Is there any easy way in Unity to add shortcuts to the desktop?
Solution 1:
The only way thus far is to create a launcher on the desktop.
Example for Google Chrome
1 - Right click on desktop and select Create Launcher
2 - Give the application a name Google Chrome
3 - Enter the application command google-chrome
Now the icon for Google Chrome Appears on your desktop.
There's possibly an even easier way of doing this, but I'm unsure at the moment.
Solution 2:
At the login page enter classic view and add icons to the desktop as required. When you next revert to unity view they will all be on the desktop.