When double clicking an executable bash script in file manager, it opens in gedit rather than executing

[Lee Revell]

Download https://www.torproject.org/dist/torbrowser/4.0.4/tor-browser-linux64-4.0.4_en-US.tar.xz and extract it to a folder.

Navigate to that folder in the GNOME file manager.

Double click "start-tor-browser".

Expected result: The script executes and launches the browser.

Actual result: The script opens in gedit. Even when right clicking it, "Run" is not listed as an option anywhere. It's not even an option under "Open With... -> Other Application". The only way to run it is from a terminal.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 14.04
Package: nautilus 1:3.10.1-0ubuntu9.7
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.16.0-31.43~14.04.1-generic 3.16.7-ckt5
Uname: Linux 3.16.0-31-generic x86_64
ApportVersion: 2.14.1-0ubuntu3.7
Architecture: amd64
CurrentDesktop: Unity
Date: Wed Mar 18 16:00:48 2015
GsettingsChanges:

InstallationDate: Installed on 2015-03-06 (12 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 14.04.2 LTS "Trusty Tahr" - Release amd64 (20150218.1)
SourcePackage: nautilus
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.

[aaronfranke (arnfranke)]

Executing should be the default behavior. The fact that it's not possible to execute at all except by opening the Terminal is insane.

[aaronfranke (arnfranke)]

Affects Ubuntu 16.04 as well.

[Mark O'Donovan (shiftee)]

And Ubuntu 17.10

[Luke (cajuncoder)]

This is a horrible UX issue that will only trip up new users and should be addressed. Sane defaults, please!

[PabloAB (pabloab777)]

As I said on [this][1] probable upstream issue this bug seems to be reduced just to have by default 'ask' or 'launch' as the default value for key `executable-text-activation` (on org.gnome.nautilus.preferences), or I'm missing something?

  [1]: https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/nautilus/issues/443#note_497621

[Michel-Ekimia (michel.ekimia)]

IN our Setup script we do :

gsettings set org.gnome.nautilus.preferences executable-text-activation ask
So the user can decide if he wants to execute it .

This should be the default behaviour.

if security risk is too high, then we should create a default "script executor" that would warn the user harder like on Windows 10.

[Dan Dascalescu (ddascalescu+launchpad)]

Still an annoying problem in Ubuntu 20.

[Major Johnson (draco18s)]

And with Ubuntu 21.10, it's gotten worse.

The "Executable Text Files" preferences is gone. The dconfg property executable-text-activation is gone. Double clicking still opens the file in gedit.

But at least "run as a program" was added to the right-click menu, so that's good, I guess?

[GLehnhoff (glehnhoff)]

Still not working with Ubuntu 22.04. KDE can do that.