Baslinux mailing list

[Justin Gombos <mindfuq AT sbcglobal.net>]

* James Miller <jamtat AT mailsnare.net> [2006-11-21 10:56]:
> 
> We live on different planets, then. I can't live without text-mode
> browsers. It's true that some sites really can't be viewed with
> text-mode browsers, and other sites render poorly. But many sites
> can be browsed, either in full or in part, with text-mode
> browsers. The very first thing I do with any Linux I install is get
> either elinks/links or lynx (w3m works, too) up and running if it's
> not already there.  These are always my browser of choice and, only
> if they fail or do poorly at rendering some site, or if I determine
> there is some graphic there I need to see, do I fire up a full
> graphical browser. Fully 75% of graphics on the web are at best
> useless frills and at worst just visual garbage or spam, being
> absolutely optional to the content of the page. Text-mode browsers
> give us a way dispensing with alot of that junk. What isn't
> practical for you or is allegedly only useful in a tight spot for a
> limited segment of computer gurus is an indispensible browsing tool
> that is used daily for some of us.

I had no idea folks were still seriously using text-mode browsers.  I
used them back in the days of gopher up until probably a year or two
after Mosaic was introduced.  Since then I've confined its use to a
mutt plugin for viewing HTML email (in part so I don't inadvertantly
set off a trigger that tells the spammer that I opened the message).

Since a couple of you find it practical to regularly browse the web in
text, I might consider doing the same to some extent.  What would be
ideal is a Firefox plugin that would switch to text-mode for the ad
intrusive sites like about.com.

I've just discovered Yellowpipe Lynx ("YL"), which is a Firefox plugin
that will show a page in text when triggered from a right click menu.
I'm going to find it extremely useful for printing hardcopies of web
pages, because it makes a footnote for every link, and prints the link
address at the bottom.  The problem with YL is that the links are not
clickable within the text.  So it would still be useful to be able to
lauch a Links or Lynx window, which would show links that can be
followed.

What I don't like about text browsing is I'm noticing that sidebars
sometimes appear at the top of the page.  This makes the ads and
lesser interesting items /more/ apparent.  I have to scroll down,
reading through the junk to get to the good stuff.