diff --git a/src/backend/enginefacade.cpp b/src/backend/enginefacade.cpp
index 79a674d96..564696f4f 100644
--- a/src/backend/enginefacade.cpp
+++ b/src/backend/enginefacade.cpp
@@ -32,6 +32,7 @@ namespace backend {
   class EngineSubsysDescriptor
     : public Subsys
     {
+      operator string () { return "Engine"; }
       
       bool 
       shouldStart (lumiera::Option&)
diff --git a/src/backend/netnodefacade.cpp b/src/backend/netnodefacade.cpp
index f5ee2e0d0..a625ccd43 100644
--- a/src/backend/netnodefacade.cpp
+++ b/src/backend/netnodefacade.cpp
@@ -32,6 +32,7 @@ namespace backend {
   class NetNodeSubsysDescriptor
     : public Subsys
     {
+      operator string () { return "Renderfarm node"; }
       
       bool 
       shouldStart (lumiera::Option&)
diff --git a/src/backend/scriptrunnerfacade.cpp b/src/backend/scriptrunnerfacade.cpp
index f86ee72fe..a24420da1 100644
--- a/src/backend/scriptrunnerfacade.cpp
+++ b/src/backend/scriptrunnerfacade.cpp
@@ -32,6 +32,7 @@ namespace backend {
   class ScriptRunnerSubsysDescriptor
     : public Subsys
     {
+      operator string () { return "Script runner"; }
       
       bool 
       shouldStart (lumiera::Option&)
diff --git a/src/lumiera/guifacade.cpp b/src/lumiera/guifacade.cpp
index 2fbe57905..ba6e8c258 100644
--- a/src/lumiera/guifacade.cpp
+++ b/src/lumiera/guifacade.cpp
@@ -32,6 +32,7 @@ namespace gui {
   class GuiSubsysDescriptor
     : public Subsys
     {
+      operator string () { return "Lumiera GTK GUI"; }
       
       bool 
       shouldStart (lumiera::Option&)
diff --git a/src/lumiera/subsys.hpp b/src/lumiera/subsys.hpp
index ad6b37534..d819a2540 100644
--- a/src/lumiera/subsys.hpp
+++ b/src/lumiera/subsys.hpp
@@ -77,6 +77,9 @@ namespace lumiera {
       
       virtual ~Subsys();
       
+      /** a human readable name */
+      virtual operator string ()  =0;
+
       
       /** define a dependency to another Subsys
        *  required for running this subsystem */
diff --git a/src/proc/facade.cpp b/src/proc/facade.cpp
index 48b2841e3..c1571f56e 100644
--- a/src/proc/facade.cpp
+++ b/src/proc/facade.cpp
@@ -33,6 +33,7 @@ namespace proc {
   class BuilderSubsysDescriptor
     : public Subsys
     {
+      operator string () { return "Builder"; }
       
       bool 
       shouldStart (lumiera::Option&)
@@ -61,6 +62,7 @@ namespace proc {
   class SessionSubsysDescriptor
     : public Subsys
     {
+      operator string () { return "Session"; }
       
       bool 
       shouldStart (lumiera::Option&)