"the desktop file refractainstaller.desktop is in an ..."

mikethe1wheelnut · 2025-08-14 18:06:08

Attempting to install devuan, double-clicking on "Install Devuan" from the live environment, I get the following message:

"The desktop file" refractainstaller.desktop" is in an insecure location and not marked as executable. If you do not trust this program, click Cancel"

Exec=/usr/bin/refractainstaller-wrapper.sh

..This scares me. This should work. This is a basic install. This is an operating system I'm installing because I've installed it before, and had the experience of something really easy to install. Almost like ubuntu, but without systemd. It seemed to work fine before. But I was distro-hopping, exploring. I moved on, looking for more basic installs. This is a Dell Latitude e7450.

I can tell it to launch anyway, or mark it as executable, but.. this should not be a problem.

greenjeans · 2025-08-14 18:18:48

Hi Mike, welcome to the forum!

Couple things: .desktop files are never executable, if you right click on a .desktop file and view it's properties/permissions, it should not be marked executable.

"insecure location" is weird, is it not in /usr/share/applications in addition to the desktop launcher?

The wrapper is the right one, here's th contents of that script on my machine:

#!/usr/bin/env bash
#
# New wrapper for refractainstaller-yad 9.5.0

TEXTDOMAIN=refractainstaller-gui
TEXTDOMAINDIR=/usr/share/locale/

if ! [[ -f /usr/bin/yad ]]; then
	xterm -fa mono -fs 14 -geometry 80x20+0+0 -e 'echo $"Yad is not installed. 
Install it or run the text-only refractainstaller in a root terminal."' &
	exit 0
fi

installer="/usr/bin/refractainstaller-yad"

# Start script in terminal with sudo. Most live systems have sudo nopasswd.
# If sudo fails, ask for root password.
xterm -fa mono -fs 12 -e  "echo 'If user password fails, use root password.' && sudo  $installer ||  su -c $installer"

exit 0

Lastly, which live iso are you using?

fsmithred · 2025-08-14 19:40:55

I don't know how to avoid that popup without making the .desktop file executable. I could mark it executable during the build, but I don't recall ever having to do that before. I never start it from the desktop icon, so I don't know when it started doing that.

And no, the one on the desktop is in /home/devuan/Desktop. The one in /usr/share/applications/ shows up in the apps menu. (another way to start it.)

In the running live system, open a terminal and run:

sudo refractainstaller-yad

mikethe1wheelnut · 2025-08-14 19:46:15

insecure location" is weird, is it not in /usr/share/applications in addition to the desktop launcher?

it is there.

Couple things: .desktop files are never executable, if you right click on a .desktop file and view it's properties/permissions, it should not be marked executable.

there is a check-box that says: "allow this file to run as a program". it is checked. under "launcher", there is a security option that says: "allow this file to run as a .desktop file". it also is checked.

Lastly, which live iso are you using?

I believe I selected the amd64 option here:

https://mirror.leaseweb.com/devuan/devu … ktop-live/

the hash checked out. I'm running it via ventoy..

..basically a random pick, there are a million mirrors.. ..well, maybe not so random. first one in the list that is the current supported version, for my system..

mikethe1wheelnut · 2025-08-14 20:00:48

@fsmithred Sounds like you have a mini-mystery to solve! ;-)

the terminal command you provide looks like it'll do the trick.. once I launch it though.. I'll get kicked off here, I assume.. ..tchus! ;-)

fsmithred · 2025-08-14 22:00:38

Well, it gets even weirder. I booted the the latest excalibur desktop-live iso and /home/devuan/Desktop/refractainstaller.desktop is already executable, yet when I open it, I still get the popup asking me to Launch Anyway, Mark as trusted, or cancel.

stargate-sg1-cheyenne-mtn · 2025-08-15 05:31:50

my Beowulf desktop-live dvd works correctly and desktop directory shows:

-rwxrwxr-x 1 devuan devuan 244 Oct 18 2019 refractainstaller.desktop

my Chimaera desktop-live dvd works correctly and desktop directory shows:

-rwxr-xr-x 1 devuan devuan 253 Jul 16 2021 refractainstaller.desktop

the background filename change added the extra size

my Daedalus desktop-live usb exhibits OP OT

don't have time for digging deeper ATM

edit: more experimenting

note: to access the "Launcher" tab, right-click on the desktop icon and select "Properties"
(naturally only "launchers" have that tab in addition to the normal "General" "Emblems" and "Permissions" tabs)

starting in Daedalus the launcher has two additional settings under "Security:"
a checkbox for "Allow this file to run as a .desktop file"
and a checkbox for "Set this file as trusted"

my Daedalus desktop-live usb has three .desktop launchers "Install Devuan" "SMALLER FONTS" and "LARGER FONTS" and all three required the box to be checkmarked/selected for "Set this file as trusted" to operate as they had previously on Chimaera and Beowulf

hope this helps

Last edited by stargate-sg1-cheyenne-mtn (2025-08-15 07:35:07)

greenjeans · 2025-08-15 16:34:47

My bad, I haven't used desktop icons/launchers in 10 years, so all I deal with is /usr/share/applications and they are all not marked executable.

With the vanilla Devuan iso's though I left this capability and all other default behavior active. I added a desktop launcher for the Refracta Installer using the Main Menu editor for Mate (Mozo). And it is marked executable and does work. The launcher shows on the desktop and in the file manager in the Desktop folder, but it also makes a copy in ~/.local/share/applications.

That seems confusing.

boughtonp · 2025-08-15 16:50:43

fsmithred wrote:

I don't know how to avoid that popup without making the .desktop file executable. I could mark it executable during the build, but I don't recall ever having to do that before. I never start it from the desktop icon, so I don't know when it started doing that.

...

https://docs.xfce.org/xfce/thunar/faq wrote:

Why doesn't Thunar execute files marked as executable?
For security reasons, by default Thunar only executes files of type application/x-desktop, application/x-executable and application/x-shellscript. For desktop files the execution will only be possible if the desktop file is of type Application, the execute flag is set and the file is trusted. (desktop files inside XDG_DATA_DIR are executable by default).

ToZ at 2023-01-02 19:49:26 via //forum.xfce.org/viewtopic.php?pid=70399#p70399 wrote:

There was a change in thunar 4.17.4 due to a security issue. Have a read through https://forum.xfce.org/viewtopic.php?id=16357 to see how the files are trusted now.

greenjeans · 2025-08-15 17:04:23

starting in Daedalus the launcher has two additional settings under "Security:"
a checkbox for "Allow this file to run as a .desktop file"
and a checkbox for "Set this file as trusted"

Not in Mate. In either daedalus or excalibur. Nor Openbox.

I think the above post by boughtonp explains it. An XFCE specific thing.

greenjeans · 2025-08-15 20:31:16

it needs to have an xfce-exe-checksum metadata entry created for the file

Oh ffs...that's the dumbest thing i've read all day. This kind of crap reminds me of the one time many years ago when I tried windoze vista.

What's next? some special files, possibly another partition, and a security challenge before you're allowed to see your own grub boot screen?

Oh wait, i'm pretty sure I just described UEFI...never mind.

RedGreen925 · 2025-08-15 22:49:04

This kind of crap reminds me of the one time many years ago when I tried windoze vista.
....
Oh wait, i'm pretty sure I just described UEFI...never mind.

Which of course is another piece of garbage brought to us by the idiots at Microsoft.

greenjeans · 2025-08-16 01:00:08

Which of course is another piece of garbage brought to us by the idiots at Microsoft.

For sure. I see a lot of other more important issues in XFCE that don't seem to be getting addressed in visiting other forums for linux distros that use XFCE for their default DE. This behavior is a regression, and I don't understand why it exists and other more pressing issues go un-dealt with.

Devuan in my opinion, should choose a different default DE. For a conventional paradigm, Mate is better. And desktop launchers work properly.

The officially official Devuan Forum!

#1 2025-08-14 18:06:08

"the desktop file refractainstaller.desktop is in an ..."

#2 2025-08-14 18:18:48

Re: "the desktop file refractainstaller.desktop is in an ..."

#3 2025-08-14 19:40:55

Re: "the desktop file refractainstaller.desktop is in an ..."

#4 2025-08-14 19:46:15

Re: "the desktop file refractainstaller.desktop is in an ..."

#5 2025-08-14 20:00:48

Re: "the desktop file refractainstaller.desktop is in an ..."

#6 2025-08-14 22:00:38

Re: "the desktop file refractainstaller.desktop is in an ..."

#7 2025-08-15 05:31:50

Re: "the desktop file refractainstaller.desktop is in an ..."

#8 2025-08-15 16:34:47

Re: "the desktop file refractainstaller.desktop is in an ..."

#9 2025-08-15 16:50:43

Re: "the desktop file refractainstaller.desktop is in an ..."

#10 2025-08-15 17:04:23

Re: "the desktop file refractainstaller.desktop is in an ..."

#11 2025-08-15 20:31:16

Re: "the desktop file refractainstaller.desktop is in an ..."

#12 2025-08-15 22:49:04

Re: "the desktop file refractainstaller.desktop is in an ..."

#13 2025-08-16 01:00:08

Re: "the desktop file refractainstaller.desktop is in an ..."

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