[xsettings] gconf_client_lookup: assertion failed: (last_slash != NULL)

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 * Is this reproducible?
 * If so, what specific steps should we take to recreate this bug?

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I can't work around the issue. All I've done to cause the problem is to migrate my home directory from under jaunty to a brand new karmic install. Theme switching works correctly under the original home directory in jaunty.

After booting Karmic for the first time, the theme reverted to the default, as shown in the screenshot. I thought this might be related to a gnome-settings-daemon crash, but I solved that by disabling the 'xsettings' plugin of gnome-settings-daemon. Doing the same thing under Jaunty I see has a similar effect -- themes are not set on login, but changing them in the appearance properties dialog can cause them to be applied.

Attempting to run gnome-settings-daemon under Karmic with the xsettings plugin enabled results in the following messages:

atrus@yeesha:~$ gnome-settings-daemon --debug --no-daemon
** (gnome-settings-daemon:3878): DEBUG: Successfully connected to D-Bus
** (gnome-settings-daemon:3878): DEBUG: Starting settings manager
** (gnome-settings-daemon:3878): DEBUG: Loading settings plugins from dir: /usr/lib/gnome-settings-daemon-2.0/
** (gnome-settings-daemon:3878): DEBUG: Loading plugin: /usr/lib/gnome-settings-daemon-2.0/keybindings.gnome-settings-plugin
** (gnome-settings-daemon:3878): DEBUG: GnomeSettingsPluginInfo: name='Keybindings' file='/usr/lib/gnome-settings-daemon-2.0/keybindings.gnome-settings-plugin' location='keybindings'
** (gnome-settings-daemon:3878): DEBUG: Loading plugin: /usr/lib/gnome-settings-daemon-2.0/font.gnome-settings-plugin
** (gnome-settings-daemon:3878): DEBUG: GnomeSettingsPluginInfo: name='Font' file='/usr/lib/gnome-settings-daemon-2.0/font.gnome-settings-plugin' location='font'
** (gnome-settings-daemon:3878): DEBUG: Loading plugin: /usr/lib/gnome-settings-daemon-2.0/housekeeping.gnome-settings-plugin
** (gnome-settings-daemon:3878): DEBUG: GnomeSettingsPluginInfo: name='Housekeeping' file='/usr/lib/gnome-settings-daemon-2.0/housekeeping.gnome-settings-plugin' location='housekeeping'
** (gnome-settings-daemon:3878): DEBUG: Loading plugin: /usr/lib/gnome-settings-daemon-2.0/keyboard.gnome-settings-plugin
** (gnome-settings-daemon:3878): DEBUG: GnomeSettingsPluginInfo: name='Keyboard' file='/usr/lib/gnome-settings-daemon-2.0/keyboard.gnome-settings-plugin' location='keyboard'
** (gnome-settings-daemon:3878): DEBUG: Loading plugin: /usr/lib/gnome-settings-daemon-2.0/xrandr.gnome-settings-plugin
** (gnome-settings-daemon:3878): DEBUG: GnomeSettingsPluginInfo: name='XRandR' file='/usr/lib/gnome-settings-daemon-2.0/xrandr.gnome-settings-plugin' location='xrandr'
** (gnome-settings-daemon:3878): DEBUG: Loading plugin: /usr/lib/gnome-settings-daemon-2.0/media-keys.gnome-settings-plugin
** (gnome-settings-daemon:3878): DEBUG: GnomeSettingsPluginInfo: name='Media keys' file='/usr/lib/gnome-settings-daemon-2.0/media-keys.gnome-settings-plugin' location='media-keys'
** (gnome-settings-daemon:3878): DEBUG: Loading plugin: /usr/lib/gnome-settings-daemon-2.0/background.gnome-settings-plugin
** (gnome-settings-daemon:3878): DEBUG: GnomeSettingsPluginInfo: name='Background' file='/usr/lib/gnome-settings-daemon-2.0/background.gnome-settings-plugin' location='background'
** (gnome-settings-daemon...

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"gconftool --recursive-unset /apps/gnome_settings_daemon" solved the problem.

Running "diff -U4 gsd-broken gsd-working" where gsd-broken and gsd-working is the output of "gconftool --dump /apps/gnome_settings_daemon" on a broken and unbroken account respectively, produced:

atrus@yeesha:~$ diff -U4 gsd-broken gsd-working
--- gsd-broken 2009-09-04 11:05:25.822290806 -0600
+++ gsd-working 2009-09-04 11:04:19.845290295 -0600
@@ -10,9 +10,9 @@
     <entry>
       <key>gtk-modules/gail:atk-bridge</key>
       <schema_key>/schemas/apps/gnome_settings_daemon/gtk-modules/gail:atk-bridge</schema_key>
       <value>
- <string></string>
+ <string>/desktop/gnome/interface/accessibility</string>
       </value>
     </entry>
     <entry>
       <key>keybindings/calculator</key>
@@ -59,9 +59,9 @@
     <entry>
       <key>keybindings/next</key>
       <schema_key>/schemas/apps/gnome_settings_daemon/keybindings/next</schema_key>
       <value>
- <string>&lt;Control&gt;XF86AudioRaiseVolume</string>
+ <string>XF86AudioNext</string>
       </value>
     </entry>
     <entry>
       <key>keybindings/pause</key>
@@ -73,9 +73,9 @@
     <entry>
       <key>keybindings/play</key>
       <schema_key>/schemas/apps/gnome_settings_daemon/keybindings/play</schema_key>
       <value>
- <string>&lt;Control&gt;XF86AudioMute</string>
+ <string>XF86AudioPlay</string>
       </value>
     </entry>
     <entry>
       <key>keybindings/power</key>
@@ -87,9 +87,9 @@
     <entry>
       <key>keybindings/previous</key>
       <schema_key>/schemas/apps/gnome_settings_daemon/keybindings/previous</schema_key>
       <value>
- <string>&lt;Control&gt;XF86AudioLowerVolume</string>
+ <string>XF86AudioPrev</string>
       </value>
     </entry>
     <entry>
       <key>keybindings/screensaver</key>
@@ -150,9 +150,9 @@
     <entry>
       <key>plugins/a11y-keyboard/active</key>
       <schema_key>/schemas/apps/gnome_settings_daemon/plugins/a11y-keyboard/active</schema_key>
       <value>
- <bool>false</bool>
+ <bool>true</bool>
       </value>
     </entry>
     <entry>
       <key>plugins/a11y-keyboard/priority</key>
@@ -354,9 +354,9 @@
     <entry>
       <key>plugins/xrdb/active</key>
       <schema_key>/schemas/apps/gnome_settings_daemon/plugins/xrdb/active</schema_key>
       <value>
- <bool>true</bool>
+ <bool>false</bool>
       </value>
     </entry>
     <entry>
       <key>plugins/xrdb/priority</key>

FINALLY, after checking each of those differences, it appears that the value in /apps/gnome_settings_daemon/gtk-modules/gail:atk-bridge, which on my jaunty system was an empty string, caused gnome-settings-daemon to crash under karmic. Replacing it with "/desktop/gnome/interface/accessibility" gets everything working right again.

How it came to be in that state, I do not know, but the crash under karmic is probably a regression.

Thank you for your bug report. I've forwarded this upstream to https://bugzilla.gnome.org/show_bug.cgi?id=594821

This is fixed upstream now

This bug was fixed in the package gnome-settings-daemon - 2.28.0-0ubuntu1

---------------
gnome-settings-daemon (2.28.0-0ubuntu1) karmic; urgency=low

  * New upstream release (LP: #433923):
    - Fix incomplete function declaration (Vincent Untz)
    - Don't install the dummy plugin whilst keeping the Makefile.am
      almost intact for copy/paste (Bastien Nocera) (#578538)
    - Fix Touchpad left-handed issues (Bastien Nocera) (#594617)
    - Add sound effect to volume key handling (Bastien Nocera) (#404683)
    - Remove useless custom eject icon (Bastien Nocera)
    - Validate xsettings GConf keys read from the configuration
      (Jens Granseuer) (#594821, LP: #424421).
  * debian/control: Add build-dep on libcanberra-gtk-dev.
  * debian/gnome-settings-daemon.install: Updated for new version.
  * Dropped 91_git_update_fix_left_hand_setting.patch: merged upstream.
  * Refreshed patches:
    - 16_use_synchronous_notifications.patch
    - 70_migrate_touchpad_config.patch
    - 90_autoreconf.patch

 -- Chris Coulson <email address hidden> Mon, 21 Sep 2009 21:45:02 +0100