diff --git a/api/graphics_lib.C b/api/graphics_lib.C
index 2315ae0784..47f4c0d9a7 100644
--- a/api/graphics_lib.C
+++ b/api/graphics_lib.C
@@ -23,10 +23,110 @@
 // the host has X11 and OpenGL libraries.
 
 #include <dlfcn.h>
-
 #include "graphics_lib.h"
 
-int boinc_init_graphics_lib(void (*worker)(), char* libname) {
-    dlopen(libname, RTLD_GLOBAL);
-    // look up boinc_init_graphics_impl; call it
+// for prototype of boinc_init_options_general(), boinc_init, boinc_finish
+#include "boinc_api.h"  
+
+#define BOINC_STRLEN 512
+
+// Many applications will NOT want to call this routine.  Instead
+// they'll want to cut and paste this code into their own application.
+// This is because they will want to use 'handle' below to resolve
+// functions that are included in the apps shared library, which
+// communicate information about the work in progress to the
+// app_graphics_render() routine, and other graphics routines.
+
+
+// This routine never returns. If a problem arises, it calls
+// boinc_finish(nonzero).
+//
+// First argument: worker function
+//
+// Second argument: argv[0] from command line arguments.  This is the
+// executable name, and is used to derive the shared object library
+// name: executable_name.so
+
+int boinc_init_graphics_lib(void (*worker)(), char* argv0) {
+
+  // name of shared object library: same as executable_name.so
+  char graphics_lib[BOINC_STRLEN];
+  // boinc-resolved version of the same
+  char resolved_name[BOINC_STRLEN];
+  char *ptr;
+  void *handle;
+  int retval;
+  char *errormsg;
+
+  // DAVID -- WARNING -- TO BE USABLE IN C YOU NEED TO GIVE
+  // boinc_init_options_general() A PURE C PROTOTYPE NOT C++!  THIS
+  // CURRENTLY WON'T WORK FOR E@h.
+  int (*boinc_init_graphics_impl_hook)(void (*worker)(), int (*init_options)(BOINC_OPTIONS& opt));
+
+  /* figure out name of executable, and append .so */
+  if ((ptr = strrchr(argv0, '/')))
+    ptr++;
+  else
+    ptr = argv0;
+  strncat(graphics_lib, ".so", BOINC_STRLEN);
+  graphics_lib[BOINC_STRLEN-1]='\0';
+  
+  /* boinc-resolve library name: it could be a XML symlink */
+  if (boinc_resolve_filename(graphics_lib, resolved_name, BOINC_STRLEN)) {
+#if 0
+    // for debugging
+    fprintf(stderr, "Unable to boinc_resolve name of shared object file %s\n", graphics_lib);
+#endif
+    goto no_graphics;
+  }
+  
+  // now get handle for shared library
+  if (!(handle = dlopen(resolved_name,  RTLD_NOW))) {
+#if 0
+    // for debugging
+    errormsg=dlerror();
+    fprintf (stderr, "dlopen() failed: %s\nNo graphics.\n", ?errormsg:errormsg:"");
+#endif
+      goto no_graphics;
+    }
+    
+    if (!(boinc_init_graphics_impl_hook = dlsym(handle,"boinc_init_graphics_impl"))) {
+#if 0
+      // for debugging
+      errormsg=dlerror();
+      fprintf(stderr, "dlsym() couldn't find boinc_init_graphics_impl in %s\n", resolved_name);
+#endif
+      goto no_graphics;
+    }
+
+#if 0
+    // Applications that wish to make use of functions in the shared
+    // library, to communicate data from the worker function to the
+    // graphics rendinging functions should paste them in there:
+    myfunction1_hook=dlsym("myfunction1");
+    myfunction2_hook=dlsym("myfunction2");
+    myfunction3_hook=dlsym("myfunction3");
+#endif
+
+    // this should never return
+    retval = boinc_init_graphics_impl_hook(worker, boinc_init_options_general);
+    
+    if (retval) {
+#if 0
+      fprintf(stderr,"boinc_init_graphics_impl() returned %d: unable to create worker thread\n", retval);
+#endif
+    }
+    
+    boinc_finish(1+retval);
+   
+ no_graphics:
+    // unable to resolve the shared object file, or unable to resolve
+    // dependencies on machine, or unable to find needed symbol in
+    // library
+    boinc_init();
+    worker();
+    
+    // worker() should call boinc_finish so we should NEVER get here!
+    boinc_finish(1);
 }
+
diff --git a/checkin_notes b/checkin_notes
index 329b7df3d4..5b6ea46963 100755
--- a/checkin_notes
+++ b/checkin_notes
@@ -21089,3 +21089,21 @@ David  10 Dec 2004
 
     sched/
         transitioner.C
+
+Bruce 10 Dec 2004
+                                                                                                                                    
+        David, here's a rough pass, I haven't even tried to compile
+        it. Please read comments in-line.  I think the major
+        shortcoming is
+        that most (all?) apps will want to use 'handle' to resolve their
+        own functions to communicate data from worker to app graphics.
+        Perhaps we should provide an additional argument to
+        boinc_init_graphics_lib() for that purpose?  At the right point,
+        after sucessful dlopen(), boinc_init_graphics_lib() will call
+        that user-supplied function (if not NULL) passing it handle.
+        On return boinc_init_graphics_lib() will then carry on and start
+        graphics.
+        It's fun working on a file that's not in Makefile.  No guilt!
+                                                                                                                                    
+    api/
+        graphics_lib.C