--- log.c.orig
+++ log.c
@@ -85,21 +85,20 @@ char *log_set_ident( const char *name )
 char *log_make_ident( const char *name )
 {
 	char *temp;
+	char *new_ident;
 
-	/* lose the existing value of ident, if there is one */
-	if ( ident ){
-		free(ident);
-		ident = NULL;
-	}
 	/* assign new value to ident from name */
-	if ( !name ) return (ident = NULL);
-	ident = strdup(basename((char*)name));
+	if ( !name ) return (log_set_ident( name ));
+
+	temp = strdup(name);
+	new_ident = strdup(basename(temp));
+
 	/* remove leading '-' from ident, if there is one */
-	if ( ident[0] == '-' ){
-		temp = strdup(ident + 1);
-		free(ident);
-		ident = temp;
-	}
+	if (new_ident[0] == '-')
+		++new_ident;
+
+	log_set_ident(new_ident);
+	free(temp);
 	return ident;
 }