diff --git a/ChangeLog b/ChangeLog
index b98991da9..76b40c7de 100644
--- a/ChangeLog
+++ b/ChangeLog
@@ -1,8 +1,14 @@
+Tue Jan 19 12:20:00 1999  Richard Frith-Macdonald <richard@brainstorm.co.uk>
+
+	* src/NSUserDefaults.m: Fixed to update periodically from disk and
+	to post notifications if the on-disk copy has changed.
+	* src/include/NSUserDefaults.m: Changed vtimer info for update.
+
 Fri Jan 15 10:45:00 1999  Richard Frith-Macdonald <richard@brainstorm.co.uk>
 
-	src/NSObjCRuntime.m: Added GSGetInstanceVariable() and
+	* src/NSObjCRuntime.m: Added GSGetInstanceVariable() and
 	GSSetInstanceVariable() methods - extensions to gnustep.
-	src/NSObjCRuntime.h: ditto
+	* src/NSObjCRuntime.h: ditto
 
 Tue Jan 12  4:10:00 1999  Richard Frith-Macdonald <richard@brainstorm.co.uk>
 
diff --git a/Headers/gnustep/base/NSUserDefaults.h b/Headers/gnustep/base/NSUserDefaults.h
index 87012426c..0883bd933 100644
--- a/Headers/gnustep/base/NSUserDefaults.h
+++ b/Headers/gnustep/base/NSUserDefaults.h
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-/* Interface for <Class> for GNUStep
+/* Interface for <NSUserDefaults> for GNUStep
    Copyright (C) 1995, 1996 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
 
    Written by:   Georg Tuparev, EMBL & Academia Naturalis, 
@@ -34,6 +34,7 @@
 @class NSDictionary;
 @class NSMutableDictionary;
 @class NSData;
+@class NSTimer;
 
 /* Standard domains */
 extern NSString* const NSArgumentDomain;
@@ -118,7 +119,7 @@ extern NSString* const NSDateTimeOrdering;
   NSMutableString	*defaultsDatabase;
   NSMutableString	*defaultsDatabaseLockName;
   NSDistributedLock	*defaultsDatabaseLock;
-  BOOL			tickingTimer;   // for synchronization
+  NSTimer		*tickingTimer;   // for synchronization
 }
 
 /* Getting the Shared Instance */
diff --git a/Source/NSUserDefaults.m b/Source/NSUserDefaults.m
index 1a4e9c7ea..5eeead412 100644
--- a/Source/NSUserDefaults.m
+++ b/Source/NSUserDefaults.m
@@ -66,6 +66,7 @@ static NSString* GNU_UserDefaultsDatabaseLock = @"GNUstep/.GNUstepUDLock";
 - (void)__createStandardSearchList;
 - (NSDictionary *)__createArgumentDictionary;
 - (void)__changePersistentDomain:(NSString *)domainName;
+- (void)__timerTicked: (NSTimer*)tim;
 @end
 
 @implementation NSUserDefaults: NSObject
@@ -624,7 +625,14 @@ static NSMutableString   *processName = nil;
 {
   NSMutableDictionary *newDict = nil;
 		
-  tickingTimer = NO;
+  if (tickingTimer == nil)
+    {
+      [NSTimer scheduledTimerWithTimeInterval:30
+	       target:self
+	       selector:@selector(__timerTicked:)
+	       userInfo:nil
+	       repeats:NO];
+    }
 
   // Get file lock - break any lock that is more than five minute old.
   if ([defaultsDatabaseLock tryLock] == NO)
@@ -676,14 +684,23 @@ static NSMutableString   *processName = nil;
 	  [defaultsDatabaseLock unlock];
 	  return NO;
 	}
+      [defaultsDatabaseLock unlock];	// release file lock
     }
   else
-    {                          // Just update from disk
-      [persDomains release];
-      persDomains = newDict;
+    {
+      [defaultsDatabaseLock unlock];	// release file lock
+      if ([persDomains isEqual: newDict] == NO)
+	{
+	  [persDomains release];
+	  persDomains = newDict;
+	  [[NSNotificationCenter defaultCenter] 
+	    postNotificationName: NSUserDefaultsDidChangeNotification
+			  object: nil];
+	}
+      else
+	[newDict release];
     }
 	
-  [defaultsDatabaseLock unlock];	// release file lock
 
   return YES;
 }
@@ -855,16 +872,6 @@ static NSMutableString   *processName = nil;
 	postNotificationName:NSUserDefaultsDidChangeNotification object:nil];
     }
 	
-  if (!tickingTimer)
-    {
-      [NSTimer scheduledTimerWithTimeInterval:30
-	       target:self
-	       selector:@selector(synchronize)
-	       userInfo:nil
-	       repeats:NO];
-      tickingTimer = YES;
-    }
-
   enumerator = [changedDomains objectEnumerator];
   while ((obj = [enumerator nextObject]))
     {
@@ -875,4 +882,11 @@ static NSMutableString   *processName = nil;
   return;
 }
 
+- (void) __timerTicked: (NSTimer*)tim
+{
+  if (tim == tickingTimer)
+    tickingTimer = nil;
+
+  [self synchronize];
+}
 @end