diff --git a/NEWS b/NEWS
index 083e63aa..42ba35d4 100644
--- a/NEWS
+++ b/NEWS
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 <pre>
 2008-08-16:
     * version 2.0 (probably)
+    * add 'loadplugins' option
     * add count support to C-^ (Kazuo)
     * add 'eventignore' option
     * add :tabdetach command
diff --git a/content/liberator.js b/content/liberator.js
index 5fafa5f3..62537ec5 100644
--- a/content/liberator.js
+++ b/content/liberator.js
@@ -72,6 +72,10 @@ const liberator = (function () //{{{
                 }
             });
 
+        liberator.options.add(["loadplugins", "lpl"],
+            "Load plugin scripts when starting up",
+            "boolean", true);
+
         liberator.options.add(["verbose", "vbs"],
             "Define which type of messages are logged",
             "number", 0,
@@ -983,29 +987,32 @@ const liberator = (function () //{{{
                 else
                     liberator.log("No user RC file found", 3);
 
-                // also source plugins in ~/.vimperator/plugin/
-                try
+                if (liberator.options["loadplugins"])
                 {
-                    var pluginDir = liberator.io.getSpecialDirectory("plugin");
-                    if (pluginDir)
+                    // also source plugins in ~/.vimperator/plugin/
+                    try
                     {
-                        var files = liberator.io.readDirectory(pluginDir.path);
-                        liberator.log("Sourcing plugin directory...", 3);
-                        files.forEach(function (file) {
-                            if (!file.isDirectory() && /\.(js|vimp)$/i.test(file.path))
-                                liberator.io.source(file.path, false);
-                        });
+                        var pluginDir = liberator.io.getSpecialDirectory("plugin");
+                        if (pluginDir)
+                        {
+                            var files = liberator.io.readDirectory(pluginDir.path);
+                            liberator.log("Sourcing plugin directory...", 3);
+                            files.forEach(function (file) {
+                                if (!file.isDirectory() && /\.(js|vimp)$/i.test(file.path))
+                                    liberator.io.source(file.path, false);
+                            });
+                        }
+                        else
+                        {
+                            liberator.log("No user plugin directory found", 3);
+                        }
                     }
-                    else
+                    catch (e)
                     {
-                        liberator.log("No user plugin directory found", 3);
+                        // thrown if directory does not exist
+                        //liberator.log("Error sourcing plugin directory: " + e);
                     }
                 }
-                catch (e)
-                {
-                    // thrown if directory does not exist
-                    //liberator.log("Error sourcing plugin directory: " + e);
-                }
 
                 // after sourcing the initialization files, this function will set
                 // all gui options to their default values, if they have not been
diff --git a/locale/en-US/options.txt b/locale/en-US/options.txt
index 150a9507..daf89380 100644
--- a/locale/en-US/options.txt
+++ b/locale/en-US/options.txt
@@ -444,6 +444,13 @@ This includes (X)HTML elements with an "href" atrribute and XLink "simple" links
 ____
 
 
+|\'noloadplugins'| |\'loadplugins'|
+||'loadplugins'|| boolean (default on)
+____
+Load plugin scripts when starting up.
+____
+
+
 |\'nomore'| |\'more'|
 ||'more'|| boolean (default: on)
 ____
@@ -485,6 +492,7 @@ ____
 Show and set the \'work offline' behavior.
 ____
 
+
 |\'pageinfo' \'pa'|
 ||'pageinfo' 'pa'||
 charlist (default: gfm)
diff --git a/locale/en-US/starting.txt b/locale/en-US/starting.txt
index a981c607..a20e8e3b 100644
--- a/locale/en-US/starting.txt
+++ b/locale/en-US/starting.txt
@@ -17,7 +17,9 @@ The plugin directory is named:
 * Unix and Mac - [a]\~/.vimperator/plugin[a]
 * Windows - [a]\~/vimperator/plugin[a]
 
-The user's '$HOME'(~) directory is determined as follows:
+Plugins will not be sourced if 'noloadplugins' is set.
+
+The user's \'$HOME'(~) directory is determined as follows:
 
 * Unix and Mac - _$HOME_ is used.
 * Windows - if _%HOME%_ is set then this is used, otherwise _%USERPROFILE%_ or finally
diff --git a/vimperator.vim b/vimperator.vim
index db05813a..bc1fe447 100644
--- a/vimperator.vim
+++ b/vimperator.vim
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 " Vim syntax file
 " Language:         VIMperator configuration file
 " Maintainer:       Doug Kearns <dougkearns@gmail.com>
-" Last Change:      2008 Aug 28
+" Last Change:      2008 Aug 29
 
 if exists("b:current_syntax")
   finish
@@ -43,10 +43,11 @@ syn keyword vimperatorOption activate act activelinkfgcolor alfc activelinkbgcol
     \ extendedhinttags eht eventignore ei focuscontent fc nofocuscontent nofc fullscreen fs nofullscreen nofs guioptions go
     \ hintmatching hm hintstyle hs hinttags ht hinttimeout hto history hi hlsearch hls nohlsearch nohls hlsearchstyle hlss
     \ incsearch is noincsearch nois ignorecase ic noignorecase noic insertmode im noinsertmode noim laststatus ls linkbgcolor lbc
-    \ linkfgcolor lfc linksearch lks nolinksearch nolks more newtab nextpattern nomore pageinfo pa popups pps preload nopreload
-    \ previewheight pvh previouspattern online noonline scroll scr shell sh shellcmdflag shcf showmode smd noshowmode nosmd
-    \ showstatuslinks ssli showtabline stal smartcase scs nosmartcase noscs suggestengines titlestring usermode um nousermode noum
-    \ urlseparator verbose vbs visualbell vb novisualbell novb visualbellstyle wildmode wim wildoptions wop wordseparators wsp
+    \ linkfgcolor lfc linksearch lks nolinksearch nolks loadplugins noloadplugins lpl nolpl more newtab nextpattern nomore
+    \ pageinfo pa popups pps preload nopreload previewheight pvh previouspattern online noonline scroll scr shell sh shellcmdflag
+    \ shcf showmode smd noshowmode nosmd showstatuslinks ssli showtabline stal smartcase scs nosmartcase noscs suggestengines
+    \ titlestring usermode um nousermode noum urlseparator verbose vbs visualbell vb novisualbell novb visualbellstyle wildmode
+    \ wim wildoptions wop wordseparators wsp
     \ contained
 
 syn region vimperatorJavascript start="\%(^\s*\%(javascript\|js\)\s\+\)\@<=" end="$" contains=@javascriptTop keepend oneline