I installed opera10 and I can start it from a shell script from the opera folder but when i try to make a desktop shortcut it does not work.
Either from xfce or by right clicking and choosing to send it to the desktop as a shortcut.

I did not install opera system wide, only under one user. Do I need to set some kind of path or link or something?

Linux uses "desktop files" that contain the name of the program in different languages, the path to the icon, and the command to run, instead of links, to put program icons on the desktop.

If you installed it only for one user (as that user), then it should not be made available to other users, so you are either trying to do the "wrong thing" or I have misunderstood your Q.

If you'd like opera to be available to all users, then install it as root, by using your package manager. Paths and links "will be taken care of"

Otherwise, try calling opera from a script. This is called "Wrapping it up". It's ugly, but often works.

Script startopera:
Then make that script executable
Then call that script from your "desktop shortcut". Be sure to give the full path to the /home/M$ISBS/whatever/startopera script or it will probably fail.

[KDE 3.x handles this effortlessly. Sometimes linux takes three steps forwards, then one step back. Sigh.]

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I would like an icon on the desktop to click on, instead of opening up the opera folder and clicking on the icon there.
When I drag the icon to the desktop, it shows up but does nothing when I double click on it. It says that its a link to a shell script.

It is a single user system.

Please post the contents of the shell script.

Edit:
You could find out what the errors are by running the script in a terminal:

/Edit

I did that and it says:
The Opera binary is not located at "usr/lib/opera/opera".
Please modify the wrapper script at "./opera".

It looks like the link is pointing to /usr/lib/opera/opera but the executable is not located there, its in the folder I downloaded it to.
What is a wrapper script?

Did you try right clicking the desktop and selecting create launcher.
Put Opera where it says name.
The command should be opera.

Yes I did that a dozen times and it works with other programs, but not with opera.
It has something to do with opera not being installed globally but I dont know how to fix it. It looks like the link is pointing to the wrong location, Something like /usr/lib/opera Opera is actually located at /home/*****/download/opera

When I open up a console and type " ./opera " Opera starts up, (as long as I am in that directory) but in the shortcut icon It does not work.

where it says command put the path /home/*****/download/opera.

Thats one of the first things I did and nothing happens when I click on the icon, It doesnt make sense. The only thing different is that I have to use ./opera in the console instead of just opera in the command path.

I tried ./opera in the command path of the icon and that does not work.
When I use ./opera in the terminal it works fine.

is /home/*****/download/opera a directory?
you may need to put /home/*****/download/opera/opera.
./ is only needed when your in the directory the executable is in.

I tried that as well with no luck, I dont get why this is not working.

Even when I drag the executable to the desktop it still wont work.

Try checking the run in terminal box. See if it starts that way.

When I do that, the terminal opens with nothing displayed and it just sits there.
I think I might have to uninstall opera, then reinstall it and see if that changes anything.

exactly what do you have for a command in launcher?