Unity has trouble focussing when desktop isn't drawn

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system info:

1) Description: Ubuntu quantal (development branch)
Release: 12.10

2) unity:
  Geïnstalleerd: 6.6.0-0ubuntu1
  Kandidaat: 6.6.0-0ubuntu1
  Versietabel:
 *** 6.6.0-0ubuntu1 0
        500 http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ quantal/main amd64 Packages
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status

3) expected behavior: when not drawing a desktop, and not focussing a window, unity should focus on itself to keep keyboard input

4) what happened instead:

( Some while ago i noticed nautilus wasn't drawing the desktop anymore, despite show_desktop being enabled in gconf and dconf.
After some google-fu i found out the package ubuntu-settings wasn't installed.
I installed ubuntu-settings, which fixed that issue. )

During ths, i noticed something else:

When nothing is drawing the desktop (besides compiz itself), Unity doesn't know what to focus.
- Unity tries to switch to the next window.
- If that window is minimized, the system becomes really unresponsive.
You can see a flashing of the right-side triangle on the launcher that indicates a focused window, like Unity is trying to focus, but fails.
The global menu is that of the minimized window.
- When no window is focused, Unity does not respond to keyboard input

Does it need to be Nautilus, or does any desktop drawing program suffice?

I think it should be possible to not have nautilus or other program draw a desktop.
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how to repeat issue:

1) uncheck nautilus show_desktop in dconf/gconf, or:
1a) uninstall nautilus
2) log out and back in

# notice that when no window is focused, Unity does not respond to any keyboard input. one click on panel/launcher to focus Unity, or open Dash/launch program via mouse.

3) lauch a program, and minimize it
4) watch unity squirm.
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