Re: LYNX-DEV extension languages for Lynx

[David Combs]

> From address@hidden Thu Jan  8 19:28:01 1998
> Date: Fri, 9 Jan 1998 11:47:19 +0900 (JST)
> From: Nelson Henry Eric <address@hidden>
> 
> > With monitor-less machines of HIGH power now
> > appearing for $800 or so (HP just announced one),
> 
> $800 x 60 = $48000.  60 machines is the minimum number
> of machines we could get by with to handle the student
> population here.  Unfortunately Japanese businessmen
> are real crooks, and you'll never find a company to sell
> those "cheapies" to a college here.  The powers-that-be
> have requested over $600,000 to replace the PCs in the
> computer lab at our college.  If they get half of it,
> we'll be able to purchase 40 machines!
> 
> > And, since lynx is ascii oriented (well, not
> > mouse-oriented), if there are LOTS of small
> > machines at, say, some university in Russia
> > or somewhere, can't they go purchase ONE modern
> > machine, put a java-lynx on it, and have the
> > dos-machines access the net THROUGH IT -- just
> 
> That's what we do do, but we're limited to telnet and
> vt100 emulation.  Kids these days don't get overly excited
> with ESC[32m or ^G.  Also, the best I could do was a micro-
> sparc, which can barely handle a full class with each
> student running a bunch of screens.
> 


Well, I guess I'm old fashioned, but the CHEAPEST way to
get a bunch of students onto the net via character-mode
programs like Lynx and TRN is via $250 "dumb terminals"
logged into your unix time-sharing machine.

You can use vi-like cursor control -- what more do you
need?  And almost NO overhead on the unix system.

Now, if you can get those little PC's to ACT like
vt-100s, using FULL SCREEN, you can have the same effect
as with a TRUE dumb terminal.

Of the crybabies, be they japanese or american,
will complain "but where's my mouse?  I cannot
use the computer without my mouse!".

"F**K THEM!", I say.  (But I know that is no answer you
can give to these people who supply your salary!
And I'm sure there's lots of people on this list
who would love to say just that to THEIR "customers".)