diff --git a/mrw/stacktrace.cpp b/mrw/stacktrace.cpp
index 24f1979..493ed4a 100644
--- a/mrw/stacktrace.cpp
+++ b/mrw/stacktrace.cpp
@@ -8,61 +8,15 @@
     @copy © Marc Wäckerlin
     @license LGPL, see file <a href="license.html">COPYING</a>
 
-    $Log$
-    Revision 1.14  2005/03/11 23:22:58  marc
-    It's multithreaded now, thanks to a boost mutex
-
-    Revision 1.13  2005/02/28 07:28:37  marc
-    typo
-
-    Revision 1.12  2005/02/28 07:14:03  marc
-    change in getting section size for SUN Solaris (old bfd.h)
-
-    Revision 1.11  2005/02/18 15:48:56  marc
-    Dynamic loading of libbfd, no more dependency on specific libbfd version!
-
-    Revision 1.10  2005/01/28 07:51:24  marc
-    improved and corrected trace formatting
-
-    Revision 1.9  2005/01/07 00:34:38  marc
-    some changes for solaris
-
-    Revision 1.8  2004/12/20 13:22:25  marc
-    mrw string now throws exceptions, catch needed
-
-    Revision 1.7  2004/10/13 10:47:15  marc
-    no more need for ldd in StackTrace, read from /proc/self/maps
-
-    Revision 1.6  2004/10/11 15:58:51  marc
-    First version with working support for shared libraries!
-
-    Revision 1.5  2004/10/07 16:59:12  marc
-    new method createSymtable that takes a list of arguments
-     -> untested!
-
-    Revision 1.4  2004/10/07 09:32:45  marc
-    correction in parameter (const&)
-
-    Revision 1.3  2004/08/28 16:21:25  marc
-    mrw-c++-0.92 (mrw)
-    - new file: version.cpp
-    - new file header for all sources
-    - work around warning in mrw::auto<T>
-    - possibility to compile without log4cxx
-    - work around bugs in demangle.h and libiberty.h
-    - corrections in documentation
-    - added simple tracing mechanism
-    - more warnings
-    - small corrections in Auto<>::Free and a new test for it
-    - possibility to compile without stack trace
-
 */
 #include <mrw/stacktrace.hpp>
 #include <mrw/exec.hpp>
 #include <mrw/string.hpp>
 #include <mrw/list.hpp>
 #include <mrw/stdext.hpp>
-#include <mrw/dynamiclibrary.hpp>
+#ifndef NO_LTDL
+# include <mrw/dynamiclibrary.hpp>
+#endif
 #include <unistd.h>
 #include <sys/types.h>
 #include <sys/stat.h>
@@ -80,36 +34,28 @@
 #include <execinfo.h>
 #endif
 #include <bfd.h>
-extern "C" {
-
-  /// @bug redefined in libiberty.h
-# define HAVE_DECL_BASENAME 1
-  /// @bug redefined in libiberty.h
-# define HAVE_DECL_ASPRINTF 1
-  /// @bug redefined in libiberty.h
-# define HAVE_DECL_VASPRINTF 1
-/** @bug
-
-       - in file file: /usr/include/demangle.h
-       - of package:   binutils-2.15.90.0.1.1-31
-
-      Someone unfortunately abused the C++ keyword @c typename as
-      variable name to @c cplus_demangle_fill_builtin_type, so I have
-      to work around it.
-  */      
-# define typename anotherNameThatsNotAKeyword
-#   include <demangle.h>
-# undef typename
-//   // copied from demangle.h because of compiler warnings in libliberty.h
-//   // (... throws different exception)
-// #define DMGL_PARAMS	 (1 << 0)	/* Include function args */
-// #define DMGL_ANSI	 (1 << 1)	/* Include const, volatile, etc */
-//   /// @bug demangle.h includes libiberty.h which throws different
-//   ///      exceptions for the same functions than other standard libraries,
-//   ///      so I can't include demangle.h!
-// extern char * cplus_demangle(const char *, int);
-}
 #include <iomanip>
+#if HAVE_DEMANGLE_H
+/* the defines work around wrong definitions in libiberty.h */
+#define HAVE_DECL_BASENAME 1
+#define HAVE_DECL_FFS 1
+#define HAVE_DECL_ASPRINTF 1
+#define HAVE_DECL_VASPRINTF 1
+#define HAVE_DECL_SNPRINTF 1
+#define HAVE_DECL_VSNPRINTF 1
+#define HAVE_DECL_STRVERSCMP 1
+# include <demangle.h>
+#else
+# define DMGL_PARAMS	 (1 << 0)	/* Include function args */
+# define DMGL_ANSI	 (1 << 1)	/* Include const, volatile, etc */
+  extern "C" {
+    extern char * cplus_demangle(const char *, int);
+  }
+#endif
+
+#if (__GNUC__==3 && __GNUC_MINOR__<4 || __GNUC__<3) && _REENTRANT && !_MT
+#define _MT
+#endif
 
 namespace mrw {
   //----------------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -202,9 +148,10 @@ const mrw::StackTrace& mrw::StackTrace::print(std::ostream& os) const
 //----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 mrw::StackTrace::CodePos mrw::StackTrace::translate(void* addr)
   throw(std::bad_exception) {
-#ifdef _REENTRANT
+#ifdef _MT
   boost::recursive_mutex::scoped_lock lock(_mutex);
 #endif
+  static const CodePos UNKNOWN(addr, "????", "????", 0);
   assert(sizeof(bfd_vma)>=sizeof(void*));
   bfd_vma vma_addr(reinterpret_cast<bfd_vma>(addr));
   std::map<Translator::key_type, std::string>::iterator
@@ -212,7 +159,7 @@ mrw::StackTrace::CodePos mrw::StackTrace::translate(void* addr)
   if (it==_addrs.begin() || (--it)->first > vma_addr ||
       _dic.find(it->second)==_dic.end() ||
       _dic[it->second][it->first].first <= vma_addr)
-    return CodePos(addr, "????", "????", 0);
+    return UNKNOWN;
   static const char* file(0);
   static const char* function(0);
   unsigned int line;
@@ -222,7 +169,7 @@ mrw::StackTrace::CodePos mrw::StackTrace::translate(void* addr)
        _syms[it->second],
        vma_addr - it->first,
        &file, &function, &line))
-    return CodePos(addr, "????", "????", 0);
+    return UNKNOWN;
   return CodePos(addr, mrw::demangle(_bfd[it->second], function),
                  file?file:"????", line);
 }
@@ -230,11 +177,22 @@ mrw::StackTrace::CodePos mrw::StackTrace::translate(void* addr)
 //----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 bool mrw::StackTrace::createSymtable(const std::string& fname, void* offs)
     throw(std::bad_exception) {
-#ifdef _REENTRANT
+#ifdef _MT
   boost::recursive_mutex::scoped_lock lock(_mutex);
 #endif
   if (_dic.find(fname)!=_dic.end()) return true; // already loaded
   try {
+#if NO_LTDL
+    static bfd*(*bfd_openr)(const char*, const char*) =
+      ::bfd_openr;
+    static bfd_boolean(*bfd_check_format)(bfd*, bfd_format) =
+      ::bfd_check_format;
+    static bfd_boolean(*bfd_check_format_matches)(bfd*, bfd_format, char***) =
+      ::bfd_check_format_matches;
+    static void(*bfd_map_over_sections)
+      (bfd*, void(*)(bfd*, asection*, void*), void*) =
+      ::bfd_map_over_sections;
+#else
     static DynamicLibrary lib("libbfd");
     static bfd*(*bfd_openr)(const char*, const char*) =
       (bfd*(*)(const char*, const char*))lib.symbol("bfd_openr");
@@ -247,6 +205,7 @@ bool mrw::StackTrace::createSymtable(const std::string& fname, void* offs)
       (bfd*, void(*)(bfd*, asection*, void*), void*) =
       (void(*)(bfd*, void(*)(bfd*, asection*, void*), void*))
       lib.symbol("bfd_map_over_sections");
+#endif
     if (fname=="") return createSymtable(filename());
     AutoBfd abfd((*bfd_openr)(fname.c_str(), 0));
     long memsz(-1);
@@ -256,19 +215,27 @@ bool mrw::StackTrace::createSymtable(const std::string& fname, void* offs)
         !(bfd_get_file_flags(const_cast<bfd*>(static_cast<const bfd*>(abfd)))
           &HAS_SYMS) ||
         (memsz=bfd_get_symtab_upper_bound
-         (const_cast<bfd*>(static_cast<const bfd*>(abfd))))<0)
+         (const_cast<bfd*>(static_cast<const bfd*>(abfd))))<0) {
+      _error = "cannot map bfd symbols - 'bfd_get_file_flags' failed "
+        "for file: \""+fname+'"';
       return false;
+    }
     mrw::AutoPtr<asymbol*> syms(new asymbol*[memsz]);
     if (bfd_canonicalize_symtab(const_cast<bfd*>(static_cast<const bfd*>(abfd)),
-                                syms)<0)
+                                syms)<0) {
+      _error = "cannot map bfd symbols - 'bfd_canonicalize_symtab' failed"
+        "for file: \""+fname+'"';
       return false;
+    }
     _bfd[fname] = abfd;
     _syms[fname] = syms;
     _dic[fname];
     std::pair<std::string, void*> fileoffs = std::make_pair(fname, offs);
     (*bfd_map_over_sections)(_bfd[fname], buildSectionMap, &fileoffs);
     return true;
-  } catch (...) {
+  } catch (const std::exception& x) {
+    _error = std::string("exception received: \"")+x.what()+"\", "
+      "while processing file: \""+fname+'"';
     return false; // shared library for bfd not found or similar
   }
 }
@@ -276,7 +243,7 @@ bool mrw::StackTrace::createSymtable(const std::string& fname, void* offs)
 //----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 bool mrw::StackTrace::createSymtable(const mrw::StackTrace::BinFiles& files)
   throw(std::bad_exception) {
-#ifdef _REENTRANT
+#ifdef _MT
   boost::recursive_mutex::scoped_lock lock(_mutex);
 #endif
   bool success(true);
@@ -290,8 +257,12 @@ bool mrw::StackTrace::createSymtable(const mrw::StackTrace::BinFiles& files)
 //----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 int mrw::StackTrace::bfdClose(bfd* abfd) throw() {
   try {
+#if NO_LTDL
+    static int(*bfd_close)(bfd*) = ::bfd_close;
+#else
     static DynamicLibrary lib("");
     static int(*bfd_close)(bfd*) = (int(*)(bfd*))lib.symbol("bfd_close");
+#endif
     return (*bfd_close)(abfd);
   } catch (...) {
     return -1; // dynamic library loading problems
@@ -324,7 +295,11 @@ mrw::StackTrace::BinFiles mrw::StackTrace::filename()
       range.resize(range.find_first_not_of("0123456789abcdefABCDEF"));
       void* addr(0);
       range>>addr;
-      if (lib.size() && addr>0) res<<BinFiles::value_type(lib, addr);
+      // added check: no names in brackets: [lib], because there are
+      // [heap], [stack] and [vdso] that cannot be loaded
+      // question: should only files with ending '.so' be loaded?
+      if (lib.size() && lib[0]!='[' && lib[lib.size()-1]!=']' && addr>0)
+        res<<BinFiles::value_type(lib, addr);
     } catch (...) {} // ignore non matching lines
     return res;
   }
@@ -365,6 +340,7 @@ std::map<mrw::StackTrace::Translator::key_type, std::string>
   mrw::StackTrace::_addrs;
 std::map<std::string, mrw::StackTrace::AutoBfd> mrw::StackTrace::_bfd;
 std::map<std::string, mrw::AutoPtr<asymbol*> > mrw::StackTrace::_syms;
-#ifdef _REENTRANT
+#ifdef _MT
 boost::recursive_mutex mrw::StackTrace::_mutex;
 #endif
+std::string mrw::StackTrace::_error;