diff --git a/config/Desktop.py b/config/Desktop.py
index 2de3c93..bbba6f1 100644
--- a/config/Desktop.py
+++ b/config/Desktop.py
@@ -4,6 +4,10 @@ import cherrypy
 from tempfile import gettempdir
 
 
+username_postfix = os.environ.get( "USER" )
+username_postfix = username_postfix and "_%s" % username_postfix or ""
+
+
 settings = { 
   "global": {
     "server.thread_pool": 4,
@@ -11,8 +15,8 @@ settings = {
     "session_filter.timeout": 60 * 24 * 365, # one year
     "static_filter.root": os.getcwd(),
     "server.log_to_screen": False,
-    "server.log_file": os.path.join( gettempdir(), "luminotes_error.log" ),
-    "server.log_access_file": os.path.join( gettempdir(), "luminotes.log" ),
+    "server.log_file": os.path.join( gettempdir(), "luminotes_error%s.log" % username_postfix ),
+    "server.log_access_file": os.path.join( gettempdir(), "luminotes%s.log" % username_postfix ),
     "server.log_tracebacks": True,
     "luminotes.launch_browser": True,
     "luminotes.db_host": None, # use local SQLite database
diff --git a/luminotes.py b/luminotes.py
index a39d24f..5f96256 100755
--- a/luminotes.py
+++ b/luminotes.py
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 
 import os
 import sys
+import stat
 import socket
 import os.path
 import urllib2 as urllib
@@ -77,11 +78,16 @@ def main( args ):
 
   # remove the existing log files, if any
   try:
-    os.remove( cherrypy.config.configMap[ u"global" ].get( u"server.log_access_file" ) )
+    log_access_file = cherrypy.config.configMap[ u"global" ].get( u"server.log_access_file" )
+    if log_access_file:
+      os.remove( log_access_file )
   except OSError:
     pass
+
   try:
-    os.remove( cherrypy.config.configMap[ u"global" ].get( u"server.log_file" ) )
+    log_file = cherrypy.config.configMap[ u"global" ].get( u"server.log_file" )
+    if log_file:
+      os.remove( log_file )
   except OSError:
     pass
 
@@ -96,10 +102,25 @@ def main( args ):
   root = Root( database, cherrypy.config.configMap )
   cherrypy.root = root
 
-  if launch_browser is True:
-    cherrypy.server.start_with_callback( webbrowser.open_new, ( server_url, ) )
-  else:
-    cherrypy.server.start()
+  cherrypy.server.start_with_callback( callback, ( log_access_file, log_file, server_url, launch_browser ) )
+
+
+def callback( log_access_file, log_file, server_url, launch_browser = False ):
+  # this causes cherrypy to create the access log
+  if log_access_file:
+    try:
+      urllib.urlopen( "%sping" % server_url )
+    except urllib.URLError:
+      pass
+
+  # give the cherrypy log files appropriate permissions
+  if log_access_file and os.path.exists( log_access_file ):
+    os.chmod( log_access_file, stat.S_IRUSR | stat.S_IWUSR )
+  if log_file and os.path.exists( log_file ):
+    os.chmod( log_file, stat.S_IRUSR | stat.S_IWUSR )
+
+  if launch_browser:
+    webbrowser.open_new( server_url )
 
 
 if __name__ == "__main__":