Gnome desktop copy and paste

[otchie1]

When I want to move a file around on my desktop and put it in a folder I highlight it with the mouse and drag it over.
If I drag it into a folder it does a cut & paste.
If I drag it onto a shortcut to a folder, it does a copy & paste.

Any way to force it to do one or the other?

[steveneddy]

You can't move a file only copy it's info into a shortcut to the best of my knowledge.

I don't even think Windows will let you move a folder into a shortcut folder. Only copy the data.

The very nature of what you are trying to do should dictate the correct answer here.

[otchie1]

Gnome should do what I want it to do and not MS forces its customers to do.

A shortcut is a portal to real directory not a location in its own right. When I drag a file onto a shortcut I obviously want to move the file to the location that the shortcut points to. Gnome does that bit just fine but IT ALSO LEAVES A COPY BEHIND ON THE DESKTOP. Why? It's like it invokes mv if the destination is a dir but cp if it's a symlink.

Isn't that the whole point of the Desktop? To be a storage place for shortcuts to files?

[steveneddy]

Gnome should do what I want it to do and not MS forces its customers to do.

A shortcut is a portal to real directory not a location in its own right. When I drag a file onto a shortcut I obviously want to move the file to the location that the shortcut points to. Gnome does that bit just fine but IT ALSO LEAVES A COPY BEHIND ON THE DESKTOP. Why? It's like it invokes mv if the destination is a dir but cp if it's a symlink.

Isn't that the whole point of the Desktop? To be a storage place for shortcuts to files?

I certainly agree with you and could see where this could be a good "hidden" option for "power users" or whatever you wanna call the Ubuntu Uber Geek.

Why not file that with Ubuntu's papercuts?

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1188400

https://launchpad.net/hundredpapercuts

[otchie1]

Why not file that with Ubuntu's papercuts?

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1188400

https://launchpad.net/hundredpapercuts

Good call. Done.