Published: 2012-Jun-13 17:35 |
This might work on other versions of ubuntu and other Linux distributions.
Create a place to keep the launcher. I have a folder in my UbuntuOne called launchers.
create a file, lets call it "my_launcher" for this example. (I use vim, but gedit will work just as well.)
write:
\[Desktop Entry\] Version=1.0 Type=Application Terminal=false Icon\[en\_GB\]=etherape Name\[en\_GB\]=etherape as root Exec=gksudo -k -u root etherape Name=etherape as root Icon=/usr/share/app-install/icons/etherape.png GenericName\[en\_GB\]=EtherApe
save it and change the permissions to 775 (rwxrwxr-x) which you can do on the command line, (if you are in the same directory as the new file), with:
chmod 775 my\_launcher
or by right-clicking on the icon, at the bottom should be Properties and hidden in there will be permissions - just set them all except for Others: write (though you should try to learn about that and the scary implications before blindly following some random blog - Linux lets you do almost anything... including shooting yourself in the foot.)
drag it to the launcher for easy access.
The magic line is:
Exec=gksudo -k -u root etherape
This runs, in this case, etherape as root, (that pesky Administrator in the Linux world.)
( If you have terminal already open then:
gnome-desktop-item-edit --create-new ~/Desktop
is also an option.)
Much of the reset of the entry can be changed or removed. Want to edit something as root?
#!/usr/bin/env xdg-open \[Desktop Entry\] Version=1.0 Type=Application Terminal=false Icon=/usr/share/icons/Humanity/apps/16/gedit-icon.svg Exec=gkedit -k -u root gedit Name=gedit
and the amazing thing - this is just text, but you are now a programmer, (yeah maybe get some scripting language and compiled languages under your belt before adding programmer to your C.V.).
p.s. I have no idea why gedit needs xdg-open and etherape does not, but I'm sure someone in the comments knows...