If I create a desktop item which is a link to a URL with a port number, opening the desktop item fails. I can create the desktop item by dragging and dropping the URL from my web browser, firefox.

The desktop item, when I attempt to open it, brings up a message box with the title "Cancel Open?", a lightbulb icon, a message "Opening 'myURL:myPort'. You can stop this operation by clicking cancel.", and a single Cancel button.

If I type directly into a terminal "firefox http://myURL:myPort/", firefox will correctly open that web page ( firefox is my preferred web browser ). So this is not a firefox problem but a Gnome desktop link problem evidently. Other URLs without a port number open correctly from a desktop link.

Is there a way to fix this ? It probably has something to do with interpreting the URL as a Mime type for Gnome, but I do not know how I can correct the behavior so that URLs with port numbers are correctly passed to my preferred web browser, firefox.