Application icon for Linux

[cairnswm]

I do not use Linux so my suggestion could be hopelessly wrong.

Could your executable not create the icon in the correct directory(ies) on first run? So the executable starts up, checks in the directory for the icon file, if it does not find it, creates/copies it and carries on.

As part of your install process/instructions you could just execute the program once to create the icons.

[Andru]

Could your executable not create the icon in the correct directory(ies) on first run?

Can't, because writing to / needs root privileges

[cairnswm]

So how does an installer copy files there?

[Andru]

So how does an installer copy files there?

Installing packages also needs a root privileges, but in this case system will ask user about a password. Linux and MacOS X are not a Windows where you can setup any <censored> in your system(with by default settings)

[code_glitch]

Aaah, the magic of sudo...

@carinswm: Its not just installers that can't mess with system files in Linux, viruses, little children, accidental keystrokes, hackers, spammers and etc... In linux - if you ain't got the sudo code - you ain't got acces to me system files... Your files fine, but the system files or someone else's files higher in the permission heirachy - no sudo code, no can do.

Its a nice system when you use it every day though, and since you haven't got to worry about viruses being able to do anything, you don't have to spend any resources on an antivirus etc...

[Carver413]

you can sudo just about anything so why not just sudo your file to do the setup

[code_glitch]

And you do. Sudo runs the command after it with root privileges, after prompting you for you password. The downside, is that if you ran a command from a shell after a 'sudo su' and in many instances a 'sudo xyz' where xyz was your command, xyz would use /root as the home directory where to store preferences, documents etc... Instead of /home/yourhomedirectory and inputting your password every run is tedious too.

I hope that clears up your understanding of how sudo works on Linux.