diff --git a/SCinter.c b/SCinter.c
index 98ab7358..8b8138c6 100644
--- a/SCinter.c
+++ b/SCinter.c
@@ -62,9 +62,6 @@
 #include "definealias.h"
 
 
-#define MAXLEN 256
-#define MAXPAR 100
-
 /*--------------------------------------------------------------------------*/
   SicsInterp *InitInterp(void)
   {
@@ -91,10 +88,11 @@
      return pInter;
   }
 /*------------------------------------------------------------------------*/
-  int AddCommand(SicsInterp *pInterp, char *pName, ObjectFunc pFunc,
-                KillFunc pKFunc, void *pData)
+  int AddCommandWithFlag(SicsInterp *pInterp, char *pName, ObjectFunc pFunc,
+                KillFunc pKFunc, void *pData, int startupOnly)
   {
     CommandList *pNew = NULL;
+    CommandList *p, *tail;
     char pBueffel[512];
 
     assert(pName);
@@ -134,19 +132,42 @@
     pNew->OFunc = pFunc;
     pNew->KFunc = pKFunc;
     pNew->pData = pData;
-    pNew->pNext = pInterp->pCList;
+    pNew->pNext = NULL;
+    pNew->startupOnly = startupOnly;
 
-
-    if(pInterp->pCList)
+    /* find end of list */
+    tail = NULL;
+    p = pInterp->pCList;
+    while(p != NULL)
     {
-      pInterp->pCList->pPrevious = pNew;
+      tail = p;
+      p = p->pNext;
     }
-    pNew->pPrevious = NULL;
+    if (tail==NULL) { /* first entry */
+      pInterp->pCList = pNew;
+    } else { /* insert at tail */
+      tail->pNext = pNew;
+    }
+    pNew->pPrevious = tail;
     
-    /* update headpointer */
-    pInterp->pCList = pNew;
     return 1;
   }
+/*------------------------------------------------------------------------*/
+  int AddCommand(SicsInterp *pInterp, char *pName, ObjectFunc pFunc,
+                KillFunc pKFunc, void *pData)
+  {
+    return AddCommandWithFlag(pInterp, pName, pFunc, pKFunc, pData, 0);
+  }
+/*------------------------------------------------------------------------*/
+  int AddIniCmd(char *pName, ObjectFunc pFunc)
+  {
+    return AddCommandWithFlag(pServ->pSics, pName, pFunc, NULL, NULL, 1);
+  }
+/*------------------------------------------------------------------------*/
+  int AddCmd(char *pName, ObjectFunc pFunc)
+  {
+    return AddCommandWithFlag(pServ->pSics, pName, pFunc, NULL, NULL, 0);
+  }
 /*------------------------------------------------------------------------*/
  int RemoveCommand(SicsInterp *pInterp, char *pName)
  {
@@ -198,10 +219,21 @@
      return 1;
  }
 
-#define MAXLEN 256
-#define MAXCOM 50
-extern char *stptok(char  *s, char *tok, unsigned int toklen, char *brk);
-extern char *SkipSpace(char *pPtr);
+     
+/*------------------------------------------------------------------------*/
+ void RemoveStartupCommands(void)
+ {
+   CommandList *pCurrent, *pNext;
+   pCurrent = pServ->pSics->pCList;
+   while(pCurrent)
+   {
+     pNext = pCurrent->pNext;
+     if (pCurrent->startupOnly) {
+       RemoveCommand(pServ->pSics, pCurrent->pName);
+     }
+     pCurrent = pNext;
+   }
+ }
 /*------------------------------------------------------------------------*/
   int InterpExecute(SicsInterp *self,SConnection *pCon, char *pText)
   {
@@ -233,18 +265,21 @@ extern char *SkipSpace(char *pPtr);
 
    /* convert to argc, argv */
    argc = 0;
+   argv = NULL;
    Text2Arg(pText,&argc,&argv);   
  
     /* the first one must be the target object. If not given an empty
     command string was given which will be silently ignored  */
     if(argc < 1)
     {
-      return 1;
+      iRet = 1;
+      goto deleteArgv;
     }
     if(argv[0] == NULL)
     {
-       SCWrite(pCon,"ERROR: failed to parse command",eError);
-       return -1;
+      SCWrite(pCon,"ERROR: failed to parse command",eError);
+      iRet = -1;
+      goto deleteArgv;
     }
     
     /* find it */
@@ -254,8 +289,8 @@ extern char *SkipSpace(char *pPtr);
       sprintf(pBueffel,"ERROR: Object  -> %s <- NOT found",
              argv[0]);
       SCWrite(pCon,pBueffel,eError);
-      return -1;
-
+      iRet = -1;
+      goto deleteArgv;
     }
 
     
@@ -266,16 +301,18 @@ extern char *SkipSpace(char *pPtr);
     iRet = pCommand->OFunc(pCon, self, pCommand->pData, argc, argv);
     MacroPop();
 
-    /* delete argv */
-    for(i = 0; i < argc; i++)
-    {
-       if(argv[i] != NULL)
-       {
-         free(argv[i]);
-       }
+  deleteArgv:
+    if (argv) {
+      /* delete argv */
+      for(i = 0; i < argc; i++)
+      {
+        if(argv[i] != NULL)
+        {
+          free(argv[i]);
+        }
+      }
+      free(argv);
     }
-    free(argv);
-
     return iRet;
   }
 /*------------------------------------------------------------------------*/
@@ -319,23 +356,24 @@ extern char *SkipSpace(char *pPtr);
     float fVal;
     pIDrivable pDriv = NULL;
     void *pTest = NULL;
-
+    char tmpfile[PATH_MAX];
+    int l;
+    
     assert(self);
     assert(file);
     
-    /* open file */
-    fd = fopen(file,"w");
-    if(!fd)
-    {
+    /* make sure that status file is always valid M.Z. Apr 2005 */
+    /* create a temporary file first */
+    l=strlen(file);
+    if (l >= sizeof tmpfile - 2) {
       return 0;
     }
-    /* remove it, as I found garbage from previous runs in the
-       status file 
-    */   
-    fclose(fd);
-    remove(file);
+    strcpy(tmpfile, file);
+    tmpfile[l]='.';
+    tmpfile[l+1]='\0';
+    remove(tmpfile); /* remove already existing file */
     
-    fd = fopen(file,"w");
+    fd = fopen(tmpfile,"w");
     if(!fd)
     {
       return 0;
@@ -376,11 +414,15 @@ extern char *SkipSpace(char *pPtr);
       }
       pCurrent = pCurrent->pNext;
     }
+    fclose(fd);
+    /* rename temporary to final file (this is an atomic action) */
+    if (0 > rename(tmpfile, file)) {
+      return 0;
+    }
     if(iMot)
     {
       fprintf(fd,"Success \n");
     }
-    fclose(fd);
     return 1;
   }  
 /*------------------------------------------------------------------------*/
@@ -426,7 +468,10 @@ extern char *SkipSpace(char *pPtr);
 	 memory problem deep in the Tcl library. This causes a core dump on
 	 each SICS restart and breaks the use of external tools.
        Tcl_DeleteInterp(pTcl);
+       
+         call KillSicsUnknown instead to clean up all memory properly. M.Z., Apr 05
        */
+       KillSicsUnknown();
      }
      
      free(self);
diff --git a/SCinter.h b/SCinter.h
index 34e96501..3d759c22 100644
--- a/SCinter.h
+++ b/SCinter.h
@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@ typedef struct __Clist {
                           void *pData;
                           struct __Clist *pNext;
                           struct __Clist *pPrevious;
+                          int startupOnly;
                         }  CommandList;
 
 typedef struct __SINTER
@@ -63,6 +64,12 @@ typedef struct __SINTER
   int RemoveCommand(SicsInterp *pInterp, char *pName);
   /* kills the  command name from the interpreter pInterp 
   */ 
+/*-------------------------------------------------------------------------*/  
+  int AddCommandWithFlag(SicsInterp *pInterp, char *pName, ObjectFunc pFunc, 
+                         KillFunc pKFunc, void *pData, int startupFlag);
+  int AddIniCmd(char *pName, ObjectFunc pFunc); /* command will be deleted after startup */
+  int AddCmd(char *pName, ObjectFunc pFunc); /* syntactic sugar for AddCommand without data */
+  void RemoveStartupCommands(void); /* called after startup to delete startup commands */
 /*-------------------------------------------------------------------------*/  
   int InterpExecute(SicsInterp *self,pSConnection pCon,char *pCommand);