Introducing GConf

GConf simplifies the administration of preferences for users in the desktop environment. GConf enables system administrators to do the following:

• Set mandatory values for particular preferences for all users. In this way, system administrators can control whether users can update particular preferences.

• Set default values for particular preferences for all users.

• Use suggested values for preferences that are specified in definition files for the preferences.

• Read documentation on each preference.

GConf also notifies applications when a preference value changes, locally or across a network. In this way, when you change a preference, all applications that use the preference are immediately updated.

GConf has the following components:

• A repository of user preferences.

• A daemon, gconfd-2.

• A command line tool, gconftool-2.