create it
 	cfg = ConfigParser.RawConfigParser()
-	cfg_file = user_folder + ".popper/popper.cfg"						# folder: /home/user/.popper/popper.cfg
+	cfg_file = os.path.join(popper_configdir, "popper.cfg")				# folder: $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/popper/popper.cfg
 	if not os.path.exists(cfg_file):									# create a fresh config file
 		cfg.add_section('general')
 		cfg.set('general', 'autostart', 1)
@@ -919,7 +919,7 @@
 
 def update_desktop_file(headline):
 	desktop_content = "[Desktop Entry]\nEncoding=UTF-8\nName=%s\nIcon=applications-email-panel\nType=Application\nCategories=Network;\nExec=popper.py\nStartupNotify=false\nTerminal=false" % headline
-	desktop_file = user_folder + ".popper/popper.desktop"				# folder: /home/user/.popper/popper.desktop
+	desktop_file = os.path.join(popper_configdir, "popper.desktop")		# folder: #XDG_CONFIG_HOME/popper/popper.desktop
 	f = open(desktop_file,'w')
 	f.write(desktop_content)
 	f.close()
@@ -928,8 +928,8 @@
 # Autostart ============================================================
 
 def create_autostart():
-	curdir = os.getcwd()												# get working directory
-	exec_file = os.path.join(curdir, "popper.sh")						# path of the shell script to start popper.py
+	curdir = os.getcwd()													# get working directory
+	exec_file = os.path.join(curdir, "popper.sh")							# path of the shell script to start popper.py
 
 	content = "\n" + \
 	"[Desktop Entry]\n" + \
@@ -941,26 +941,26 @@
 	"Name=Popper\n" + \
 	"Comment=Email notifier for the indicator menu"
 
-	autostart_folder = "%s/.config/autostart/" % (user_folder)
+	autostart_folder = os.path.join(xdg_configdir, "autostart")
 	if not os.path.exists(autostart_folder):
-		os.popen("mkdir -p " + autostart_folder)
-	autostart_file = autostart_folder + "popper.sh.desktop"
+		os.makedirs(autostart_folder, 0700)
+	autostart_file = os.path.join(autostart_folder, "popper.sh.desktop")
 	f = open(autostart_file, 'w')
 	f.write(content)													# create it
 	f.close()
 
 
 def delete_autostart():
-	autostart_folder = "%s/.config/autostart/" % (user_folder)
-	autostart_file = autostart_folder + "popper.sh.desktop"
+	autostart_folder = os.path.join(xdg_configdir, "autostart")
+	autostart_file = os.path.join(autostart_folder, "popper.sh.desktop")
 	if os.path.exists(autostart_file):
-		os.popen("rm " + autostart_file)								# delete it
+		os.remove(autostart_file)										# delete it
 
 
 # Main =================================================================
 
 def main():
-	global cfg, user_folder, keyring, VERSION
+	global cfg, xdg_configdir, popper_configdir, keyring, VERSION
 	VERSION = "0.24"
 
 	try:
@@ -972,10 +972,10 @@
 	gettext.textdomain('popper_config')
 	_ = gettext.gettext
 
-	user_folder = "/home/%s/" % (os.popen("whoami").read()[:-1])		# folder: /home/user/
-	popper_folder = user_folder + ".popper"								# folder: /home/user/.popper
-	if not os.path.exists(popper_folder):
-		os.popen("mkdir -p " + popper_folder)							# create: "/home/user/.popper" if not exists
+	xdg_configdir = glib.get_user_config_dir()							# folder: $XDG_CONFIG_HOME
+	popper_configdir = os.path.join(xdg_configdir, "popper")				# folder: $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/popper
+	if not os.path.exists(popper_configdir):
+		os.makedirs(popper_configdir, 0700)								# create: "$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/popper" if not exists
 
 	cfg = read_config()													# get configurations
 	keyring = Keyring()
diff -uNr a/popper_config.sh b/popper_config.sh
--- a/popper_config.sh	2010-12-03 23:58:31.126132000 +0800
+++ b/popper_config.sh	2010-12-04 02:33:31.317999949 +0800
@@ -1,17 +1,21 @@
 #!/bin/bash
-if [ ! -d ~/.popper ]; then
-	mkdir ~/.popper
-fi
-if [ -f ~/.popper/popper_config.log ]; then
-	rm ~/.popper/popper_config.log
-fi
+
+[ ! "$XDG_CONFIG_HOME" ] && XDG_CONGIF_HOME=~/.config
+[ ! "$XDG_CACHE_HOME" ] && XDG_CACHE_HOME=~/.cache
+popper_configdir="$XDG_CONFIG_HOME"/popper
+popper_cachedir="$XDG_CACHE_HOME"/popper
+
+popper_log="$popper_cachedir"/popper_config.log
+popper_config_log="$popper_cachedir"/popper.log
+popper_pid="$popper_configdir"/popper.pid
+
+mkdir -p "$popper_configdir"
+mkdir -p "$popper_cachedir"
 cd `dirname $0`
-python popper_config.py >> ~/.popper/popper_config.log 2>&1
-# Restart Popper.py
-if [ -f ~/.popper/popper.pid ]; then
-	kill $(cat ~/.popper/popper.pid)
-fi
-if [ -f ~/.popper/popper.log ]; then
-	rm ~/.popper/popper.log
+python popper_config.py > "$popper_config_log" 2>&1
+
+# Restart Popper.py and log if popper.py is running and runned by popper.sh
+if [ -e "$popper_pid" ] && [ -e "$popper_log" ]; then
+	kill $(cat "$popper_pid")
+	python popper.py > "$popper_log" 2>&1
 fi
-python popper.py >> ~/.popper/popper.log 2>&1
diff -uNr a/popper.py b/popper.py
--- a/popper.py	2010-12-03 23:58:31.126132000 +0800
+++ b/popper.py	2010-12-04 01:34:21.851999979 +0800
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@
 import pynotify
 import indicate
 import gobject
-import gtk
+import gtk, glib
 import time
 import email
 from email.header import decode_header
@@ -380,14 +380,14 @@
 
 
 def write_pid():														# write Popper's process id to file
-	pid_file = user_path + 'popper.pid'
+	pid_file = os.path.join(popper_configdir, 'popper.pid')
 	f = open(pid_file, 'w')
 	f.write(str(os.getpid()))											# get PID and write to file
 	f.close()
 
 
 def delete_pid():														# delete file popper.pid
-	pid_file = user_path + 'popper.pid'
+	pid_file = os.path.join(popper_configdir, 'popper.pid')
 	if os.path.exists(pid_file):
 		os.popen("rm " + pid_file)										# delete it
 
@@ -414,7 +414,7 @@
 		self.limit = 7													# max. indicator menu entries
 		self.messages = []												# empty message list
 		self.reminder = Reminder()										# create Reminder object
-		desktop_file = os.path.join(user_path, "popper.desktop")		# path of the desktop file
+		desktop_file = os.path.join(popper_configdir, "popper.desktop")	# path of the desktop file
 		self.server = indicate.indicate_server_ref_default()			# create indicator server
 		self.server.set_type("message.mail")
 		self.server.set_desktop_file(desktop_file)
@@ -848,7 +848,7 @@
 
 	def load(self):														# load last known messages from popper.dat
 		remember = cfg.get('indicate', 'remember')
-		dat_file = user_path + 'popper.dat'
+		dat_file = os.path.join(popper_configdir, 'popper.dat')
 		we_have_a_file = os.path.exists(dat_file)						# check if file exists
 		if remember == '1' and we_have_a_file:
 			f = open(dat_file, 'r')										# open file again
@@ -863,7 +863,7 @@
 
 
 	def save(self, mail_list):											# save mail ids to file
-		dat_file = user_path + 'popper.dat'
+		dat_file = os.path.join(popper_configdir, 'popper.dat')
 		f = open(dat_file, 'w')											# open the file for overwrite
 		for m in mail_list:
 			try:
@@ -904,7 +904,7 @@
 
 # Main =================================================================
 def main():
-	global cfg, user_path, mailserver, indicator, autostarted, firstcheck
+	global cfg, popper_configdir, mailserver, indicator, autostarted, firstcheck
 
 	try:																# Internationalization
 		locale.setlocale(locale.LC_ALL, '')								# locale language, e.g.: de_CH.utf8
@@ -914,14 +914,14 @@
 	gettext.bindtextdomain('popper', 'locale')
 	gettext.textdomain('popper')
 
-	user_path = "/home/%s/.popper/" % (os.popen("whoami").read()[:-1])	# set path to: "/home/user/.popper/"
+	popper_configdir = os.path.join(glib.get_user_config_dir(), "popper")		# set path to: "$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/popper/"
 	autostarted = False													# default setting for command line argument
 	cmdline = sys.argv													# get command line arguments
 	if len(cmdline) > 1:												# do we have something in command line?
 		if cmdline[1] == 'autostarted':
 			autostarted = True
 	write_pid()															# write Popper's process id to file
-	cfg = read_config(user_path + 'popper.cfg')							# get configuration from file
+	cfg = read_config(os.path.join(popper_configdir, 'popper.cfg'))		# get configuration from file
 
 	mailserver = MailServer()											# create MailServer object
 	if mailserver.keyring_was_locked: firstcheck = False				# required for correct sortorder in indi menu
diff -uNr a/popper.sh b/popper.sh
--- a/popper.sh	2010-12-03 23:58:31.126132000 +0800
+++ b/popper.sh	2010-12-04 02:29:08.954999949 +0800
@@ -1,7 +1,10 @@
 #!/bin/bash
-if [ -f ~/.popper/popper.log ]; then
-	rm ~/.popper/popper.log
-fi
+
+[ ! "$XDG_CACHE_HOME" ] && XDG_CACHE_HOME=~/.cache
+popper_cachedir="$XDG_CACHE_HOME"/popper
+popper_log="$popper_cachedir"/popper.log
+
+mkdir -p "$popper_cachedir"
 cd `dirname $0`
-python popper.py autostarted >> ~/.popper/popper.log 2>&1
+python popper.py autostarted > "$popper_log" 2>&1