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[Tech] Character-based web browsers
+1396728992 UTC | class C { public: C() {} }

Posted on 04/05/2014 1:36:00 PM PDT by re_nortex

With the news about the Mozilla Foundation and the desire of many FReepers to drop the Firefox browser, there are some viable (IMHO) alternatives, both of which are character-based:

Links is text WWW browser with tables and frames. It runs on Linux, Unix, OS/2 and Windows.

Lynx is a text browser for the World Wide Web. Lynx 2.8.7 runs on Un*x, MacOS, VMS, Windows 95/98/NT, DOS386+ (but not 3.1, 3.11), as well as OS/2 EMX.


TOPICS: Computers/Internet
KEYWORDS: browsers; cern; dillo; emacs; eww; firefox; html; links; lynx; mozilla; perl; python; sgml; web; www
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Lynx and/or Links may not be everyone's cup of tea since they are character-based. But there are numerous factors that favor either or both: When I'm on a slow terminal working remotely, this command allows me to efficiently and enjoyably browse the world's premiere Conservative site:
lynx http://www.freerepublic.com
And with that aforementioned single keystroke, a '=' in the case of Lynx, one can see useful information such as this:
File that you are currently viewing
   Linkname: Latest Articles
        URL: http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/*/index
    Charset: iso-8859-1
     Server: nginx/1.2.4
       Date: Sat, 05 Apr 2014 22:27:39 GMT
   Owner(s): None
       size: 514 lines
       mode: forms mode
Link that you currently have selected
   Linkname: Search Free Republic
        URL: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/search

1 posted on 04/05/2014 1:36:00 PM PDT by re_nortex
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To: re_nortex

why would I want to quit the Mozilla suite of services?


2 posted on 04/05/2014 1:41:59 PM PDT by Scooter100
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To: This Just In; ShadowAce
Courtesy ping to both, particularly to loyal FReeper "This Just In". As far as a Debian-based Linux distribution is concerned, this simple command at the shell prompt can be used to install them both in one shot, if not already present:
sudo apt-get install lynx links

If you're using a Red Hat-descended system, this will work:

sudo yum install lynx links

If Windows is your platform, well, good luck. :)

3 posted on 04/05/2014 1:43:14 PM PDT by re_nortex (DP - that's what I like about Texas)
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To: re_nortex

Virtually all of Firefox’s revenue comes from Google!


4 posted on 04/05/2014 1:46:13 PM PDT by tired&retired
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To: Scooter100
Why would I want to quit the Mozilla suite of services?

On that subject, numerous threads over the past few days have been posted here on Free Republic, one of which is: Conservative activist launches boycott of Firefox browser.

5 posted on 04/05/2014 1:47:00 PM PDT by re_nortex (DP - that's what I like about Texas)
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To: re_nortex

I notice Windows XP and Windows 7 are not on the list of compatible OS’s.


6 posted on 04/05/2014 1:52:11 PM PDT by publius911 ( At least Nixon had the good g race to resign!)
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To: re_nortex

None of that makes a lick of sense to those of us who aren’t techies. I’m looking for an alternative, but you’ll have to lay it out a bit simpler for many of us to understand how those choices compare and work next to Firefox.


7 posted on 04/05/2014 1:55:09 PM PDT by My hearts in London - Everett (You think you know me. You don't.)
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To: My hearts in London - Everett
None of that makes a lick of sense to those of us who aren’t techies. I’m looking for an alternative, but you’ll have to lay it out a bit simpler for many of us to understand how those choices compare and work next to Firefox.

Generally when I think of non-technical user's platform, I presume some variant of Windows is involved. Since I don't use Windows (only *nix: Linux, BSD and Solaris), I'm totally out of my element there. However, this link may be of some assistance:

Windows console applications. Web browsers.

I hope it helps! If not, as Kernighan and Ritchie phrased it, "...check with a local expert...".

8 posted on 04/05/2014 2:02:55 PM PDT by re_nortex (DP - that's what I like about Texas)
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To: My hearts in London - Everett

Pale Moon. Almost identical to Firefox.
http://www.palemoon.org/download-ng.shtml
I had it installed, running with all of my bookmarks in less than five minutes. Not a single hiccup.

Also:

From the Pale Moon Facebook page:
“Since several people have been asking about this: Pale Moon is in no way associated or affiliated with the Mozilla Corporation.”
https://www.facebook.com/PaleMoonBrowser


9 posted on 04/05/2014 2:05:33 PM PDT by RandallFlagg ("I said I never had much use for one. Never said I didn't know how to use it." --Quigley)
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To: re_nortex; rdb3; Calvinist_Dark_Lord; Salo; JosephW; Only1choice____Freedom; amigatec; ...

I use Lynx in a bash script to check/update my ping list.

10 posted on 04/05/2014 2:12:48 PM PDT by ShadowAce (Linux -- The Ultimate Windows Service Pack)
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To: publius911
I notice Windows XP and Windows 7 are not on the list of compatible OS’s.

My guess -- and it's only that -- since Windows is unfamiliar territory for me is that Cygwin may provide the "platform within a platform" for these text-based browsers, regardless of the Windows variant involved.

There's one more lightweight, text-based browser to add to the list and that's Elinks: A Full-Featured Text WWW Browser.

And of course in recent Emacs versions, there's always this command (which gives me a chuckle when I invoke it):

M-x eww
That's the mode for browsing the web and it's quite feature-rich but still very fast. It's what I used to post this response, BTW.
11 posted on 04/05/2014 2:13:33 PM PDT by re_nortex (DP - that's what I like about Texas)
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To: RandallFlagg

FReepers help is greatly appreciated.

But I still don’t see the reason to inconvenience myself with something that seems to not affect mozilla.

How would they know I stopped using FF? Call me ignorant.

I do understand the point. Just don’t understand the results of making my web-surfing less convenient.


12 posted on 04/05/2014 2:14:42 PM PDT by bicyclerepair (The zombies here elected alcee hastings. TERM LIMITS ... TERM LIMITS)
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To: re_nortex

Bookmark


13 posted on 04/05/2014 2:17:02 PM PDT by Pajamajan (Pray for our nation. Thank the Lord for everything you have. Don't wait. Do it today.)
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To: bicyclerepair

Well, Pale Moon DOES have a, “Donate,” link. To which I have done just that.

I’d bet that it’ll make Mozilla nervous....


14 posted on 04/05/2014 2:17:28 PM PDT by RandallFlagg ("I said I never had much use for one. Never said I didn't know how to use it." --Quigley)
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To: ShadowAce
I use Lynx in a bash script to check/update my ping list.

You too? :)

Two years ago, I used Lynx to maintain my Titanic ping list. I did cheat just a little bit since I spawned it from Perl instead of a shell script. Arrays, hashes and all that stuff. I'd be dead in the water in terms of the web without Lynx, curl and wget.

15 posted on 04/05/2014 2:17:36 PM PDT by re_nortex (DP - that's what I like about Texas)
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To: re_nortex
Thanks for that backward link to Lynx. Easily worth the ten amused minutes spent.

Fight the Free Sh☭t Nation

16 posted on 04/05/2014 2:21:47 PM PDT by Mycroft Holmes (<= Mash name for HTML Xampp PHP C JavaScript primer. Programming for everyone.)
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To: re_nortex

Internet Explorer works fine for those of us who do not aspire to be computer geeks.

I’ve been using Windows and Internet Explorer since 1998.

Perhaps I’ve been lucky to just use Windows 98, XP, and Windows 7.

But they worked fine.

They have always worked fine.

As a completely average computer user, I have never understood the pathological hatred so many people have for Microsoft products.


17 posted on 04/05/2014 2:23:45 PM PDT by zeestephen
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To: zeestephen

“As a completely average computer user, I have never understood the pathological hatred so many people have for Microsoft products.”

So many were Firefox users .... Now???


18 posted on 04/05/2014 2:24:53 PM PDT by TexasGator
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To: re_nortex

A very small, very fast browser for Linux distributions is Dillo. It’s great on slow connections and pages load really fast.


19 posted on 04/05/2014 2:26:05 PM PDT by buridan
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To: re_nortex

“navigation with your fingers never leaving your hand! “

I use windows. My fingers never leave my hand!


20 posted on 04/05/2014 2:28:10 PM PDT by TexasGator
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