Bug#883351: mate-desktop-environment: Using 'Add this launcher to desktop' creates extra x.desktop.xxxxx ghost file on the desktop

[Pintero]

Package: mate-desktop-environment
Version: 1.18.0+2
Severity: normal

Hi!
After upgrading to Debian 9 "Stretch" (and later to Testing), I have 
discovered an issue when creating desktop shortcuts, using the 
right-click option "Add this launcher to desktop". The issue appears 
randomly on a standalone systems and 100% with nfs!

Assuming we want to create a shortcut for Caja - under 
Applications-System Tools we right click on Caja and choose Add this 
launcher to desktop.
Two files will be created on desktop: the normal shortcut for Caja and 
also an extra file, named caja.desktop.XXXXXX (six random characters).
This extra file actually seems to be a temporary "ghost" file, because 
it cannot be deleted and it disappears once we hit F5 or log off and 
back on.
Here is a screenshot of this ghost file of another application: 
https://i.imgur.com/8mqSFbL.png

This issue seems to have a direct connection when using nfs mounted home 
directories and also with different nfs server versions.

Debian 8 nfs server + Debian 9 client w. nfs home = problem appears 100% 
(all shortcuts are created with extra file)
Debian 9 nfs server + Debian 9 client w. nfs home = problem appears randomly
Debian 9 nfs server + Debian 9 client w. nfs home using -o ver=4.1 or 
4.0 = problem appears 100%

At first, I thought only nfs is causing this, but after enough tries 
this can be actually reproduced on a standalone installation too. It 
just happens much more randomly than with nfs client-server combo.


Tracking desktop shortcut creation with 'gvfs-monitor-dir', it seems a 
temporary file named x.desktop.xxxxxx is created first and then moved to 
regular .desktop file. Sometimes this change can clearly be even seen 
happening on desktop, although in a split second.
Opposite to Debian 8, where this can never be seen and shortcuts also 
appear with a slight delay.




-- System Information:
Debian Release: buster/sid
   APT prefers testing
   APT policy: (500, 'testing')
Architecture: amd64 (x86_64)

Kernel: Linux 4.13.0-1-amd64 (SMP w/2 CPU cores)
Locale: LANG=en_US.UTF-8, LC_CTYPE=en_US.UTF-8 (charmap=UTF-8), 
LANGUAGE=en_US:en (charmap=UTF-8)
Shell: /bin/sh linked to /bin/dash
Init: systemd (via /run/systemd/system)

Versions of packages mate-desktop-environment depends on:
ii  mate-desktop-environment-core  1.18.0+2

Versions of packages mate-desktop-environment recommends:
ii  atril                     1.18.3-1
ii  desktop-base              9.0.5
ii  engrampa                  1.18.3-1
ii  eom                       1.18.3-1
ii  ffmpegthumbnailer         2.1.1-0.1+b3
ii  mate-applet-brisk-menu    0.5.0-1
ii  mate-applets              1.18.2-1
ii  mate-calc                 1.18.1-2
ii  mate-icon-theme-faenza    1.18.1+dfsg1-1
ii  mate-media                1.18.2-1
ii  mate-notification-daemon  1.18.1-1
ii  mate-power-manager        1.18.1-1
ii  mate-screensaver          1.18.2-1
ii  mate-system-monitor       1.18.1-1
ii  mate-user-guide           1.18.0-1
ii  mate-utils                1.18.3-1
ii  pluma                     1.18.3-2

Versions of packages mate-desktop-environment suggests:
ii  mailutils [mail-reader]  1:3.4-1
ii  network-manager-gnome    1.8.6-1
pn  x-www-browser | firefox  <none>

-- no debconf information