Ubuntu 11.10 (Oneiric Ocelot) no longer has a “Create Launcher” right-click menu item … which is a royal pain.
Here’s how to create a launcher on your desktop…
First you need to install the gnome-panel package, but you don’t really want it to bring all its dependencies with it … so install it with:
sudo apt-get install --no-install-recommends gnome-panel
Then to create a new launcher (on the desktop):
gnome-desktop-item-edit ~/Desktop/ --create-new
You’ll then be able to edit the properties of the new desktop launcher in the usual way.
If you want the new launcher somewhere other than the desktop, you can either modify the command, or just cut/paste the one you create on the desktop.