Re: lynx-dev MacLynx

[Patrick]

In "lynx-dev MacLynx b1 680x0 Error Type 10 when Printing to Screen"
[19/Aug/2001Sun 06:27:51]
Doug Wilson wrote:

> I recently downloaded MacLynx b1 - (Lynx 2.7.1 port)
> and am trying to learn how to use it on my Macintosh LC III
> because I want to use a text based browser.
> 
> After "Printing to screen" I get a fatal error message.
> 
> I have the following computing system:

[...]

It's not your machine.  It's a bug in MacLynx.

> I start MacLynx by clicking on the Lynx icon.
> This apparently opens the Lynx/Beta 1/index.html file
> A window then opens on the screen with the title "TextScape".
> I found that by pressing the "h" key I get to a Lynx Help Menu. (Great!)
> 
> Here I found a "Lynx User Guide" 67 pages long.
> 
> I found that by pressing the "p" key I got to a print option menu.
> 
> I tried the "Save to a local file" option so I could study it off line.
> This worked OK and it saved it as text as a local file in my Lynx/Beta 1
> file folder on my Hard Drive.

OK, somewhere in the ReadMe it mentions that MacLynx can't print
by itself [UNIX printer drivers are nothing like those on a Mac,
I'm sure].  So if you want to print on paper, this "Save to File"
option is very handy: lets SimpleText or some other text editor
open the file and do the actual printing.

I've even got the p)rint command remapped to "s" here, because
"Save" is really the only useful print option in MacLynx.

> Next I tried the "Print to the screen" option.
[...]
> What is this "Print to the screen" option for? The "Lynx User Guide" was
> already on the screen in a window titled "TextScape" so why would I want to
> print it again to a smaller screen?

I think "Print to the screen" is for using Lynx via a shell account.
The text of the entire document scrolls up your terminal [in this
case, a telnet client's window], so that you can copy/paste it
all in one shot.  It's actually not much use when running a local
copy of the program.  [So if this feature is buggy, relax: there's
not much use for it anyway.  ;-)  ]

> There are 67 pages in the "Lynx User Guide". If I am just looking around
> can I go directly to a page without having to slowly step through each page
> in sequence?

Try the "w" command [whereIs], like "Find".  If you know what word
or phrase you're looking for, this should jump to where it is on
the page immediately.

> And by the way, besides reporting bugs, is this Lynx-Dev majordomo mailing
> list the place to discuss learning how to use Lynx (Is this what
> "increasing the usability of Lynx" means?) or is there a newsgroup
> specifically for tutorial type questions?

Well...  As Philip Webb said, MacLynx is old and hasn't been supported
for some time.  Not only that, it's also ported from an old version
of Lynx.  The "Beta 1" you and I are using was the first -- and
last -- beta release for Mac.  No updates since then.

Bug reports for this one aren't likely to get any response, but
do write if you have trouble doing something.  I've probably run
into the same bugs, and v2.7.1 still has a *few* things in common
with the current release, so others might be able to help as well.

> I like the idea of a text based browser. I am sure all the help notes are
> in there somewhere but I think it would be easier to have someone point out
> the obvious instead of randomly poking around the keyboard until one
> figures out on their own how to use Lynx. Is there some kind of "check
> list" of things I need to do or know to use Lynx?

I've found the collection of specific help docs more useful than
the user's guide.  Especially on an old Mac, which may be slow
to render large documents [LC 520 running OS 7.6.1 here, if you're
curious].

For some reason these aren't linked to from the main help menu,
but they're in there [try the "lynx_help" folder].  The file-names
should give you an idea what each one's about.

> I am real pleased to discover Lynx.

So was I!  :-)

> I hardly know the difference between Unix and Lynx so I thought I would
> start with the basics and learn how to use Lynx.

It's probably easier for those who've used UNIXiod systems, and/or
Windows/DOS/OS 2.  Since the Mac has no command line, MacLynx's
interface can appear quite alien at first.  But it gets a lot easier,
and faster, as you get used to it.


One last thing: you've probably noticed there's no copy/pasting
allowed in the MacLynx window.  Kind of a pain.  I'd like to recommend
James W. Walker's Text Capture FKEY for copying text.  Won't help
with pasting, but at least it's something:
        http://www.JWWalker.com/

When the page loads, search for "Capture" or "FKEY".  Should bring
you right to it.


                             Patrick
                   <mailto:address@hidden>
                <http://www.island.net/~pboylan/>


        "It's not a `program' anymore.  It's wildlife."
                                -- Invizigothe

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