Okay here is question , show me how in 1.ubuntu 2. Zorin os 3. Pop os . Starting from making a shortcut to a program, by finding whwre is the executable of program.
It's a rabbit hole
Shortcut? To put on desktop? If it already exists in apps menu, then just drag and drop. Should work on every DE. If doesn't work on your DE, then do right click on app in menu and look at the options.
If it doesn't exist in apps menu(very rare), then do right click on executable and see the options.
The problem is that you're trying to do shit like if you were still on windows. Linux doesn't really have startup applications, we use daemons for everything that needs to start with the OS, everything else is meant to be launched manually.
However you can still do what you're asking for, and it'll depend on the DE not the distribution. Ubuntu and Pop OS use gnome that has an option to set startup programs in gnome tweaks.
In steam there's a config option to launch on boot... But yea, all the arguments I'm seeing here is rooted in folks not wanting to learn. Switching to Linux is about as annoying as switching to osx. Yea there's growing pains but no one ever uses these same bullshit excuses for that.
In Lubuntu there's an autostart section of the session settings, and I had to put Nextcloud client AppImage in there because it wasn't starting automatically. But maybe LXQt is unusual? IDK.
Anyway, it wasn't that hard. I didn't even have to do a Web search or use the terminal, just opened the system settings and looked around for something that looked like autostart.
It's not that you can't do it, but rather that it's very much a windows concept, applications on linux don't need to hog your attention and dig through your data by starting with the OS. On linux you start an application when you need it.
Setting up startup applications is usually a bit hard to find simply because it's not a feature that people care much for so you typically have to dig a bit to do it.
Not really true imo. A lot of stuff is automatic. In kubuntu now, most of my apps from last session starts back up when I turn the computer on. Steam, rhythmbox, nextcloud client like I was saying, and all kinds of stuff start automatically as desktop apps. Panel applets are basically auto start apps.
One thing Linux doesn't really do though is autostart stuff you don't want.