libdconf0 cannot read settings and blocks Compiz/Unity from erasing anything on the screen

[Luke]

Binary package hint: libdconf0

On upgrading libdconf0 to libdconf0_0.7.3-4_i386.deb , dconf seems not to read any values, so the desktop is plain blue (GNOME3 packages are installed alongside Unity, GNOME3 Nautilus in use), icons are not drawn on Desktop, and all icons and themes revert to the defaults.

When running Compiz/Unity, there is no erasing of anything that has ever been drawn on the screen, so the desktop rapidly fills with rectangular outlines if you open and move or resize a window. Unity cannot be used due to this problem until libdconf0 is rolled back to version libdconf0_0.7.3-0ubuntu1_i386.deb . The newer dconf-tools package works fine, the problem is in libdconf0.

 I have tested this on AMD with ATI graphics, and Intel Atom with Intel graphics. The exact same bug has been reported elsewhere against Oneiric as a whole-but removing libdconf0 does not remove Unity, only gnome-shell and dconf-tools so if anyone is getting this in oneiric without any GNOME3 packages, then the older libdconf0 package is suppressing a bug somewhere else. Will test this momentarily

[Luke (lukekuhn)]

On removing libdconf0 and logging into Unity (my usual desktop), compiz worked and seemed to erase OK, but themes still could not be read and reverted to default, in my particular case. I have reinstalled gnome-shell and rolled back libdconf0 as started in my original report, and everything works.
I do not know what would happen with Unity and a straight GNOME 2 install, but In have seen the exact same complaint against it. The new libdconf0 is also unable to read icon themes,etc which have been set in gnome-tweak-tool in GNOME3, although Mutter renders properly so gnome-shell does not become disabled.
I can, however, say this: If Unity does not work in the latest oneiric builds, installing GNOME3 alongside it from the Natty PPA, then updating those packages like Mutter that are now in the official repos except to libdconf0 should fix it, assuming libdconf0_0.7.3-0ubuntu1_i386.deb is still available somewhere. Then both gnome-shell and unity will work fine and read themes. GNOME3 can read current icon themes, I use a custom-written GK3.0 theme matching Ubuntustudio's gtk2.0 theme as closely as I could write it.

[Luke (lukekuhn)]

The cause of this bug was a failure of apt to pull in the dconf-gsettings-backend package tht had been split out of it until a couple days ago. Also, with these GNOME3 packages in place, the Unity/oneiric window erase bug reported elsewhere does not occur when Unity is being run. I have GNOME3 and unity site by side, both work great  now.