Re: lynx-dev Lynx with graphics

[David Woolley]

You'd get treated more seriously with your real name in the email headers.

> First of all, i would like to say thanks for making lynx as i do not
> run X and would not be able to view html otherwise.  I would like to
> inquire as to whether you plan to make a version of lynx capable of
> displaying graphic web pages using svgalib, this would be a huge

Do you understand who "you" is.  The best interpretation for this
purpose is the active developers.  I not sure that any of them are using
Linux, and I'm pretty sure that svgalib is Linux only.  Some are even
using VAX/VMS or Microsoft platforms.

> improvement over the text based format.  Svgalib would allow you to
> be able to use mouse controls as well as format the pages correctly

Mice are supported in MS Windows.  I think Linux console mode mouse support
depends on GPM, not svgalib.

There is no proper way to format HTML pages; this is the key mistake that
makes so many pages inaccessible to people without good eyesight and 
current generation machines.  Pages are misusing HTML as a replacement for
Postscript.

Note that Lynx can launch svgalib graphics viewers.

> using the different font sizes, or at a minimum be able to display

This would not be Lynx, it would be a GUI browser.  I imagine those
with an interest in doing this would be using X Windows, not svgalib.
There are already a number of non-commercial X browsers, although all 
seem fragile.  Even the official Netscape browser has problems with pages
optimised for the (generally more complete) IE4 browser.

You would be better trying to convert something like Opera or Amaya to
svgalib, rather than even thinking of doing it for Lynx.  (I think there
is one more open source GUI browser around somewhere.)  Or, if you are
prepared to accept the licence conditions, with give Netscape the right
to commercially exploit your contributions royalty free, you could become
a Mozilla developer.

> inline images, after a few hours of viewing text web pages it gets
> to be a bit tedious.  Any information you can provide would be very
> helpful.

Use IE4.  It is currently about the best browser for unashamedly graphical
pages, and for that matter frames, JavaScript, Java and ActiveX.  For
Linux, use Netscape and wait for Mozilla.

NB a likely trend is towards embedding MS Windows applications into
web pages.  Embedding alone is far beyond the scope of svgalib (without
re-implementing X on top of it!) and, like it or not, the vast majority
of content providers, who don't care about accessibility, won't worry
that you cannot run their ActiveX or embedded Excel spreadsheet.