diff --git a/.gitmodules b/.gitmodules
index ae8340b..7430100 100644
--- a/.gitmodules
+++ b/.gitmodules
@@ -4,3 +4,6 @@
 [submodule "autojump"]
 	path = autojump
 	url = git://github.com/joelthelion/autojump.git
+[submodule "dircolors-solarized"]
+	path = dircolors-solarized
+	url = git://github.com/seebi/dircolors-solarized.git
diff --git a/README b/README
index 22386cb..f35b380 100644
--- a/README
+++ b/README
@@ -3,21 +3,18 @@
 
 Due to many requests I share my zsh configuration compilation.
 Copy the repository to ~/.zsh and run 'make install' once
-(or link the ~/.zsh/zshrc manually to ~/.zshrc)
+(or link the ~/.config/zsh/zshrc manually to ~/.zshrc)
 
 ### File description
-~/.zsh/README      - This file
-~/.zsh/Makefile    - make-config to run with 'make install'
-~/.zsh/aliases     - alias definitions which can be edited/modified with 'aedit'
-~/.zsh/completion  - tab completion configuration
-~/.zsh/functions   - functions and key bindings to that functions
-~/.zsh/options     - shell options as history size, general keyindings, etc
-~/.zsh/prompt      - the prompt definition
-~/.zsh/zshrc       - the main RC file (will be linked to ~/.zshrc)
+$ZSH_CONFIG/README      - This file
+$ZSH_CONFIG/Makefile    - make-config to run with 'make install'
+$ZSH_CONFIG/aliases     - alias definitions which can be edited/modified with 'aedit'
+$ZSH_CONFIG/completion  - tab completion configuration
+$ZSH_CONFIG/functions   - functions and key bindings to that functions
+$ZSH_CONFIG/options     - shell options as history size, general keyindings, etc
+$ZSH_CONFIG/prompt      - the prompt definition
+$ZSH_CONFIG/zshrc       - the main RC file (will be linked to ~/.zshrc)
 
 ### These files are not in the repository but will be created
-~/.zsh/history     - the history file (shared for all zsh instances)
-~/.zsh/private     - private commands/aliases etc. (included at the end)
-                     this should also include definitions for
-                     EDITOR, PAGER, cdpath, fpath etc.
+$ZSH_CACHE/history     - the history file (shared for all zsh instances)
 
diff --git a/aliases.zsh b/aliases.zsh
index 05b5c73..6d4f397 100644
--- a/aliases.zsh
+++ b/aliases.zsh
@@ -22,9 +22,9 @@ alias j=' j'
 # default ls is untouched, except coloring
 alias ls=' ls --color=auto'
 alias myls=' ls -C -F -h --color=always'
-alias l=" myls"
+alias l=" myls -l"
 alias ll=' myls -l'
-alias la=' myls -A'
+alias la=' myls -lA'
 alias v=" clear; ll -gh"    # standard directory view
 alias vs=" v **/*(.)"         # show all files in all subdirs plain in a list
 
diff --git a/completion.zsh b/completion.zsh
index 2502be8..baa0681 100644
--- a/completion.zsh
+++ b/completion.zsh
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@
 
 # add an autoload function path, if directory exists
 # http://www.zsh.org/mla/users/2002/msg00232.html
-functionsd="$HOME/.zsh/functions.d"
+functionsd="$ZSH_CONFIG/functions.d"
 if [[ -d "$functionsd" ]] {
     fpath=( $functionsd $fpath )
     autoload -U $functionsd/*(:t)
@@ -63,7 +63,7 @@ zstyle ':completion:*' matcher-list 'r:|[._-]=* r:|=*' 'l:|=* r:|=*'
 
 # caching of completion stuff
 zstyle ':completion:*' use-cache on
-zstyle ':completion:*' cache-path "${HOME}/.zsh/${HOST}-cache"
+zstyle ':completion:*' cache-path "$ZSH_CACHE"
 
 
 # ~dirs: reorder output sorting: named dirs over userdirs
diff --git a/darwin.zsh b/darwin.zsh
index ce01dd1..8d7a79a 100644
--- a/darwin.zsh
+++ b/darwin.zsh
@@ -18,9 +18,10 @@ export LSCOLORS="gxfxcxdxbxegedabagacad"
 export FPATH=/usr/local/share/zsh-completions:$FPATH
 
 # activate gls colors
-if [[ -a $HOME/.dir_colors ]]; then
+export ZSH_DIRCOLORS="$ZSH_CONFIG/dircolors-solarized/dircolors.256dark"
+if [[ -a $ZSH_DIRCOLORS ]]; then
     if [[ "$TERM" == *256* ]]; then
-        which gdircolors > /dev/null && eval "`gdircolors -b $HOME/.dir_colors`"
+        which gdircolors > /dev/null && eval "`gdircolors -b $ZSH_DIRCOLORS`"
     else
         # standard colors for non-256-color terms
         which gdircolors > /dev/null && eval "`gdircolors -b`"
diff --git a/dircolors-solarized b/dircolors-solarized
new file mode 160000
index 0000000..82342cd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/dircolors-solarized
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+Subproject commit 82342cd0ceb221d562e5107a7f53094aac098ea1
diff --git a/linux.zsh b/linux.zsh
index a854d3e..9484965 100644
--- a/linux.zsh
+++ b/linux.zsh
@@ -1,8 +1,9 @@
 
 # activate ls colors, (private if possible)
-if [[ -a $HOME/.dir_colors ]]; then
+export ZSH_DIRCOLORS="$ZSH_CONFIG/dircolors-solarized/dircolors.256dark"
+if [[ -a $ZSH_DIRCOLORS ]]; then
     if [[ "$TERM" == *256* ]]; then
-        which dircolors > /dev/null && eval "`dircolors -b $HOME/.dir_colors`"
+        which dircolors > /dev/null && eval "`dircolors -b $ZSH_DIRCOLORS`"
     else
         # standard colors for non-256-color terms
         which dircolors > /dev/null && eval "`dircolors -b`"
diff --git a/options.zsh b/options.zsh
index 37e45fd..b7efa5e 100644
--- a/options.zsh
+++ b/options.zsh
@@ -25,9 +25,9 @@ bindkey '^[[B' down-line-or-search
 # History Settings (big history for use with many open shells and no dups)
 # Different History files for root and standard user
 if (( ! EUID )); then
-    HISTFILE=~/.zsh/history_root
+    HISTFILE=$ZSH_CACHE/history_root
 else
-    HISTFILE=~/.zsh/history
+    HISTFILE=$ZSH_CACHE/history
 fi
 SAVEHIST=10000
 HISTSIZE=12000
diff --git a/zshrc b/zshrc
index 11c755e..6fdfa0c 100644
--- a/zshrc
+++ b/zshrc
@@ -4,37 +4,38 @@
 # the main RC file (will be linked to ~/.zshrc)
 #
 
+export XDG_CONFIG_HOME="$HOME/.config"
+export XDG_CACHE_HOME="$HOME/.cache"
+export ZSH_CONFIG="$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/zsh"
+export ZSH_CACHE="$XDG_CACHE_HOME/zsh"
+mkdir -p $ZSH_CACHE
+
 typeset -ga sources
-#sources+="$HOME/.zsh/colors.zsh" # maybe we do not need this anymore
-sources+="$HOME/.zsh/options.zsh"
-sources+="$HOME/.zsh/prompt.zsh"
-sources+="$HOME/.zsh/functions.zsh"
-sources+="$HOME/.zsh/aliases.zsh"
+sources+="$ZSH_CONFIG/options.zsh"
+sources+="$ZSH_CONFIG/prompt.zsh"
+sources+="$ZSH_CONFIG/functions.zsh"
+sources+="$ZSH_CONFIG/aliases.zsh"
 
 # highlights the live command line
 # Cloned From: git://github.com/nicoulaj/zsh-syntax-highlighting.git
-sources+="$HOME/.zsh/zsh-syntax-highlighting/zsh-syntax-highlighting.zsh"
+sources+="$ZSH_CONFIG/zsh-syntax-highlighting/zsh-syntax-highlighting.zsh"
 
 # provides the package name of a non existing executable
 # (sudo apt-get install command-not-found)
 sources+="/etc/zsh_command_not_found"
 
-# Bash and Zsh completion support for git-flow
-# https://github.com/bobthecow/git-flow-completion
-sources+="$HOME/.zsh/git-flow-completion/git-flow-completion.zsh"
-
 # Autojump: a cd command that learns
 # Cloned From: git://github.com/joelthelion/autojump.git
-sources+="$HOME/.zsh/autojump/autojump.zsh"
+sources+="$ZSH_CONFIG/autojump/autojump.zsh"
 
 # Check for a system specific file
 systemFile=`uname -s | tr "[:upper:]" "[:lower:]"`
-sources+="$HOME/.zsh/$systemFile.zsh"
+sources+="$ZSH_CONFIG/$systemFile.zsh"
 
 # Finally include the private.zsh file
-sources+="$HOME/.zsh/private.zsh"
+sources+="$ZSH_CONFIG/private.zsh"
 
-sources+="$HOME/.zsh/completion.zsh"
+sources+="$ZSH_CONFIG/completion.zsh"
 
 # try to include all sources
 foreach file (`echo $sources`)