I’m not sure if this applies to other desktops so I put Mate in the subject line. It may apply to other desktops as well.
With some devices like flash drives, when you unmount it (right-click on its icon on the desktop and click unmount) the icon goes away and then a notice pops up “it’s now safe to” remove the drive.
With other devices, portable usb hard drives in my case, when you unmount the drive through the icon nothing happens on the desktop after that. The icon for the device goes away but no “it’s now safe to” notice comes up, ever.
What’s the difference between a flash drive and a portable hard drive such that the “safe” notice appears with one and not the other? How can I know that the fsync operation is finished before I unplug the device? I can always wait a minute or five, but I don’t see why it doesn’t just tell me.