Why is the <skinningdefaults> section still missing from the default DotNetNuke.config file in both the install and source zips?? 

I have lost count of the number of times that an install has apparently worked, only to find that none of the admin pages work because it doesnt know what the default skin is!  Why is there functionality that depends on a certain config section being present when that config section is not included?

The missing section is

<skinningdefaults>
<skininfo folder="/DNN-Blue/" default="Horizontal Menu - Fixed Width.ascx" admindefault="Horizontal Menu - Fixed Width.ascx" />
<containerinfo folder="/DNN-Blue/" default="Image Header - Color Background.ascx" admindefault="Image Header - Color Background.ascx" />
</skinningdefaults>

The error message is also very unhelpful and the only reason why I am able to fix it quickly is that I have seen it so many times ... I pity the poor newbie installer who comes upon this error message:

Server Error in '/DotNetNuke' Application.

---

Object reference not set to an instance of an object.

[NullReferenceException: Object reference not set to an instance of an object.]
   DotNetNuke.UI.Skins.SkinDefaults..ctor(SkinDefaultType DefaultType) +189
   DotNetNuke.Common.Globals.get_DefaultSkin() +31
   DotNetNuke.Entities.Portals.PortalSettings.GetPortalSettings(Int32 TabId, PortalAliasInfo objPortalAliasInfo) +2797
   DotNetNuke.Entities.Portals.PortalSettings..ctor(Int32 tabId, PortalAliasInfo objPortalAliasInfo) +82
   DotNetNuke.HttpModules.UrlRewriteModule.OnBeginRequest(Object s, EventArgs e) +3303
   System.Web.SyncEventExecutionStep.System.Web.HttpApplication.IExecutionStep.Execute() +92
   System.Web.HttpApplication.ExecuteStep(IExecutionStep step, Boolean& completedSynchronously) +64

I have logged this issue in Gemini, located here, at least with respect to a more helpful error message.  I still have no idea if the underlying error itself is due to a configuration problem at the user's end, or with DNN itself.

Brandon