Ubuntu – Scaling applications on a HiDPI desktop

The way links show up and act in Unity (or most modern Linux-desktops for that matter) is directed by the .desktop files (under: /usr/share/applications/ or for a single user under ~/.local/share/applications/) For more on that see: http://standards.freedesktop.org/desktop-entry-spec/latest/. Another good guide on using the .desktop file to change the behaviour is http://themagicofscience.blogspot.com/2011/05/unity-adding-items-to-dock.html (inclidung further references)

As standard setting, wine creates e.g. for Picasa (in my case in a file "~/.local/share/applications/wine-Programme-Picasa 3-Picasa 3.desktop") the command

Exec=env WINEPREFIX="/home/[user]/.wine" wine C:\\\\windows\\\\command\\\\start.exe /Unix /home/aj/.wine/dosdevices/c:/users/Public/Startmenü/Program Files/Picasa\\ 3/Picasa\\ 3.lnk

that has as a result that all wine-apps appear under a single icon in the launcher. To change this behaviour you have to create a new .desktop file for picasa or change the existing one so that wine directly launches the application's executable.

so the command should be (don't ask me, why ~ or %USERNAME% don't work here)

Exec=wine "/home/[user]/.wine/drive_c/Program Files/Google/Picasa3/Picasa3.exe"

To create the link and the accompaning icons I followed the rather complicated guide under the bug report "Unable to add Wine applications to Unity launcher"

https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/unity/+bug/704187/comments/3 whole report: https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/unity/+bug/704187/

But with the aforementionedguides you might even create the .desktop file yourself or at least adapt it to your needs once you have the correct basic setting.

Added benefit for this is that you see the application icon in the launcher (not just wine) AND can pin the wine app to the launcher.

HTH Andreas

I checked with my Fedora 21 install where I have Gnome 3.14.2 and it doesn't seem to be possible to set your desired value:

[btegge@za21 ~]$ gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.interface scaling-factor 1.2
invalid character in number:
  1.2
   ^
[btegge@za21 ~]$ gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.interface scaling-factor 1,2
expected end of input:
  1,2
   ^

My assumptions:

• There is a another setting to achieve what you want. The only thing that comes to my mind is font rendering related, though that is not exactly what you are looking for.
• It's a mistake that the key only accepts integers as datatype and you should file a bug.