Ubuntu 16.04.3
I downloaded Eclipse install for 64 bit and put the tar.gz file in what looked like a nice temporary place: /home/eclipse. (I can remove all that nonsense after the install. {chuckle} ) Untar and install. I don’t recall it asking where Eclipse should be installed. Did I miss that?

Start exploring. There was an icon on the left side of the monitor below the ones for Firefox, System Setting, Terminal, etc. I presumed that was a start icon like Firefox and the others. Added by the install procedure.
Silly me.
Now I can only start it by clicking the same file used to install it.

Should I have put that tar file somewhere else? Can I fix that now? How can I create a shortcut/icon/quick start button somewhere to start Eclipse?

Is that one where you just run the install script? Search for 'eclipse.desktop'. Then, copy it into your Desktop directory.

I think so. Make that no. After the un-tar operation there is an executable named eclipse with no dot and no file name extension. I ran that to do the install.

I searched for eclipse.desktop with:
Which produced a plethora of permission denied results but was able to search that text file and eclipse.desktop was not present. The executable file eclipse is 71K bytes so I could copy that to my desktop. But then it would be in the wrong directory. Maybe a soft link to that file?

When I ran that eclipse executable the "install" was completed really quick. Maybe it did not really install the app, just set it up for use on my computer. In case someone knows here is the downloaded file name:

OK, you could just install eclipse from the distro repo. The elipse install program is probably a script. Inside the eclipse package there is also a file called 'install'.

is it by chance a precompiled binary?

which one did you grab?
http://www.eclipse.org/downloads/eclipse-packages/

why did you put that output off of find into a file to look at?
only spits out if it finds it, and some stuff that it might tell you it cannot access it, nbd. Just trying to save you a step in finding it.
one is binary and the other an install . which did you pick to use?

I selected on for C/C++ development. The download name is in my OP. The size is 127.6 meg. When I checked your link the size is 204 meg so I am at a bit of a loss.

I don't understand your question. As I read that command it says to search the entire disk for a file named "eclipse.desktop" And it ignores case during the search.

Evidently I picked the binary. I now presume that means the entire eclipse directory that can drop in to my system drive and be running. I expected it to install but when I ran it the first time it only took a few seconds. I further presume I need to use your link and download that 204 MB file for the install. Is that correct? Do I need anything else, like maybe toolchains. I will be writing with C/C++.

this is Linux there will be no .exe attached to executables. they are only, for the most part, but does not have to be the name of the program.

I do not have jre installed, but, it is a IDE you're running UBuntututu, does it not have something called build essentials. I'd think that would suffice for the basics of c/c++ programming.

and yes /opt is where most put thier stuff like that. you're probablely going to need to add a home made desktop file for it. the
Exec= can be the absolute path to /opt/... or add a soft link to /usr/bin or /usr/local/bin then the Exec=eclipse is only needed because of your PATH includes should take care of it.

just. cd into the parent dir where it is at then.
to put the entire directory and its contents into /opt

BW-userx:
Comparing your ls output against my directory contents shows that in addition to your list mine has: about_files, about.html, epl-v10.html (eclipse public license) and libcairo-swt.so. I don’t see anything called “essentials.

I have created and run a simple program. I am working on a second one now but Eclipse claims there is nothing to build. My google search found something about that and am working it.

Ok then, when I am done with that nothing to build problem I will move it to /opt.
Thank you for taking the time to reply.

I downloaded this one, this time, for c++
eclipse-cpp-oxygen-2-linux-gtk-x86_64.tar.gz

http://www.eclipse.org/downloads/eclipse-packages/

Eclipse IDE for C/C++ Developers

Well, aside from that other problem, if you want an icon to launch the program--as the op states--you can find any .desktop file, copy it, delete everything in it that you don't need, and change what you do need to fit the eclipse program. It's really simple to do. Then, put the file in /home/user/Desktop. It will be a launch icon on the desktop.