Re: lynx-dev bug with :: in URLs

[Klaus Weide]

On Sun, 19 Sep 1999, Louis-David Mitterrand wrote:

> Using Lynx-2.8.2rel1:
> 
> When browsing some C++ documentation the string "::" is bound to occur
> in URLs but Lynx doesn't like that.
> 
> For example, trying to follow that URL:
> 
>     <a href="Gtk_Menu_Helpers::Element.html">Gtk_Menu_Helpers::Element</a>
> 
> gives a "Alert: Unsupported URL scheme" message.

Which makes sense.  "Gtk_Menu_Helpers:" is seens as an (unknown) URL
scheme / protocol.  Since we don't know anything about the
"gtk_menu_helpers" protocol, it doesn't make sense to scan beyond the
first colon to determine whether the string is not a valid absolute URL.
(The rules for that hypothetical protocol might allow "Gtk_Menu_Helpers::"
as the start of a valid absolute URL.)

> In Netscape or IE it works fine.

So they use some non-standard heuristics.

The document is in error, it should have
href="./Gtk_Menu_Helpers::Element.html" or similar.
Another form that would probably work is
href="Gtk_Menu_Helpers%3A%3AElement.html", but this would unnecessarily
change the form of the absolute URL after URL resolution.

   Klaus