ts wrote:
<snip>

>     $stdout = File.open("log.txt","w")
>     $stdout.sync = true
>     $defout = $stderr = $stdout
>     puts "hello"
>     system("ls")
>  
>
<snip>

so it seems to me, that it is necessary to go the long and slowly way 
over a log file.

i have annother idea:
what do you think about aliasing and overwriting all outputting methods 
in IO like puts, write, print and so on? would that affect really all 
output?

thanks for your help, brian and guy!

- Meinrad