My silly grep over 10k .spec files gives this list of directories where *.desktop files are stored. Who is the consumer of .desktop files and why are there some many different places to store them? And: Is a simple "%_datadir/applications" not good enough for most of them? It would be so easy. And compatible. Olaf 560 %_datadir/applications 224 /opt/kde3/share/applications/kde 171 %_kf5_applicationsdir 140 /opt/kde3/share/services 122 %_kde4_servicesdir 105 %_kf5_servicesdir 63 %yast_desktopdir 58 %_kde4_applicationsdir 55 %_sysconfdir/xdg/autostart 30 %_kf5_servicetypesdir 29 %_datadir/xfce4/panel/plugins 28 /opt/kde3/share/servicetypes 28 /opt/kde3/share/services/kaddressbook 25 %_datadir/xsessions 22 /opt/kde3/share/applnk/.hidden 22 %_kde4_servicesdir/kded 20 /opt/kde3/share/mimelnk/application 16 /opt/kde3/share/services/kontact 13 /usr/share/applications 13 /opt/kde3/share/services/kded 13 %_kf5_configdir/autostart 11 %_datadir/mimelnk/application 9 /opt/kde3/share/autostart 8 /opt/kde3/share/applnk/System/ScreenSavers 8 %_kf5_sharedir/%name/extras/multimedia 7 /opt/kde3/share/apps/kicker/applets 7 %_kde4_servicesdir/ServiceMenus 7 %_datadir/applications/kde4 6 %desktopdir 6 %_kde4_servicetypes 6 %_datadir/xfce4/panel-plugins 5 /opt/kde3/share/apps/konqueror/servicemenus 5 /opt/kde3/share/appl*/* 5 %_kde4_servicetypesdir 5 %_datadir/kde4/services 5 %_datadir/autostart 4 %_libdir/gnome-settings-daemon-3.0/gtk-modules 4 %_kde4_appsdir/solid/actions 4 %_datadir/solid/actions 4 %_datadir/kservices5 3 /opt/kde3/share/mimelnk/text 3 /opt/kde3/share/mimelnk/fonts 3 /opt/kde3/share/applnk/Settings/WebBrowsing 3 %buildroot/%_datadir/applications 3 %_libdir/%name/share/applications 3 %_datadir/xgreeters 3 %_datadir/system-config-selinux 3 %_datadir/kde4/services/ServiceMenus 2 /usr/share/autoinstall/modules 2 /opt/kde3/share/services/kresources/kcal 2 /opt/kde3/share/services/kresources 2 /opt/kde3/share/services/kdemmbackends 2 /opt/kde3/share/apps/remoteview 2 %_prefix/share/applications/YaST2 2 %_kf5_servicesdir/ServiceMenus 2 %_kde4_servicesdir/phononbackends 2 %_kde4_appsdir/kwin 2 %_kde4_appsdir/konqueror/dirtree/remote 2 %_jvmdir/%sdkdir/jre/lib/desktop 2 %_datadir/wayland-sessions 2 %_datadir/kservices5/ServiceMenus 2 %_datadir/kde4/services/phononbackends 2 %_datadir/gnome/wm-properties 2 %_datadir/gnome/autostart 2 %_datadir/gdm/greeter/applications 2 %_datadir/applications/YaST2 1 Swift/resources 1 /usr/share/xsessions 1 /opt/kde3/share/services/searchproviders 1 /opt/kde3/share/mimelnk/interface 1 /opt/kde3/share/mimelnk/inode 1 /opt/kde3/share/mimelnk/audio 1 /opt/kde3/share/mimelnk/* 1 /opt/kde3/share/apps/kttsd 1 /opt/kde3/share/apps/konqueror/dirtree/remote 1 /opt/kde3/share/apps/kicker/extensions 1 /opt/kde3/share/apps/khtml/kpartplugins 1 /opt/kde3/share/apps/khelpcenter/searchhandlers 1 /opt/kde3/share/apps/kabc/formats 1 /opt/kde3/share/applnk/Development 1 /opt/kde3/share/applnk 1 /etc/xdg/autostart 1 %yast_desktopdir/groups 1 %kdeprefix/share/applications 1 %gnome_prefix/share/applications 1 %gnome_prefix/share/application-registry 1 %gnome_datadir/applications 1 %_kf5_sharedir/xsessions 1 %_kf5_sharedir/locale/* 1 %_kf5_sharedir/akonadi/agents 1 %_kf5_sharedir/%name/extras/system 1 %_kf5_servicesdir/kded 1 %_kde4_servicesdir/qimageioplugins 1 %_kde4_appsdir/remoteview 1 %_kde4_appsdir/konqsidebartng/virtual_folders/services 1 %_datadir/tracker/miners 1 %_datadir/susehelp/meta 1 %_datadir/services/kded 1 %_datadir/remoteview 1 %_datadir/konqsidebartng/virtual_folders/services 1 %_datadir/kdm/sessions 1 %_datadir/kde4/apps/ksmserver/windowmanagers 1 %_datadir/gdm/autostart/LoginWindow 1 %_datadir/applications/kde 1 %_datadir/appdata 1 %_datadir/akonadi/agents 1 %_datadir/Thunar/sendto