diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index 745c8a5..6852ecf 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ dnl                 changes are made
 dnl ---
 JACK_MAJOR_VERSION=0
 JACK_MINOR_VERSION=99
-JACK_MICRO_VERSION=19
+JACK_MICRO_VERSION=20
 
 dnl ---
 dnl HOWTO: updating the jack protocol version
diff --git a/jack/Makefile.am b/jack/Makefile.am
index 3f8dd37..8349e24 100644
--- a/jack/Makefile.am
+++ b/jack/Makefile.am
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ noinst_HEADERS =		\
 	internal.h 		\
 	jslist.h		\
 	memops.h		\
-f	messagebuffer.h		\
+	messagebuffer.h		\
 	pool.h			\
 	port.h			\
 	ringbuffer.h	        \
diff --git a/jack/messagebuffer.h b/jack/messagebuffer.h
index 74effc5..0686f92 100644
--- a/jack/messagebuffer.h
+++ b/jack/messagebuffer.h
@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@
 		jack_messagebuffer_add(msg);	\
 	}
 
-void jack_messagebuffer_init(const char *prefix);
+void jack_messagebuffer_init();
 void jack_messagebuffer_exit();
 
 void jack_messagebuffer_add(const char *msg);
diff --git a/jackd/engine.c b/jackd/engine.c
index b3e4e1b..d4b9821 100644
--- a/jackd/engine.c
+++ b/jackd/engine.c
@@ -1543,6 +1543,10 @@ jack_engine_new (int realtime, int rtpriority, int do_mlock, int do_unlock,
 	uid_t uid = getuid ();
 	uid_t euid = geteuid ();
 #endif /* USE_CAPABILITIES */
+
+	/* start a thread to display messages from realtime threads */
+	jack_messagebuffer_init();
+
 	jack_init_time ();
 
 	engine = (jack_engine_t *) malloc (sizeof (jack_engine_t));
diff --git a/jackd/jackd.c b/jackd/jackd.c
index 0c8fcf6..353b867 100644
--- a/jackd/jackd.c
+++ b/jackd/jackd.c
@@ -174,9 +174,6 @@ jack_main (jack_driver_desc_t * driver_desc, JSList * driver_params)
 		} 
 	}
 	
-	/* start a thread to display messages from realtime threads */
-	jack_messagebuffer_init("");
-
 	if (verbose) {
 		fprintf (stderr, "%d waiting for signals\n", getpid());
 	}
diff --git a/libjack/messagebuffer.c b/libjack/messagebuffer.c
index 1751122..754c5cd 100644
--- a/libjack/messagebuffer.c
+++ b/libjack/messagebuffer.c
@@ -26,39 +26,42 @@
 
 #include <jack/messagebuffer.h>
 
-#define MB_BUFFERS		32		/* must be 2^n */
+#define MB_BUFFERS	32		/* must be 2^n */
 
 static char mb_buffers[MB_BUFFERS][MB_BUFFERSIZE];
-static const char *mb_prefix;
 static unsigned int mb_initialized = 0;
 static unsigned int mb_inbuffer = 0;
 static unsigned int mb_outbuffer = 0;
 static pthread_t mb_writer_thread;
 
+static void
+mb_flush()
+{
+	while (mb_outbuffer != mb_inbuffer) {
+		fputs(mb_buffers[mb_outbuffer], stderr);
+		mb_outbuffer = (mb_outbuffer + 1) & (MB_BUFFERS - 1);
+	}
+}
+
 static void *
 mb_thread_func(void *arg)
 {
 	while (mb_initialized) {
 		usleep(1000);
-		while (mb_outbuffer != mb_inbuffer) {
-			fprintf(stderr, "%s%s", mb_prefix,
-				mb_buffers[mb_outbuffer]);
-			mb_outbuffer = (mb_outbuffer + 1) & (MB_BUFFERS - 1);
-		}
+		mb_flush();
 	}
 
 	return NULL;
 }
 
 void 
-jack_messagebuffer_init (const char *prefix)
+jack_messagebuffer_init ()
 {
 	if (mb_initialized)
 		return;
 
 	mb_initialized = 1;
 
-	mb_prefix = prefix;
 	if (pthread_create(&mb_writer_thread, NULL, &mb_thread_func, NULL) != 0)
 		mb_initialized = 0;
 }
@@ -71,7 +74,8 @@ jack_messagebuffer_exit ()
 
 	mb_initialized = 0;
 
-	pthread_join(&mb_writer_thread, NULL);
+	pthread_join(mb_writer_thread, NULL);
+	mb_flush();
 }