Autostart in Gnome 2: the missing docs [Updated 10/10]

I've been trying to understand the autostart mechanism in Gnome 2 for a small program I'm working on.  This may continue to be a supported system in gnome-3, since it seems to be standardized by freedesktop.org and not the Gnome "Let's just rewrite around our bugs and drop features" team.

Without further ado or bitterness, here's a brief but technical dive into the modern autostart system on Gnome 2, as observed on a Lucid Lynx system (originally installed as Intrepid Ibex, I believe.)  [Updated: autostart itself is also a freedesktop standard.]

Groupthink

I don't fit in; I never have.  Some of it is by my choice, but in the tech communities that I've found, I still don't fit in, and I've often wondered why.  It seems the short answer is right there in my blog description: "Frequently contrarian and occasionally cynical."