Gconf-editor

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gconf-editor

gconf-editor on Fedora Core 2 with a Mac OS X theme, only the close, minimize, and maximize buttons are on the wrong side
Latest release:	2.18.0 / March 13, 2007
OS:	BSD, Linux, UNIX
Use:	Configuration editor
License:	GPL
Website:	www.gnome.org

Gconf-editor is an application for the GNOME computer desktop environment. It can be considered the graphical equivalent of gconftool.

Gconf-editor gives users the ability to access settings stored in the XML-based GConf configuration database. It is used primarily by developers to debug applications, or by power users to edit hidden and complex settings. It abstracts the values from the GConf database and presents them in an interface similar to Microsoft Windows' registry editor.

[edit] Controversy

Gconf-editor is a controversial application in the GNOME community.

Some users of GNOME have criticized it as an excuse to over-simplify the user interface and design for the lowest common denominator. Preferences such as turning off desktop icons or changing window button order are not available through a Graphical user interface (GUI) like other settings but can only be changed using gconf-editor. GNOME core developers claim that the majority of users find lots of options and choices confusing and difficult to learn, and that so-called power users have little difficulty finding options using an application such as Gconf-editor.

Due to the controversy other gconf tools have appeared, such as Gconfpref by MandrakeSoft. There are also patches for popular applications, which add the ability to change the hidden options from within the application itself, avoiding the need for gconf-editor.