diff --git a/Makefile.am b/Makefile.am
index 8f5df07..0a5e538 100644
--- a/Makefile.am
+++ b/Makefile.am
@@ -36,11 +36,11 @@ SUBDIRS += \
 	plugins/pyloader \
 	plugins/xmlsave
 
-# directories definition
+datarootdir = @datarootdir@
 sharedir = $(pkgdatadir)
 policiesdir = $(sharedir)/policies
 plugindir = $(sharedir)/plugins
-datarootdir = @datarootdir@
+gladedir = $(sharedir)/glade
 localedir = @datadir@/locale
 aclocaldir = @datadir@/aclocal
 
@@ -245,8 +245,11 @@ sgpemv2_CPPFLAGS = \
 		-I@top_srcdir@ \
 		-I@top_srcdir@/src/templates \
 		-DLOCALEDIR="\"$(localedir)\"" \
+		-DSHAREDIR="\"$(sharedir)\"" \
+		-DGLADEDIR="\"$(gladedir)\"" \
 		$(CAIRO_CFLAGS) \
 		$(GTKMM_CFLAGS) \
+		$(LIBGLADEMM_CFLAGS) \
 		$(PYTHON_CPPFLAGS) \
 		$(GTHREAD_CFLAGS)
 sgpemv2_CXXFLAGS = $(VISIB_HIDDEN)
@@ -255,6 +258,7 @@ sgpemv2_LDADD = \
 		src/backend/libbackend.la \
 		$(CAIRO_LIBS) \
 		$(GTKMM_LIBS) \
+		$(LIBGLADEMM_LIBS) \
 		$(GTHREAD_LIBS)
 
 # Please keep this in sorted order:
@@ -282,6 +286,11 @@ noinst_HEADERS += \
 	src/start_gui.hh \
 	src/text_simulation.hh
 
+#  ---------- glade files -----------
+
+glade_DATA = \
+	glade/main-window.glade
+
 # ############################################################
 #
 # source : templates
diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index 467e248..81a108d 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -56,6 +56,7 @@ AM_GNU_GETTEXT_VERSION([0.14.1])
 dnl various requisites
 SIGCPP_VERSION=2.0.10
 GTKMM_VERSION=2.8.0
+LIBGLADEMM_VERSION=2.6.2
 CAIRO_VERSION=1.0.0
 
 dnl c++ compiler and flags
@@ -92,6 +93,9 @@ PKG_CHECK_MODULES([GLIBMM],
 PKG_CHECK_MODULES([GTKMM], 
 		[gtkmm-2.4 >= $GTKMM_VERSION],
 		:, AC_MSG_ERROR([$GTKMM_PKG_ERRORS]))
+PKG_CHECK_MODULES([LIBGLADEMM], 
+		[libglademm-2.4 >= $LIBGLADEMM_VERSION],
+		:, AC_MSG_ERROR([$LIBGLADEMM_PKG_ERRORS]))
 
 dnl use DSO visibility tags for systems that supports it correctly
 SGPEMV2_VISIBILITY_SUPPORT
diff --git a/src/main.cc b/src/main.cc
index 6605723..d5c3197 100644
--- a/src/main.cc
+++ b/src/main.cc
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@
 #include "main.hh"
 
 #include "parse_opts.hh"
-// #include "start_gui.hh"
+#include "start_gui.hh"
 
 #include "backend/plugin_manager.hh"
 
@@ -66,5 +66,7 @@ main(int argc, char* argv[])
   // Initializes plugin system
   PluginManager::get_instance();
 
+  start_gui(argc, argv);
+
   return 0;
 }
diff --git a/src/start_gui.cc b/src/start_gui.cc
index 1088b41..d5f7a47 100644
--- a/src/start_gui.cc
+++ b/src/start_gui.cc
@@ -21,24 +21,39 @@
 #include "config.h"
 #include "gettext.h"
 
-#include "graphical_terminal_io.hh"
 #include "start_gui.hh"
-#include "smartp.tcc"
 
+#include <libglademm/xml.h>
 #include <gtkmm/main.h>
+#include <gtkmm/menuitem.h>
+#include <gtkmm/window.h>
+
+#include <cassert>
 
 void
-start_gui(int argc, char** argv, TextSimulation& txt)
+start_gui(int argc, char** argv)
 {
-  Gtk::Main gtk_main(argc, argv);
+	using namespace Gnome;
+	using namespace Gtk;
 
-  GraphicalTerminalIO* gt = new sgpem::GraphicalTerminalIO(&txt);
-  memory::smart_ptr<sgpem::IOManager> main_window(gt);
-  txt.add_io_device(main_window);
+  Main gtk_main(argc, argv);
 
-  //print the initial status on each iomanager
-  //txt.update();
+	Glib::RefPtr<Glade::Xml> refXml = 
+		Glade::Xml::create(GLADEDIR "/main-window.glade");
 
-  Gtk::Main::run(*gt);
+	Window* main_window = NULL;
+	refXml->get_widget("MainWindow", main_window);
+	assert(main_window != NULL);
+
+	// Connect extra signals (decide where to do this...
+	// here -- ugly -- derive widgets and then use
+	// Glade::Xml::get_widget_derived -- better --)
+	MenuItem* file_quit = NULL;
+	refXml->get_widget("Menu.File.Quit", file_quit);
+	file_quit->signal_activate().connect(sigc::ptr_fun(&Main::quit));
+
+	main_window->show_all_children();
+  
+  Main::run(*main_window);
 }
 
diff --git a/src/start_gui.hh b/src/start_gui.hh
index 0225e29..5bd9e54 100644
--- a/src/start_gui.hh
+++ b/src/start_gui.hh
@@ -23,13 +23,10 @@
 
 #include "config.h"
 
-#include "text_simulation.hh"
-
-
 /** \brief This function initialize and starts the whole GUI
  
 */
-void SG_DLLEXPORT start_gui(int argc, char** argv, TextSimulation& txt);
+void SG_DLLEXPORT start_gui(int argc, char** argv);
 
 #endif