So Simple, it Might Just Be Worth Implementing

Tom Tromey had a Silly desktop idea for the GNOME desktop project — create a small interpreter that can load freedesktop.org desktop entry specification files, and then make those filese executable, so one can just execute the .desktop file to load the appropriate app.

I read this and thought, “Huh, that is a good idea,” and began implementing it in my head, in Python. I might throw something together this weekend. Or, I might not. Either way, you’ve been warned.

  1. Unfortunately I think a script’s interpreter can’t itself be a script.
    So, python probably won’t work too well here.

  2. You’re right, and shortly after I’d written this post I remembered that. It could either be shebang’d with “!#/usr/bin/env /path/to/my/python/script” or simply written in C. Since I need to brush up on my C for something else I’m considering working on, I’ve decided to go the latter route for the time being. I’ll post here with more info if/when I have any (I have a nasty tendency to get bored easily and wander off).

    Thanks for the feedback!

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