Re: lynx-dev post_data "broken" --- lynx version: 2.8.2

[Philip Webb]

001013 Tim of the Scottish Council Foundation <address@hidden>
wrote re problems with  -post_data  [someone else uses spaces to quote]:
> 1) Docs describe it as reading "properly formatted data" from  stdin ,
>    without actually mentioning what is meant by this.

Lynx documentation leaves much to be desired in many places,
but as a DIY operation it's upto you to fill any gaps which irritate you.

> 2) When one has done enough experiments to discover what _is_ meant
>    (YOU format the data as you like,
>    if you're lucky (or smart) the server you submit it to will agree),
>    it turns out to mean "properly formatted data"
>    from which lynx will strip all the CR's and LineFeeds
>    (and possibly spaces and who knows what else?),
>    i.e. not exactly properly formatted then.
> 3) (2) effectively entirely prevents Lynx submitting data non-interactively
>    in the (superior) MIME multipart/form-data format.  Ironic,
>    as it can do this perfectly well for an interactive user of a form.

many Lynx features were added during the Pre-Cambrian Explosion stage
& have never been revisited seriously since then:
again, feel welcome (genuinely) to fix the problem for everyone.

there was some discussion re multi-part Mime a couple of years ago:
look in the Archive at  www.flora.org/lynx-dev/ .

> The latter seems particulary strange, as I would assume
> that the design philosophy of such a useful tool as Lynx would include
> a principle that (where possible) whatever can be done interactively
> can be done from the command line or in a script.

(wry smile) Lynx never had a design philosophy:
it started out as a device to facilitate student access to a campus network,
then blossomed into the enormous piece of software in use today.

> Hope the feedback was useful

what would be useful is some able & willing programmers,
besides the ever-patient TD.

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