problems with .desktop icons

[Raul Acevedo <raul cantara com>]

I built GARNOME 2.6 using TLA and all is well... except that Nautilus is
not properly recognizing ".desktop" icons, it thinks they are plain text
files.  For example, on my desktop I don't get the usual "Start Here"
icon that does something useful when you click on it; I get a
"start-here.desktop" icon that when I click on it, Nautilus asks me what
program to associate it with.

Ditto for clicking on "Computer", all the stuff in there --- the
.desktop and .drive files --- get a very generic foot icon, and when I
click on them, Nautilus doesn't have an action for them.

If I enter "start-here:" in Nautilus, that works, but the icons in that
view have the same problem: applications.desktop icon with no action.

Ideas?

Raul