this might seem like a silly question, and it is, but how do you add shortcus to the gnome desktop?

You can drag a launcher from one of the menus to the desktop. This will make a copy of the launcher on the desktop for you to use. Now, if there isn't a launcher already in the menus, you'll either need to create one and then drag it to the desktop - or - you can give a shot at creating a file in ~/.gnome-desktop/ for a shortcut.

j.

yes, that would work if i could create a shortcut there, but i can't. there is no way to create a shortcut to an application, it seems. i mean to say, what file could i create that would act as a shortcut? i find it hard to belive that no one else has encountered this problem...


for instance, how can i make a shortcut to a command i would type into a terminal? like aim, if i type that in the terminal, it will open aim... but how do i create an icon on the desktop that will do that for me, without opening a terminal that i would have to keep open in addition to aim?

Ok, here's what I did:

I have Quake3 installed, but no menu launcher and I want a desktop icon shortcut.

1. From the "foot" go Programs > Settings > Menu Editor
2. Highlight the "Favorites" section.
3. Click the "New Item" button.
4. Fill out the Name (Quake 3) and Command (quake3) sections.
5. Select an icon.
6. Save.
7. Close the Menu Editor.
8. Navigate to the newly created launcher.
9. Drag it to the desktop.

j.