Comment 87 for bug 328575

> I've tried to make it more clear that this should be considered a bug.
I am very pleased: I didn't expect a positive/constructive reaction. This is great work, now it's up to gnome/gconf developers.

> Isn't it just providing settings that were configured when you still used GNOME?
I never used GNOME on this installation =)

> If you had an empty ~/.gnome* and ~/.gconf*, wouldn't you get the same defaults as when gconfd isn't running at all? (try moving those directories aside before deleting them).
I had ".gnome2" and ".gnome2_private" directories in ~/, which I renamed before running gnome-settings-daemon. Didn't change anything, gnome-settings-daemon is still taking over.
Moreover, my custom Openbox key bindings for XF86AudioPrev, XF86AudioNext, etc. don't work anymore once gnome-settings-daemon has been launched (even after g-s-d is killed).

> I guess really you just need gconfd, which is started by gnome-settings-daemon. Does running
> /usr/lib/libgconf2-4/gconfd-2&
> change your themes and fonts? Or only g-s-d? If it's ok, then you could update the workaround to suggest just that, instead of g-s-d.
Running this doesn't change anything, and, in fact, it exits immediately :
------------------
tsubaka ~ # /usr/libexec/gconfd-2&
[1] 12114
tsubaka ~ # (press enter)
[1]+ Exit 1 /usr/libexec/gconfd-2
tsubaka ~ #
------------------

Olivier Sessink provided a working way to launch gconfd-2 and then gnome-terminal, as root ( https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/gconf2/+bug/328575/comments/42 ):
>The problem is that there is no session-dbus. The following lines of shell code
> start a session dbus, start gconfd and start the gnome-terminal
>
> #!/bin/sh
> eval 'dbus-launch --sh-syntax --exit-with-session'
> /usr/lib/libgconf2-4/gconfd-2&
> gnome-terminal
>
> add it to a script, and start the script.

So in my case, it's a no-go for gnome-terminal, and I'm off using xfce's terminal emulator, which is just fine, and lightweight too =)