Re: lynx-dev default browser on W95

[Heather Stern]

I ate the fortune cookie first, then read what address@hidden wrote:
> I've searched the FAQs and the lynx-dev archives back to '96 and the only
> mention I've found of making lynx the default browser in W95/98 is the
> one below from Lord Fido.
> 
> Does anyone know how to do it ?
> 
> As Fido says, it takes more than an association with .htm[l] files.
> 
> I think it requires a source code change.

Does lynx for win32 honor DDE?  If so, then it probably doesn't; merely(!)
adjusting applicable registry entries in the form 
        ...\shell\open\command
        ...\shell\open\ddeexec\Application

The topic that IE honors is WWW_OpenURL (according to my thinkpad) ...
yeah, I have a token MSwin box around the house.

I can't say if I'd prefer DDE calls of this sort to launch new lynx pages
or change the running copy (a'la <G>o commands).  MSwin apps use DDE in
this way to call the running browser, MS behind-the-scenes launches it
if it wasn't running already (using the registry entries of course).
 
> Both IE and NetScape have a setting to have it 'check to see if it's the
> default browser'. Yet, how do other apps know what to start when you
> tell them to 'start your default browser' or when you click on help buttons ?

I don't know precisely what they're up to when they do this;  but, Mozilla's
source is open, so the answer is findable, even if we can't use the same 
code.

Somewhat more whitebox, save your entire registry to a file, let the other
one abuse the registry ^H... change the default, and then save the registry
to another file.  Run diff or some applicable compare tool against them
to see what changed.  Regedit isn't very bright but it can be used for this.
 
> This implies to me that some component must run in the background or
> is somehow hooked into the OS... 

DDE is the message-passing of the 90's for MSwin applications.
 
> On Sat, Sep 26, 1998 at 08:12:33PM +0000, Fido wrote:
> > Subject: lynx-dev Bots and such?
> > Go to www.eunet.fi/tucows (or similar via www.tucows.com), select winNT, 
> > search bots, download all those freeware programs and make lynx work with 
> > them.. They all need a little bit more than just associating .htm with 
> > lynx.exe.. That darn default browser thingy etc.. ); 

We still aren't going to work with FrontPage bots, or toys that relate to
javascripting.