Re: lynx-dev %s %t

[Philip Webb]

980825 Doug Kaufman wrote: 
> On Tue, 25 Aug 1998, Larry W. Virden wrote:
>> From: Philip Webb <address@hidden>
>>> the problem is the clumsiness of Lynx handling of the 2 strings.
>>> we should improve Lynx, if it can be done easily:
>> Please make sure though that the current behavior continues,
>> since there are hundreds of us depending on that behavior in our setups.
> I can only echo these feelings.

this seems rather paranoid: i've certainly not even hinted
at what sort of change i might offer if i find the relevant bit of code,
nor ever questioned the basic assumption in Lynx development
that existing features, scripts etc should continue to work as before.
presumably, if Lynx could be got to read  %s %t  as i suggested,
it would continue to interpret a  %s %s  as equivalent to  %s %t ,
thus preserving all existing definitions & scripts.

> Lynx is not broken here, and hence should not be fixed.

Lynx certainly is defective here, since it forces users to construct
awkward scripts & take care to avoid reversing the order of %s's .
for many ordinary users, this can be an unnecessary trap to fall into.

> There are lots of working scripts. I have yet to see a note on this list
> about an application that could not be configured to work with lynx
> because of the string-handling behavior.

do we wait for people to fall into a manhole before putting the cover on?

> If someone can come up with more clear documentation, that is great.

that is now done, so users will at least be able to read
an adequate account of how this feature works & how to use it.

> A change in the current behavior that would invalidate existing scripts
> would be a disservice to the community.

when did i ever suggest such a thing?
you really should read messages properly before replying to them.

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