diff --git a/entropy-notification-applet/src/applet.py b/entropy-notification-applet/src/applet.py
index ed1a01d10..68c9c8b94 100755
--- a/entropy-notification-applet/src/applet.py
+++ b/entropy-notification-applet/src/applet.py
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
 #
 # $Id: applet.py,v 1.10 2003/09/15 15:07:19 veillard Exp $
 
-import sys, gtk
+import sys
 #import signal
 sys.path.insert(0,'/usr/lib/entropy/client')
 sys.path.insert(0,'/usr/lib/entropy/libraries')
@@ -17,6 +17,9 @@ sys.path.insert(0,'../../libraries')
 sys.path.insert(0,'../../sulfur/src')
 sys.path.insert(0,'../')
 sys.argv.append('--no-pid-handling')
+import gtk
+import gtk.gdk
+import gobject
 
 import etp_applet
 
@@ -24,8 +27,13 @@ if __name__ == "__main__":
     #signal.signal(signal.SIGINT, signal.SIG_DFL)
     applet = etp_applet.EntropyApplet()
     try:
+        gobject.threads_init()
+        gtk.gdk.threads_enter()
         gtk.main()
+        gtk.gdk.threads_leave()
     except KeyboardInterrupt:
         applet.close_service()
+        gobject.timeout_add(0, applet.exit_applet)
+        gtk.gdk.threads_leave()
         raise
 
diff --git a/entropy-notification-applet/src/etp_applet.py b/entropy-notification-applet/src/etp_applet.py
index 7ed5ad6fc..1e4be7254 100644
--- a/entropy-notification-applet/src/etp_applet.py
+++ b/entropy-notification-applet/src/etp_applet.py
@@ -26,8 +26,6 @@ import os
 import sys
 import time
 import subprocess
-import gnome
-import gnome.ui
 import gtk
 import gobject
 import pynotify
@@ -37,8 +35,8 @@ import dbus.mainloop.glib
 
 # applet imports
 import etp_applet_config
-from etp_applet_components import AppletNoticeWindow, AppletAboutWindow, \
-    AppletErrorDialog, AppletExceptionDialog, AppletIconPixbuf
+from etp_applet_components import AppletNoticeWindow, \
+    AppletErrorDialog, AppletIconPixbuf
 
 # Entropy imports
 from entropy.i18n import _
@@ -108,18 +106,11 @@ class EntropyApplet:
         self.notice_window = None
         self.error_dialog = None
         self.error_threshold = 0
-        self.about_window = None
         self.last_error = None
         self.package_updates = []
         self.last_alert = None
         self.tooltip_text = ""
         self.last_trigger_check_t = 0.0
-        gnome.program_init("entropy-notifier", etpConst['entropyversion'])
-
-        self.session = gnome.ui.master_client()
-        if self.session:
-            gtk.Object.connect(self.session, "save-yourself", self.save_yourself)
-            gtk.Object.connect(self.session, "die", self.exit_applet)
 
         self.never_viewed_notices = 1
         self.current_image = None
@@ -134,7 +125,8 @@ class EntropyApplet:
         self.icons.add_file("critical", "applet-critical.png")
         self.icons.add_file("disable", "applet-disable.png")
         self.icons.add_file("sulfur","sulfur.png")
-        self.icons.add_file("about","applet-about.png")
+        # remove this in future
+        # self.icons.add_file("about","applet-about.png")
         self.icons.add_file("web","applet-web.png")
         self.icons.add_file("configuration","applet-configuration.png")
         self.applet_size = 22
@@ -153,7 +145,6 @@ class EntropyApplet:
             ("web_site", _("_Sabayon Linux Website"),
                 _("Launch Sabayon Linux Website"), self.load_website),
             None,
-            ("about", _("_About"), _("About..."), self.about),
             ("exit", _("_Exit"), _("Exit"), self.exit_applet),
             )
 
@@ -370,8 +361,9 @@ class EntropyApplet:
         img = gtk.Image()
         if name == "update_now":
             pix = self.icons.best_match("sulfur",22)
-        elif name == "about":
-            pix = self.icons.best_match("about",22)
+        # remove this in future
+        #elif name == "about":
+        #    pix = self.icons.best_match("about",22)
         elif name in ["web_panel","web_site"]:
             pix = self.icons.best_match("web",22)
         elif name == "configure_applet":
@@ -403,16 +395,10 @@ class EntropyApplet:
         self.status_icon.set_visible(True)
 
     def load_packages_url(self, *data):
-        try:
-            gnome.url_show("http://www.sabayon.org/packages")
-        except gobject.GError:
-            self.load_url("http://www.sabayon.org/packages")
+        self.load_url("http://www.sabayon.org/packages")
 
     def load_website(self, *data):
-        try:
-            gnome.url_show("http://www.sabayon.org/")
-        except gobject.GError:
-            self.load_url("http://www.sabayon.org/")
+        self.load_url("http://www.sabayon.org/")
 
     def load_url(self, url):
         subprocess.call(['xdg-open',url])
@@ -469,20 +455,6 @@ class EntropyApplet:
         gtk.main_quit()
         raise SystemExit(0)
 
-    def save_yourself(self, *args):
-        if self.session:
-            self.session.set_clone_command(1, ["/usr/bin/entropy-update-applet"])
-            self.session.set_restart_command(1, ["/usr/bin/entropy-update-applet"])
-        return True
-
-    def about(self, *data):
-        if self.about_window:
-            return
-        self.about_window = AppletAboutWindow(self)
-
-    def about_dialog_closed(self):
-        self.about_window = None
-
     def notice_window_closed(self):
         self.notice_window = None
 
diff --git a/entropy-notification-applet/src/etp_applet_components.py b/entropy-notification-applet/src/etp_applet_components.py
index 5dfe87080..a65579a68 100644
--- a/entropy-notification-applet/src/etp_applet_components.py
+++ b/entropy-notification-applet/src/etp_applet_components.py
@@ -22,13 +22,10 @@
 """
 
 import os
-import gnome
-import gnome.ui
 import gobject
 import gtk.glade
 gtk.glade.bindtextdomain('entropy', "/usr/share/locale")
 import gtk
-import gtkhtml2
 from entropy.const import etpConst
 from entropy.i18n import _
 from entropy.core import SystemSettings
@@ -76,6 +73,10 @@ class AppletNoticeWindow(GladeWindow):
             "on_close_clicked" : self.on_close,
             })
 
+        message_label = gtk.Label()
+        message_label.set_line_wrap(True)
+        self.message_label = message_label
+
     def on_sulfur(self, button):
         self.parent.launch_package_manager()
 
@@ -95,43 +96,30 @@ class AppletNoticeWindow(GladeWindow):
     def set_critical(self, text, critical_active):
 
         if not self.critical_tab_contents:
-            html_view = gtkhtml2.View()
-            self.html_view = html_view
-            self.html_doc = gtkhtml2.Document()
-
-            sw = gtk.ScrolledWindow()
-            sw.set_policy(gtk.POLICY_AUTOMATIC, gtk.POLICY_AUTOMATIC)
-            sw.set_border_width(2)
-            sw.add(html_view)
 
+            vb = gtk.VBox()
+            vb.add(self.message_label)
             tab_label = gtk.Label(_("Critical Information"))
+
             tab_label.show()
+            self.message_label.show()
+            vb.show()
 
-            html_view.show()
-            sw.show()
-
-            self.critical_tab = self.notebook.prepend_page(sw, tab_label)
-            self.critical_tab_contents = sw
+            self.critical_tab = self.notebook.prepend_page(vb, tab_label)
+            self.critical_tab_contents = vb
 
             if critical_active:
                 self.notebook.set_current_page(
                     self.notebook.page_num(self.critical_tab_contents))
 
             self.set_critical_tab_text(text)
+
         else:
-            if self.critical_tab_text != text:
-                self.set_critical_tab_text(text)
+
+            self.set_critical_tab_text(text)
 
     def set_critical_tab_text(self, text):
-        self.critical_tab_text = text
-
-        self.html_doc.clear()
-        self.html_doc.connect('link_clicked', self.on_link_clicked)
-        self.html_doc.open_stream("text/html")
-        self.html_doc.write_stream(
-            '<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8">' + text)
-        self.html_doc.close_stream()
-        self.html_view.set_document(self.html_doc)
+        self.message_label.set_markup(text)
 
     def remove_critical(self):
         if not self.critical_tab_contents:
@@ -146,25 +134,6 @@ class AppletNoticeWindow(GladeWindow):
             self.package_list_model.append((name, avail,))
 
 
-class AppletAboutWindow:
-
-    def __init__(self, parent):
-        self.window = gnome.ui.About("%s Updates Applet" % (
-                SysSettings['system']['name'],
-            ),
-            etpConst['entropyversion'], "Copyright (C) 2009, Sabayon Linux",
-            "Sabayon, what else?",
-            [ "Sabayon Linux", "sabayon@sabayonlinux.org" ])
-        self.window.connect("destroy", self.on_close)
-        self.parent = parent
-        self.window.show()
-
-    def close_dialog(self, *rest):
-        self.parent.about_dialog_closed()
-
-    def on_close(self, *data):
-        self.close_dialog()
-
 class AppletErrorDialog(GladeWindow):
     def __init__(self, parent, error):
         GladeWindow.__init__(self)
@@ -183,53 +152,9 @@ class AppletErrorDialog(GladeWindow):
     def on_close(self, *data):
         self.close_dialog()
 
-# stolen from anaconda
 def growToParent(*args):
     return
 
-def addFrame(dialog, title=None):
-    contents = dialog.get_children()[0]
-    dialog.remove(contents)
-    frame = gtk.Frame()
-    frame.set_shadow_type(gtk.SHADOW_OUT)
-    box = gtk.VBox()
-    try:
-        if title is None:
-            title = dialog.get_title()
-
-        if title:
-            data = {}
-            data["state"] = 0
-            data["button"] = 0
-            data["deltax"] = 0
-            data["deltay"] = 0
-            data["window"] = dialog
-            eventBox = gtk.EventBox()
-            eventBox.connect("button-press-event", titleBarMousePressCB, data)
-            eventBox.connect("button-release-event", titleBarMouseReleaseCB, data)
-            eventBox.connect("motion-notify-event", titleBarMotionEventCB,data)
-            titleBox = gtk.HBox(gtk.FALSE, 5)
-            eventBox.add(titleBox)
-            eventBox.modify_bg(gtk.STATE_NORMAL,
-                               eventBox.rc_get_style().bg[gtk.STATE_SELECTED])
-            titlelbl = gtk.Label("")
-            titlelbl.set_markup("<b>"+_(title)+"</b>")
-            titlelbl.modify_fg(gtk.STATE_NORMAL, gtk.gdk.color_parse ("white"))
-            titlelbl.set_property("ypad", 4)
-            titleBox.pack_start(titlelbl)
-            box.pack_start(eventBox, gtk.FALSE, gtk.FALSE)
-    except:
-        pass
-
-    frame2=gtk.Frame()
-    frame2.set_shadow_type(gtk.SHADOW_NONE)
-    frame2.set_border_width(4)
-    frame2.add(contents)
-    box.pack_start(frame2, gtk.TRUE, gtk.TRUE, padding=5)
-    frame.add(box)
-    frame.show()
-    dialog.add(frame)
-
 class WrappingLabel(gtk.Label):
     def __init__(self, label=""):
         gtk.Label.__init__(self, label)
@@ -237,49 +162,6 @@ class WrappingLabel(gtk.Label):
         self.ignoreEvents = 0
         self.connect("size-allocate", growToParent)
 
-class AppletExceptionDialog:
-
-    def __init__ (self, parent, text):
-        self.parent = parent
-        win = gtk.Dialog("Exception Occured", None)
-        self.window = win
-        win.add_button('gtk-ok', 0)
-
-        mybuf = gtk.TextBuffer(None)
-        mybuf.set_text(text)
-        textbox = gtk.TextView()
-        textbox.set_buffer(buffer)
-        textbox.set_property("editable", gtk.FALSE)
-        textbox.set_property("cursor_visible", gtk.FALSE)
-        sw = gtk.ScrolledWindow ()
-        sw.add (textbox)
-        sw.set_policy (gtk.POLICY_AUTOMATIC, gtk.POLICY_AUTOMATIC)
-
-        hbox = gtk.HBox (gtk.FALSE)
-
-        info = WrappingLabel(_("An unhandled exception has occured.  This "
-                               "is most likely a bug.  Please copy the "
-                               "full text of this exception into an email "
-                               "and send it to sabayon@sabayonlinux.org.  Thank you."))
-        info.set_size_request (400, -1)
-
-        hbox.pack_start (sw, gtk.TRUE)
-        win.vbox.pack_start (info, gtk.FALSE)
-        win.vbox.pack_start (hbox, gtk.TRUE)
-        win.set_size_request (500, 300)
-        win.set_position (gtk.WIN_POS_CENTER)
-        addFrame(win)
-        win.show_all()
-        win.connect('close', self.on_close)
-        win.connect('response', self.on_close)
-
-    def close_dialog(self, *rest):
-        self.parent.error_dialog_closed()
-        self.window.destroy()
-
-    def on_close(self, *data):
-        self.close_dialog()
-
 class AppletIconPixbuf:
 
     def __init__(self):