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Differences between current version and predecessor to the previous major change of GConf.

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Newer page: version 2 Last edited on Monday, September 1, 2003 1:35:08 am by AristotlePagaltzis
Older page: version 1 Last edited on Thursday, April 17, 2003 11:52:33 am by CraigBox Revert
@@ -1,31 +1,25 @@
-GConf is [GNOME]'s configuration storage system. Aside from GNOME GConf can be used with plain [GTK]+, [Xlib], [KDE], or even text mode applications as well. 
+GConf is [GNOME]'s configuration storage system. It is not tied to [ GNOME] and can be used by any other program as well, though
  
-Comparisons with MicrosoftWindows's registry are inveitable . GConf is a database rather than a series of .conf files, but it's XML, it's open and it actually works. 
+If you're looking for configuration for Gnome 2 user applications like [Evolution], you'll find it in GConf. Settings are stored in __.gconf/__ by default (and not normally changed). You can edit the settings using __gconf-editor__ if you want a [GTK] [GUI] or using __gconftool__ from the CommandLine.  
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+ Comparisons with MicrosoftWindows's registry are inevitable . GConf is a database rather than a series of configuration files, but it's XML, it's open and it actually works. 
  
 The Windows registry fails because: 
  
 * It's very difficult to manage a large number of computers; system administrators can't install defaults, or push changes out to multiple user computers. Proprietary add-on tools exist that try to resolve this problem in various (rather frightening) ways. 
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 * The registry contains lots of undocumented, cryptically-formatted data, and regedit is therefore dangerous and difficult to use. 
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 * The registry becomes corrupted, and this tends to destroy the whole operating system installation. 
  
 GConf attempts to leapfrog the registry concept. It's a library which provides a simple configuration data storage interface to applications, and also an architecture that tries to make things easy for system administrators. 
  
 Here are some of the features of GConf: 
  
-* Replaceable backend architecture. GConf currently has a single backend that stores configuration data in XML-format text files; however, the architecture allows a Registry-like binary database backend, an LDAP backend, or even a full-blown SQL database backend. The backend used is configurable by the system administrator. This is a valuable feature for IS deparatments managing large numbers of computers. 
+; Replaceable backend architecture : GConf currently has a single backend that stores configuration data in XML-format text files; however, the architecture allows a Registry-like binary database backend, an LDAP backend, or even a full-blown SQL database backend. The backend used is configurable by the system administrator. This is a valuable feature for IS deparatments managing large numbers of computers.  
+; Configuration key documentation : Applications can install documentation along with their configuration data, explaining the possible settings and the effect of each configuration key. A regedit-style tool can display this documentation, making it much easier to customize applications without breaking them. The GConf database also stores useful meta-information such as the application that owns a key, when the key was last changed, etc.  
+; Data change notification service : If configuration data is changed, all interested applications are notified. The notification service works across the network, affecting all login sessions for a single user
  
-* Configuration key documentation. Applications can install documentation along with their configuration data, explaining the possible settings and the effect of each configuration key. A regedit-style tool can display this documentation, making it much easier to customize applications without breaking them. The GConf database also stores useful meta-information such as the application that owns a key, when the key was last changed, etc.  
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-* Data change notification service. If configuration data is changed, all interested applications are notified. The notification service works across the network, affecting all login sessions for a single user.  
-  
- This means that programs built from components (where each component may be in a separate process) are much easier to write, because if one component changes a setting the others can discover the change and update themselves. For example, GNOME's [Nautilus] file manager is actually a collection of applications, including an embedded web browser, and various navigation components. The components communicate via CORBA. However, you want a single preferences dialog located in the top-level "shell" component. Without GConf, a custom protocol would have to be invented for each preferences setting, to notify embedded components of changes to user preferences. 
+This means that programs built from components (where each component may be in a separate process) are much easier to write, because if one component changes a setting the others can discover the change and update themselves. [ GNOME] 's [Nautilus] file manager f.ex. is actually a collection of applications, including an embedded web browser and various navigation components, which communicate via [ CORBA] . However, you want a single preferences dialog located in the top-level "shell" component. Without GConf, a custom protocol would have to be invented for preferences settings to notify embedded components of changes to user preferences. 
  
 Notification is also useful if multiple application instances are running. GNOME 2.0 uses this feature to let user interface configuration take effect on-the-fly without restarting any applications; if you turn off toolbar icons, for example, toolbar icons will immediately disappear in all running apps. 
  
-For more info, see http://developer.gnome.org/feature/archive/gconf/gconf.html (lots of description ripped from there)  
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-If you're looking for configuration for Gnome 2 user applications like [Evolution], you'll find it in GConf. Settings are stored in ~/.gconf by default (this is normally never changed); there's a good [GTK] editor/viewer for it called gconf-editor - gconftool is a command line tool for this.  
+See also: http://developer.gnome.org/feature/archive/gconf/gconf.html