Launching Scripts in a Terminal Window

At work our migration from Ubuntu to Debian is progressing well, but various paper cut issues have risen.

One such bleeder is launching a shell script in a terminal window. With Ubuntu the respective desktop file worked without incident. Not so with Debian.

Under Ubuntu the desktop file contained the following:

    [Desktop Entry]
    Type=Application
    Terminal=true
    Exec=mate-terminal -e /usr/local/bin/some_script

Those keys failed to launch the terminal window in Debian.

Deleting the Terminal=true key resolved the problem.

The desktop entry specifications state that “the Terminal key can only be used when the value of the Type key is Application” and the Terminal key is defined as “Whether the program runs in a terminal window.”

The desktop file should “just work.”

In Ubuntu MATE 1.16.2 is used. In Debian 10, 1.20.4.

I do not know why the change is necessary. My concern is users are content and everything functions as they expect.

Posted: April 13, 2020 Category: Usability Tagged: Debian

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