diff --git a/buildcache.py b/buildcache.py
index a0e7ff99..8172e388 100755
--- a/buildcache.py
+++ b/buildcache.py
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 #=======================================================================
 
 __version__ = '''0.0.01'''
-__sub_version__ = '''20130528215723'''
+__sub_version__ = '''20130613200255'''
 __copyright__ = '''(c) Alex A. Naanou 2011'''
 
 
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ CONFIG = {
 	'cache-image-name': '%(guid)s - %(name)s',
 
 	# the rest of the paths will be relative to this...
-	'cache-dir': '.ImageGridCache',
+	'cache-dir': '.ImageGrid',
 
 	'images': 'images.json',
 	'data': 'data.json',
diff --git a/ui/data.js b/ui/data.js
index 98366d7b..4f198619 100755
--- a/ui/data.js
+++ b/ui/data.js
@@ -16,7 +16,8 @@ var LOAD_SCREENS = 6
 var DEFAULT_SCREEN_IMAGES = 4
 var MAX_SCREEN_IMAGES = 12
 
-var CACHE_DIR = '.ImageGridCache'
+var CACHE_DIR = '.ImageGrid'
+var CACHE_DIR_VAR = '${CACHE_DIR}'
 
 // A stub image, also here for documentation...
 var STUB_IMAGE_DATA = {
@@ -434,6 +435,8 @@ function normalizePath(url, base, mode){
 	//mode = /^\./.test(base) && mode == null ? 'relative' : null
 	mode = mode == null ? 'absolute' : mode
 
+	res = ''
+
 	// windows path...
 	//	- replace all '\\' with '/'...
 	url = url.replace(/\\/g, '/')
@@ -447,25 +450,33 @@ function normalizePath(url, base, mode){
 		// check if we start with base, and remove it if so...
 		if(mode == 'relative' && url.substring(0, base.length) == base){
 			url = url.substring(base.length - 1)
-			return url[0] == '/' ? url.substring(1) : url
+			res = url[0] == '/' ? url.substring(1) : url
 
 		// if it's a different path, return as-is
 		} else if(mode == 'absolute'){
-			return url
+			res = url
 		}
 
 	// make an absolute path...
 	} else if(mode == 'absolute') {
 		// if base ends and url starts with '.' avoid making it a '..'
 		if(base[base.length-1] == '.' && url[0] == '.'){
-			return base + url.substring(1)
+			res = base + url.substring(1)
 		// avoid creating '//'...
 		} else if(base[base.length-1] != '/' && url[0] != '/'){
-			return base + '/' + url
+			res = base + '/' + url
 		} else {
-			return base + url
+			res = base + url
 		}
 	}
+
+	// get the actual path...
+	res = res.replace('${CACHE_DIR}', CACHE_DIR)
+
+	// XXX legacy support...
+	res = res.replace('.ImageGridCache', CACHE_DIR)
+
+	return res
 }
 
 
diff --git a/ui/files.js b/ui/files.js
index b71793de..19b4d102 100755
--- a/ui/files.js
+++ b/ui/files.js
@@ -245,7 +245,7 @@ function loadFileImages(path, no_load_diffs){
 
 	// default locations...
 	if(path == null){
-		var base = normalizePath(CACHE_DIR) 
+		var base = normalizePath(CACHE_DIR_VAR) 
 		var loader = loadLatestFile(base, 
 				IMAGES_FILE_DEFAULT, 
 				IMAGES_FILE_PATTERN, 
@@ -253,7 +253,7 @@ function loadFileImages(path, no_load_diffs){
 	
 	// explicit base dir...
 	} else if(!/\.json$/i.test(path)) {
-		var base = normalizePath(path +'/'+ CACHE_DIR) 
+		var base = normalizePath(path +'/'+ CACHE_DIR_VAR) 
 		var loader = loadLatestFile(base, 
 				IMAGES_FILE_DEFAULT, 
 				IMAGES_FILE_PATTERN, 
@@ -283,7 +283,7 @@ function loadFileImages(path, no_load_diffs){
 // NOTE: this will uses CACHE_DIR as the location if no name is given.
 function saveFileImages(name){
 	var remove_diffs = (name == null)
-	name = name == null ? normalizePath(CACHE_DIR +'/'+ Date.timeStamp()) : name
+	name = name == null ? normalizePath(CACHE_DIR_VAR +'/'+ Date.timeStamp()) : name
 
 	if(window.dumpJSON == null){
 		showErrorStatus('Can\'t save to file.')
@@ -292,11 +292,11 @@ function saveFileImages(name){
 
 	// remove the diffs...
 	if(remove_diffs){
-		$.each($.map(listDir(normalizePath(CACHE_DIR)), function(e){ 
+		$.each($.map(listDir(normalizePath(CACHE_DIR_VAR)), function(e){ 
 				return IMAGES_DIFF_FILE_PATTERN.test(e) ? e : null
 			}), function(i, e){
 				showStatusQ('removeing:', e)
-				removeFile(normalizePath(CACHE_DIR +'/'+ e))
+				removeFile(normalizePath(CACHE_DIR_VAR +'/'+ e))
 			})
 		IMAGES_UPDATED = []
 	}
@@ -312,7 +312,7 @@ function loadFileMarks(path){
 	var res = $.Deferred()
 	// default locations...
 	if(path == null){
-		var base = normalizePath(CACHE_DIR)
+		var base = normalizePath(CACHE_DIR_VAR)
 		var loader = loadLatestFile(base, 
 				MARKED_FILE_DEFAULT, 
 				MARKED_FILE_PATTERN)
@@ -322,7 +322,8 @@ function loadFileMarks(path){
 	} else {
 		path = normalizePath(path)
 		var base = path.split(CACHE_DIR)[0]
-		base += '/'+ CACHE_DIR
+		//base = normalizePath(path +'/'+ CACHE_DIR_VAR)
+		base = path +'/'+ CACHE_DIR
 
 		// XXX is this correct???
 		var loader = loadLatestFile(base, 
@@ -342,7 +343,7 @@ function loadFileMarks(path){
 
 // Save image marks to file
 function saveFileMarks(name){
-	name = name == null ? normalizePath(CACHE_DIR +'/'+ Date.timeStamp()) : name
+	name = name == null ? normalizePath(CACHE_DIR_VAR +'/'+ Date.timeStamp()) : name
 
 	dumpJSON(name + '-marked.json', MARKED)
 }
@@ -424,7 +425,7 @@ function saveFileState(name, no_normalize_path){
 	name = name == null ? Date.timeStamp() : name
 
 	if(!no_normalize_path){
-		name = normalizePath(CACHE_DIR +'/'+ name)
+		name = normalizePath(CACHE_DIR_VAR +'/'+ name)
 
 	// write .image_file only if saving data to a non-cache dir...
 	// XXX check if this is correct...
diff --git a/ui/layout.css b/ui/layout.css
index e3037b88..b75f5c69 100644
--- a/ui/layout.css
+++ b/ui/layout.css
@@ -121,21 +121,30 @@ button:hover {
   width: 100%;
   height: 100%;
 }
+.ribbon-set:empty:before,
 .ribbon-set:empty:after {
   display: block;
   position: absolute;
-  content: "No files loaded, press 'O' to load.";
+  content: "Nothing loaded...";
   top: 50%;
   left: 0px;
   width: 100%;
   height: 20px;
-  margin-top: -10px;
+  margin-top: -20px;
   text-align: center;
   vertical-align: center;
-  font-size: 20px;
+  font-size: 18px;
+  font-weight: bold;
   color: silver;
   opacity: 0.9;
 }
+.ribbon-set:empty:after {
+  content: "Press 'O' to load, 'F1' for help or '?' for keyboard mappings.";
+  margin-top: 5px;
+  font-weight: normal;
+  font-size: 16px;
+  opacity: 0.5;
+}
 /********************************************************** Ribbon ***/
 .ribbon {
   position: relative;
@@ -862,6 +871,7 @@ button:hover {
 .light.viewer .overlay-block:hover .background:after {
   color: black;
 }
+.light.viewer .ribbon-set:empty:before,
 .light.viewer .ribbon-set:empty:after {
   color: gray;
 }
diff --git a/ui/layout.less b/ui/layout.less
index 3cb8eba2..1d585499 100755
--- a/ui/layout.less
+++ b/ui/layout.less
@@ -197,24 +197,36 @@ button:hover {
 	width: 100%;
 	height: 100%;
 }
+.ribbon-set:empty:before,
 .ribbon-set:empty:after {
 	display: block;
 	position: absolute;
-	content: "No files loaded, press 'O' to load.";
+
+	content: "Nothing loaded...";
 
 	top: 50%;
 	left: 0px;
 	width: 100%;
 	height: 20px;
-	margin-top: -10px;
+	margin-top: -20px;
 
 	text-align: center;
 	vertical-align: center;
 
-	font-size: 20px;
+	font-size: 18px;
+	font-weight: bold;
 	color: silver;
 	opacity: 0.9;
 }
+.ribbon-set:empty:after {
+
+	content: "Press 'O' to load, 'F1' for help or '?' for keyboard mappings.";
+
+	margin-top: 5px;
+	font-weight: normal;
+	font-size: 16px;
+	opacity: 0.5;
+}
 
 
 
@@ -863,6 +875,7 @@ button:hover {
 .light.viewer .overlay-block:hover .background:after {
 	color: black;
 }
+.light.viewer .ribbon-set:empty:before,
 .light.viewer .ribbon-set:empty:after {
 	color: gray;
 }