Older versions of SL before SL5 had a button in the logout popup for
"Save current setup".   That button is missing from gnome 2.16.1 
which comes with SL5.

If you want to start up with a particular collection of gnome-aware
applications in your workspaces, you can set them all up and then
run the text command "gnome-session-save".  That will save a snapshot
of the session at that instant, and the next time you log in under
gnome the windows will be restored.

I normally start up with a 2x7 array of workspaces set up in workspace
switcher, with the workspaces containing 12 gnome-terminals of misc.
sizes.  The menu item "System->Preferences->More Preferences->Sessions"
does not seem to work reliably, and the saved session often gets messed
up if you restart a frozen display with "control-alt-backspace". 

Perhaps I just don't understand how Sessions are supposed to be saved;
the documentation for gnome was last updated at version 2.14 .   

But another frustration is resolved.  This is taking an incredibly
long time, but I am slowly getting SL5 set up the way I like it.
Next I will copy the setup (and the knowledge) to many machines,
and leave them to slowly updating semi-forever.  In another three
or four years, I get to play "where did it go?" again.

Keith

-- 
Keith Lofstrom          [log in to unmask]         Voice (503)-520-1993
KLIC --- Keith Lofstrom Integrated Circuits --- "Your Ideas in Silicon"
Design Contracting in Bipolar and CMOS - Analog, Digital, and Scan ICs