How to move configuration of GNOME apps between machines?

Question

I've set up a git repository with my common configuration files (home dotfiles) I'd like to share between my machines. I have a problem though with applications such as GNOME Terminal, which use the gconf system for their settings. Is there a way to store these settings alongside other config files in git?

Answer 1

Configuration files for common GNOME applications are managed by gconf and can usually be found under ~/.gconf. In the past I've used rsync to keep these settings synchronised across disparate, but similar, machines. Putting them under version control may present some problems, however, as these files are more likely to be automatically generated than edited by a human hand. Version control can get really, really complicated when you're tracking these sorts of changes.