#1078938 bsdgames: Cannot Launch from GNOME menu (various issues with desktop files including Terminal= should be true)

Package:
bsdgames
Source:
bsdgames
Description:
collection of classic textual unix games
Submitter:
Craig
Date:
2026-01-08 07:57:09 UTC
Severity:
normal
#1078938#5
Date:
2024-08-17 23:49:34 UTC
From:
To:
Dear Maintainer,

This package includes desktop files in /usr/share/applications/bsdgames

All of them include `Terminal=True` which should be lowercase `Terminal=true`.

Some of these desktop files should be removed for programs that need input on
the command line, such as "wtf", as they immediately exit (by design) when
launched with no arguments.

Even with `Terminal=true` fixed, they will not launch from my menu in GNOME
where they are.  Could be a GNOME problem.  The games themselves work fine from
command line, but in addtion to menu not starting them, if I use gtk-launch it
won't find them in /usr/share/applications/bsdgames, only if I move them to
/usr/share/applications.

#1078938#10
Date:
2026-01-08 07:54:24 UTC
From:
To:
Notwithstanding the bogus reporter email address -- this bug is true and
reproducible.  Tested against bsdgames 2.17-35

For the package maintainer:

- just change 'Terminal=True' to 'Terminal=true' in all the files.  The
'.desktop' file format is case-sensitive
- commit
- consider removing some of the .desktop files in the future, as some of
the filter commands just don't make sense as GUI apps

=====

For current users:

This is fixable in the field by editing the
/usr/share/applications/bsdgames/*.desktop files.

Having done that, it was an exercise in frustration getting the Gnome 49
Wayland desktop to recognize the changes.  Logging out and back in *did*
work, but I wanted to find a method that didn't involve logging out.

Much experimentation later, this sequence seems to work, although it
involves too much manual intervention:

[PART 1]

Open a terminal in which to run:

$ cd /usr/share/applications
$ sudo sed -i 's/Terminal=True/Terminal=true/' bsdgames/*.desktop
$ sudo mv bsdgames BADgames

[PART 2]

Open and close the Gnome desktop applications picker (e.g.: 'win' key, then
'9-dots' icon).

[PART 3]

$ sudo mv BADgames bsdgames

[PART 4]

Open and close the Gnome desktop applications picker.

gtk-launch it
to

According to the spec, /usr/share/applications/SUBDIR/WHATEVER.desktop is
known for launching purposes as 'SUBDIR-WHATEVER'; and, indeed, all of
these:

$ gtk-launch bsdgames-cribbage
$ gtk4-launch bsdgames-cribbage
$ gio launch /usr/share/applications/bsdgames/cribbage.desktop

work fine -- after repairing the *.desktop files.  (I'm sure I've missed
half the arcane invocations for 'launch this here desktop file'...)