diff --git a/CONTRIBUTORS b/CONTRIBUTORS
index c064eeec..6264b314 100644
--- a/CONTRIBUTORS
+++ b/CONTRIBUTORS
@@ -1057,9 +1057,11 @@ Jon Burgess <mplayer@jburgess.uklinux.net>
  for reporting a bug in handling the '.update' file in case the video directory is
  not at the default location
 
-Thomas Schmidt <thomas.schmidt@in.stud.tu-ilmenau.de>
+Thomas Schmidt <tschmidt@debian.org>
  for reporting a crash when canceling a newly created timer
  for making 'diseqc.conf' a required file only if Setup.DiSEqC is activated
+ for making VDR use the default configuration directory as defined in the CONFDIR
+ varable in the Makefile
 
 Michael Walle <michael.walle@web.de>
  for reporting a bug in channel switching after Left/Right has been pressed
diff --git a/HISTORY b/HISTORY
index 6fbced45..057b7ad2 100644
--- a/HISTORY
+++ b/HISTORY
@@ -5380,7 +5380,7 @@ Video Disk Recorder Revision History
   name of the plugin. The "newplugin" script has been changed accordingly, and
   plugin authors should change their Makefiles, too.
 
-2007-08-24: Version 1.5.9
+2007-08-25: Version 1.5.9
 
 - Fixed handling locale directories with a large number of entries (thanks to
   Anssi Hannula).
@@ -5399,3 +5399,5 @@ Video Disk Recorder Revision History
 - Added the new i18n macro trVDR(), which can be used by plugins to mark
   texts they want to reuse from VDR's core translations (suggested by Matthias
   Becker).
+- VDR now uses the default configuration directory as defined in the CONFDIR
+  varable in the Makefile (thanks to Thomas Schmidt).
diff --git a/Make.config.template b/Make.config.template
index 602a1e1b..ace2b1c8 100644
--- a/Make.config.template
+++ b/Make.config.template
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@
 # See the main source file 'vdr.c' for copyright information and
 # how to reach the author.
 #
-# $Id: Make.config.template 1.14 2007/08/24 13:23:04 kls Exp $
+# $Id: Make.config.template 1.15 2007/08/25 08:53:45 kls Exp $
 
 ### The C compiler and options:
 
@@ -31,6 +31,7 @@ LOCDIR   = ./locale
 PLUGINDIR= ./PLUGINS
 PLUGINLIBDIR= $(PLUGINDIR)/lib
 VIDEODIR = /video
+CONFDIR  = $(VIDEODIR)
 
 ### The remote control:
 
diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index e12ebae5..294ca788 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
 # See the main source file 'vdr.c' for copyright information and
 # how to reach the author.
 #
-# $Id: Makefile 1.105 2007/08/24 13:22:25 kls Exp $
+# $Id: Makefile 1.106 2007/08/25 08:52:17 kls Exp $
 
 .DELETE_ON_ERROR:
 
@@ -61,6 +61,7 @@ DEFINES += -DLIRC_DEVICE=\"$(LIRC_DEVICE)\" -DRCU_DEVICE=\"$(RCU_DEVICE)\"
 DEFINES += -D_GNU_SOURCE
 
 DEFINES += -DVIDEODIR=\"$(VIDEODIR)\"
+DEFINES += -DCONFDIR=\"$(CONFDIR)\"
 DEFINES += -DPLUGINDIR=\"$(PLUGINLIBDIR)\"
 DEFINES += -DLOCDIR=\"$(LOCDIR)\"
 
diff --git a/vdr.c b/vdr.c
index 0f9cf5f9..81ae6ecb 100644
--- a/vdr.c
+++ b/vdr.c
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@
  *
  * The project's page is at http://www.cadsoft.de/vdr
  *
- * $Id: vdr.c 1.298 2007/08/18 13:03:46 kls Exp $
+ * $Id: vdr.c 1.299 2007/08/25 08:51:13 kls Exp $
  */
 
 #include <getopt.h>
@@ -536,7 +536,7 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[])
   // Configuration data:
 
   if (!ConfigDirectory)
-     ConfigDirectory = VideoDirectory;
+     ConfigDirectory = CONFDIR;
 
   cPlugin::SetConfigDirectory(ConfigDirectory);
   cThemes::SetThemesDirectory(AddDirectory(ConfigDirectory, "themes"));