If I do the PYTHONPATH example above, the import seems to work fine.

Here is the full traceback (-v option) with the "from gnome import gconf":
# installing zipimport hook
import zipimport # builtin
# installed zipimport hook
# zipimport: found 289 names in /usr/lib/python25.zip
import site # precompiled from /usr/lib/python2.5/site.pyo
import os # precompiled from /usr/lib/python2.5/os.pyo
import errno # builtin
import posix # builtin
import posixpath # precompiled from /usr/lib/python2.5/posixpath.pyo
import stat # precompiled from /usr/lib/python2.5/stat.pyo
import UserDict # precompiled from /usr/lib/python2.5/UserDict.pyo
import copy_reg # precompiled from /usr/lib/python2.5/copy_reg.pyo
import types # precompiled from /usr/lib/python2.5/types.pyo
import _types # builtin
import linecache # loaded from Zip /usr/lib/python25.zip/linecache.pyo
import warnings # loaded from Zip /usr/lib/python25.zip/warnings.pyo
import _codecs # builtin
import codecs # loaded from Zip /usr/lib/python25.zip/codecs.pyo
import encodings.aliases # loaded from Zip /usr/lib/python25.zip/encodings/aliases.pyo
import encodings # loaded from Zip /usr/lib/python25.zip/encodings/__init__.pyo
import encodings.utf_8 # loaded from Zip /usr/lib/python25.zip/encodings/utf_8.pyo
Python 2.5.2 (r252:60911, Sep 8 2008, 22:02:20)
[GCC 3.4.4 (release) (CodeSourcery ARM 2005q3-2)] on linux2
Type "help", "copyright", "credits" or "license" for more information.
import gnome # directory /usr/lib/python2.5/site-packages/gnome
# /usr/lib/python2.5/site-packages/gnome/__init__.pyo matches /usr/lib/python2.5/site-packages/gnome/__init__.py
import gnome # precompiled from /usr/lib/python2.5/site-packages/gnome/__init__.pyo
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "<string>", line 1, in <module>
ImportError: cannot import name gconf
# clear __builtin__._
# clear sys.path
# clear sys.argv
# clear sys.ps1
# clear sys.ps2
# clear sys.exitfunc
# clear sys.exc_type
# clear sys.exc_value
# clear sys.exc_traceback
# clear sys.last_type
# clear sys.last_value
# clear sys.last_traceback
# clear sys.path_hooks
# clear sys.path_importer_cache
# clear sys.meta_path
# restore sys.stdin
# restore sys.stdout
# restore sys.stderr
# cleanup __main__
# cleanup[1] site
# cleanup[1] encodings
# cleanup[1] _codecs
# cleanup[1] zipimport
# cleanup[1] warnings
# cleanup[1] encodings.utf_8
# cleanup[1] codecs
# cleanup[1] types
# cleanup[1] _types
# cleanup[1] gnome
# cleanup[1] signal
# cleanup[1] linecache
# cleanup[1] posix
# cleanup[1] encodings.aliases
# cleanup[1] exceptions
# cleanup[2] copy_reg
# cleanup[2] posixpath
# cleanup[2] errno
# cleanup[2] os.path
# cleanup[2] stat
# cleanup[2] UserDict
# cleanup[2] os
# cleanup sys
# cleanup __builtin__
# cleanup ints: 1733 unfreed ints in 25 out of 25 blocks
# cleanup floats
~ $