diff --git a/common/misc.hh b/common/misc.hh
index d6126c6a1acf33b09224d66db1448c051cd9ca33..7aa18ed693807fd0e9bc8a2a5a2691185fe385df 100644
--- a/common/misc.hh
+++ b/common/misc.hh
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@
 #define __MISC_HH__
 
 #include <iostream>
+#include <sstream>
 
 //! Check condition at compilation time
 template <bool flag> class CompileTimeChecker;
@@ -39,31 +40,15 @@ namespace Dune {
   //
   //********************************************************************
 
-  template <typename T>
-  inline const char *genFilename(T *path, T *fn, int ntime, int precision = 6)
+  inline std::basic_string<char> genFilename(std::basic_string <char> path, std::basic_string <char> fn, int ntime, int precision = 6)
   {
-    static char name[256];
-    char         *cp;
+    std::ostringstream name;
 
-    if (path == 0 || path[0] == '\0')
-    {
-      sprintf(name, "%s", fn);
-    }
-    else
-    {
-      const char *cp = path;
-      while (*cp)
-        cp++;
-      cp--;
-      if (*cp == '/')
-        sprintf(name, "%s%s", path, fn);
-      else
-        sprintf(name, "%s/%s", path, fn);
-    }
-    cp = name;
-    while (*cp)
-      cp++;
+    name << path;
+    name << "/";
+    name << fn;
 
+    char cp[256];
     switch(precision)
     {
     case 2  : { sprintf(cp, "%02d", ntime); break; }
@@ -81,8 +66,10 @@ namespace Dune {
       abort();
     }
     }
+    name << cp;
 
-    return( (T *) name);
+    // here implicitly a string is generated
+    return name.str().c_str();
   }
 
   /** @} */