diff --git a/src/mu-log.c b/src/mu-log.c
index 7b341210..3f660758 100644
--- a/src/mu-log.c
+++ b/src/mu-log.c
@@ -165,23 +165,14 @@ log_file_backup_maybe (const char *logfile)
 
 
 gboolean
-mu_log_init  (const char* muhome,
-	      gboolean backup, gboolean quiet, gboolean debug)
+mu_log_init (const char* logfile, gboolean backup,
+	     gboolean quiet, gboolean debug)
 {
 	int fd;
-	gchar *logfile;
 	
 	/* only init once... */
 	g_return_val_if_fail (!MU_LOG, FALSE);	
-	g_return_val_if_fail (muhome, FALSE);
-
-	if (!mu_util_create_dir_maybe(muhome, 0700)) {
-		g_warning ("failed to init log in %s", muhome);
-		return FALSE;
-	}
-	
-	logfile = g_strdup_printf ("%s%c%s", muhome,
-				   G_DIR_SEPARATOR, MU_LOG_FILE);
+	g_return_val_if_fail (logfile, FALSE);
 
 	if (backup && !log_file_backup_maybe(logfile)) {
 		g_warning ("failed to backup log file");
@@ -192,7 +183,6 @@ mu_log_init  (const char* muhome,
 	if (fd < 0) 
 		g_warning ("%s: open() of '%s' failed: %s",  __FUNCTION__,
 			   logfile, strerror(errno));
-	g_free (logfile);
 	
 	if (fd < 0 || !mu_log_init_with_fd (fd, FALSE, quiet, debug)) {
 		try_close (fd);
diff --git a/src/mu-log.h b/src/mu-log.h
index 7db55c83..661b3529 100644
--- a/src/mu-log.h
+++ b/src/mu-log.h
@@ -31,7 +31,8 @@ G_BEGIN_DECLS
 /**
  * write logging information to a log file
  * 
- * @param muhome the mu home directory
+ * @param full path to the log file (does not have to exist yet, but
+ * it's directory must)
  * @param backup if TRUE and size of log file > MU_MAX_LOG_FILE_SIZE, move
  * the log file to <log file>.old and start a new one. The .old file will overwrite
  * existing files of that name
@@ -40,7 +41,7 @@ G_BEGIN_DECLS
  * 
  * @return TRUE if initialization succeeds, FALSE otherwise
  */
-gboolean mu_log_init  (const char* muhome, gboolean backup,
+gboolean mu_log_init  (const char *logfile, gboolean backup,
 		       gboolean quiet, gboolean debug)
 	   G_GNUC_WARN_UNUSED_RESULT;
 
diff --git a/src/mu-runtime.c b/src/mu-runtime.c
index 5abd24b1..ff3204b3 100644
--- a/src/mu-runtime.c
+++ b/src/mu-runtime.c
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-/* -*- Mode: C; tab-width: 8; indent-tabs-mode: t; c-basic-offset: 8 -*-
+/* -*- mode: c; tab-width: 8; indent-tabs-mode: t; c-basic-offset: 8 -*-
 **
 ** Copyright (C) 2010 Dirk-Jan C. Binnema <djcb@djcbsoftware.nl>
 **
@@ -42,6 +42,7 @@
 struct _MuRuntimeData {
 	gchar            *_str[MU_RUNTIME_PATH_NUM];
 	MuConfig	 *_config;
+	gchar            *_name; /* e.g., 'mu', 'mug' */
 };
 typedef struct _MuRuntimeData	 MuRuntimeData;
 
@@ -49,8 +50,10 @@ typedef struct _MuRuntimeData	 MuRuntimeData;
 static gboolean		 _initialized = FALSE;
 static MuRuntimeData	*_data	      = NULL;
 
-static void     runtime_free (void);
-static gboolean init_paths (const char* muhome, MuRuntimeData *data);
+static void        runtime_free (void);
+static gboolean    init_paths (const char* muhome, MuRuntimeData *data);
+static const char* runtime_path (MuRuntimePath path);
+
 
 static gboolean
 mu_dir_is_readable_and_writable (const char *muhome)
@@ -64,14 +67,38 @@ mu_dir_is_readable_and_writable (const char *muhome)
 	return FALSE;
 }
 
+static gboolean
+init_log (const char *muhome, const char *name,
+	  gboolean log_stderr, gboolean quiet, gboolean debug)
+{
+	gboolean rv;
+	char *logpath;
+	
+	if (log_stderr)
+		return mu_log_init_with_fd (fileno(stderr), FALSE,
+					    quiet, debug);
+
+	logpath = g_strdup_printf ("%s%c%s%c%s.log",
+				   muhome, G_DIR_SEPARATOR,
+				   MU_LOG_DIRNAME, G_DIR_SEPARATOR,
+				   name);
+	rv = mu_log_init (logpath, TRUE, quiet, debug);
+	g_free (logpath);
+
+	return rv;
+}
+
+
+
 
 gboolean
-mu_runtime_init (const char* muhome_arg)
+mu_runtime_init (const char* muhome_arg, const char *name)
 {
 	gchar *muhome;
 
 	g_return_val_if_fail (!_initialized, FALSE);
-
+	g_return_val_if_fail (name, FALSE);
+	
 	if (!mu_util_init_system())
 		return FALSE;
 	
@@ -85,35 +112,28 @@ mu_runtime_init (const char* muhome_arg)
 		return FALSE;
 	}
 	
-	if (!mu_log_init (muhome, TRUE, FALSE, FALSE)) {
+	_data = g_new0 (MuRuntimeData, 1);
+ 	_data->_str[MU_RUNTIME_PATH_MUHOME] = muhome;
+	init_paths (muhome, _data);
+	_data->_name = g_strdup (name);
+
+	if (!init_log (muhome, name, FALSE, FALSE, FALSE)) {
+		runtime_free ();
 		g_free (muhome);
 		return FALSE;
 	}
 	
-	_data = g_new0 (MuRuntimeData, 1);
- 	_data->_str[MU_RUNTIME_PATH_MUHOME] = muhome;
-	init_paths (muhome, _data);
-
 	return _initialized = TRUE;
 }
 
 
-static gboolean
-init_log (MuConfig *opts)
-{
-	if (opts->log_stderr)
-		return mu_log_init_with_fd (fileno(stderr), FALSE,
-					  opts->quiet, opts->debug);
-	else 
-		return mu_log_init (opts->muhome, TRUE, opts->quiet,
-				    opts->debug);
-}
 
 gboolean
-mu_runtime_init_from_cmdline (int *pargc, char ***pargv)
+mu_runtime_init_from_cmdline (int *pargc, char ***pargv, const char *name)
 {
-	g_return_val_if_fail (!_initialized, FALSE);
-
+	g_return_val_if_fail (!_initialized, FALSE);	
+	g_return_val_if_fail (name, FALSE);
+	
 	if (!mu_util_init_system())
 		return FALSE;
 
@@ -129,15 +149,19 @@ mu_runtime_init_from_cmdline (int *pargc, char ***pargv)
 		return FALSE;
 	}
 
-	if (!init_log (_data->_config)) {
-		runtime_free ();
-		return FALSE;
-	}
-	
+	_data->_name = g_strdup (name);
 	_data->_str[MU_RUNTIME_PATH_MUHOME] =
 		g_strdup (_data->_config->muhome);
 	init_paths (_data->_str[MU_RUNTIME_PATH_MUHOME], _data);
 	
+	if (!init_log (runtime_path(MU_RUNTIME_PATH_MUHOME), name,
+		       _data->_config->log_stderr,
+		       _data->_config->quiet,
+		       _data->_config->debug)) {
+		runtime_free ();
+		return FALSE;
+	}
+	
 	return _initialized = TRUE;
 }
 
@@ -150,6 +174,8 @@ runtime_free (void)
 	for (i = 0; i != MU_RUNTIME_PATH_NUM; ++i)
 		g_free (_data->_str[i]);
 	
+	g_free (_data->_name);
+	
 	mu_config_destroy (_data->_config);
 
 	mu_log_uninit();
@@ -208,15 +234,23 @@ init_paths (const char* muhome, MuRuntimeData *data)
 				 G_DIR_SEPARATOR, MU_CONTACTS_FILENAME);
 
 	data->_str [MU_RUNTIME_PATH_LOG] =
-		g_strdup_printf ("%s%c%s", muhome, G_DIR_SEPARATOR,
-				 MU_LOG_DIRNAME);
-
+		g_strdup_printf ("%s%c%s", muhome, 
+				 G_DIR_SEPARATOR, MU_LOG_DIRNAME);
+	
 	if (!create_dirs_maybe (data))
 		return FALSE;
-
+	
 	return TRUE;
 }
 
+/* so we can called when _initialized is FALSE still */
+static const char*
+runtime_path (MuRuntimePath path)
+{	
+	return _data->_str[path];
+}
+
+
 
 const char*
 mu_runtime_path (MuRuntimePath path)
@@ -224,7 +258,7 @@ mu_runtime_path (MuRuntimePath path)
 	g_return_val_if_fail (_initialized, NULL);
 	g_return_val_if_fail (path < MU_RUNTIME_PATH_NUM, NULL);
 	
-	return _data->_str[path];
+	return runtime_path (path);
 }
 
 MuConfig*
diff --git a/src/mu-runtime.h b/src/mu-runtime.h
index 6a635652..9c3a9421 100644
--- a/src/mu-runtime.h
+++ b/src/mu-runtime.h
@@ -29,11 +29,13 @@ G_BEGIN_DECLS
  * initialize the mu runtime system; initializes logging and other
  * systems. To uninitialize, use mu_runtime_uninit
  * 
- * @param muhome path where to find the mu home directory (typicaly, ~/.mu)
+ * @param muhome path where to find the mu home directory (typicaly, ~/.mu) 
+ * @param name of the main program, ie. 'mu', 'mug' or
+ * 'procmule'. this influences the name of the e.g. the logfile
  * 
  * @return TRUE if succeeded, FALSE in case of error
  */
-gboolean mu_runtime_init              (const char* muhome);
+gboolean mu_runtime_init (const char *muhome, const char *name);
 
 
 /**
@@ -44,10 +46,13 @@ gboolean mu_runtime_init              (const char* muhome);
  * 
  * @param ptr to the param count (typically, argc)
  * @param ptr to the params (typically, argv)
+ * @param name of the main program, ie. 'mu', 'mug' or
+ * 'procmule'. this influences the name of the e.g. the logfile
  * 
  * @return TRUE if succeeded, FALSE in case of error
  */
-gboolean mu_runtime_init_from_cmdline (int *pargc, char ***pargv);
+gboolean mu_runtime_init_from_cmdline (int *pargc, char ***pargv,
+				       const char *name);
 
 
 /**