diff --git a/GUI/PWgui/init.tcl b/GUI/PWgui/init.tcl
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..4e5f8dfe7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/GUI/PWgui/init.tcl
@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+#
+# Initialization stuff for PWgui
+#
+
+package require Guib 0.3.0
+
+namespace eval ::pwscf {
+    variable pwscf
+    variable settings
+
+    set pwscf(PWD) [pwd]
+}
+
+# define here all pwscf's namespaces ...
+namespace eval ::pwscf::edit      {
+    variable edit
+}
+namespace eval ::pwscf::menustate {}
+namespace eval ::pwscf::view      {}
+namespace eval ::pwscf::run       {
+    variable run
+    set run(mode) nonblocking ; # possibilities: nonblocking || background
+}
+
+# load settings file ...
+source $env(PWGUI)/pwgui.settings
+if { [file exists $env(HOME)/.pwgui/pwgui.settings] } {
+    # overwritte default settings by user-settings
+    source $env(HOME)/.pwgui/pwgui.settings
+}
+
+lappend auto_path [file join $env(PWGUI) src]
diff --git a/GUI/PWgui/pwgui.tcl b/GUI/PWgui/pwgui.tcl
index 761ba3e6c..d68c75917 100644
--- a/GUI/PWgui/pwgui.tcl
+++ b/GUI/PWgui/pwgui.tcl
@@ -43,34 +43,14 @@ if { [info exists env(PWGUI)] } {
     exit
 }
 
-package require Guib 0.3.0
+#
+# all initialization stuff should go into init.tcl
+#
+source [file join $env(PWGUI) init.tcl]
+
+#
+# now go-ahead: launch the application
+#
 wm withdraw .
 bind . <Destroy> ::guib::exitApp
-
-namespace eval ::pwscf {
-    variable pwscf
-    variable settings
-
-    set pwscf(PWD) [pwd]
-}
-
-# define here all pwscf's namespaces ...
-namespace eval ::pwscf::edit      {
-    variable edit
-}
-namespace eval ::pwscf::menustate {}
-namespace eval ::pwscf::view      {}
-namespace eval ::pwscf::run       {
-    variable run
-    set run(mode) nonblocking ; # possibilities: nonblocking || background
-}
-
-# load settings file ...
-source $env(PWGUI)/pwgui.settings
-if { [file exists $env(HOME)/.pwgui/pwgui.settings] } {
-    # overwritte default settings by user-settings
-    source $env(HOME)/.pwgui/pwgui.settings
-}
-
-lappend auto_path [file join $env(PWGUI) src]
 source [file join $env(PWGUI) src pwscf.itcl]