[Tech] Character-based web browsers

+1396728992 UTC | class C { public: C() {} }

[re_nortex]

With the news about the Mozilla Foundation and the desire of many FReepers to drop the Firefox browser, there are some viable (IMHO) alternatives, both of which are character-based:

Links is text WWW browser with tables and frames. It runs on Linux, Unix, OS/2 and Windows.

Lynx is a text browser for the World Wide Web. Lynx 2.8.7 runs on Un*x, MacOS, VMS, Windows 95/98/NT, DOS386+ (but not 3.1, 3.11), as well as OS/2 EMX.

[re_nortex]

Lynx and/or Links may not be everyone's cup of tea since they are character-based. But there are numerous factors that favor either or both:

• You get the source code, allowing you to inspect or fully customize it.
• Free Republic is free of needless eye-candy, JavaScript, Flash and such. Since content rules on FR, a text-only browser is well suited for this site.
• Speed! Since HTML is rendered in pure text form on your terminal, they are incredibly fast. For dialup or slow DSL, either one will make browsing enjoyable again.
• No mouse is needed. Efficient keybindings allow ease of navigation with your fingers never leaving your hand! :)
• Pre-built binaries are available if you choose not to build from source.
• One keystroke allows you to see the page source and the OS/httpd server providing the content.

When I'm on a slow terminal working remotely, this command allows me to efficiently and enjoyably browse the world's premiere Conservative site:

lynx http://www.freerepublic.com

And with that aforementioned single keystroke, a '=' in the case of Lynx, one can see useful information such as this:

File that you are currently viewing
   Linkname: Latest Articles
        URL: http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/*/index
    Charset: iso-8859-1
     Server: nginx/1.2.4
       Date: Sat, 05 Apr 2014 22:27:39 GMT
   Owner(s): None
       size: 514 lines
       mode: forms mode
Link that you currently have selected
   Linkname: Search Free Republic
        URL: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/search

[Scooter100]

why would I want to quit the Mozilla suite of services?

[re_nortex]

Courtesy ping to both, particularly to loyal FReeper "This Just In". As far as a Debian-based Linux distribution is concerned, this simple command at the shell prompt can be used to install them both in one shot, if not already present:

sudo apt-get install lynx links

If you're using a Red Hat-descended system, this will work:

sudo yum install lynx links

If Windows is your platform, well, good luck. :)

[tired&retired]

Virtually all of Firefox’s revenue comes from Google!

[re_nortex]

Why would I want to quit the Mozilla suite of services?

On that subject, numerous threads over the past few days have been posted here on Free Republic, one of which is: Conservative activist launches boycott of Firefox browser.

[publius911]

I notice Windows XP and Windows 7 are not on the list of compatible OS’s.

[My hearts in London - Everett]

None of that makes a lick of sense to those of us who aren’t techies. I’m looking for an alternative, but you’ll have to lay it out a bit simpler for many of us to understand how those choices compare and work next to Firefox.

[re_nortex]

None of that makes a lick of sense to those of us who aren’t techies. I’m looking for an alternative, but you’ll have to lay it out a bit simpler for many of us to understand how those choices compare and work next to Firefox.

Generally when I think of non-technical user's platform, I presume some variant of Windows is involved. Since I don't use Windows (only *nix: Linux, BSD and Solaris), I'm totally out of my element there. However, this link may be of some assistance:

Windows console applications. Web browsers.

I hope it helps! If not, as Kernighan and Ritchie phrased it, "...check with a local expert...".

[RandallFlagg]

Pale Moon. Almost identical to Firefox.
http://www.palemoon.org/download-ng.shtml
I had it installed, running with all of my bookmarks in less than five minutes. Not a single hiccup.

Also:

From the Pale Moon Facebook page:
“Since several people have been asking about this: Pale Moon is in no way associated or affiliated with the Mozilla Corporation.”
https://www.facebook.com/PaleMoonBrowser

[ShadowAce]

I use Lynx in a bash script to check/update my ping list.

[re_nortex]

I notice Windows XP and Windows 7 are not on the list of compatible OS’s.

My guess -- and it's only that -- since Windows is unfamiliar territory for me is that Cygwin may provide the "platform within a platform" for these text-based browsers, regardless of the Windows variant involved.

There's one more lightweight, text-based browser to add to the list and that's Elinks: A Full-Featured Text WWW Browser.

And of course in recent Emacs versions, there's always this command (which gives me a chuckle when I invoke it):

M-x eww

That's the mode for browsing the web and it's quite feature-rich but still very fast. It's what I used to post this response, BTW.

[bicyclerepair]

FReepers help is greatly appreciated.

But I still don’t see the reason to inconvenience myself with something that seems to not affect mozilla.

How would they know I stopped using FF? Call me ignorant.

I do understand the point. Just don’t understand the results of making my web-surfing less convenient.

[Pajamajan]

Bookmark

[RandallFlagg]

Well, Pale Moon DOES have a, “Donate,” link. To which I have done just that.

I’d bet that it’ll make Mozilla nervous....

[re_nortex]

I use Lynx in a bash script to check/update my ping list.

You too? :)

Two years ago, I used Lynx to maintain my Titanic ping list. I did cheat just a little bit since I spawned it from Perl instead of a shell script. Arrays, hashes and all that stuff. I'd be dead in the water in terms of the web without Lynx, curl and wget.

[Mycroft Holmes]

Thanks for that backward link to Lynx. Easily worth the ten amused minutes spent.

Fight the Free Sh☭t Nation

[zeestephen]

Internet Explorer works fine for those of us who do not aspire to be computer geeks.

I’ve been using Windows and Internet Explorer since 1998.

Perhaps I’ve been lucky to just use Windows 98, XP, and Windows 7.

But they worked fine.

They have always worked fine.

As a completely average computer user, I have never understood the pathological hatred so many people have for Microsoft products.

[TexasGator]

“As a completely average computer user, I have never understood the pathological hatred so many people have for Microsoft products.”

So many were Firefox users .... Now???

[buridan]

A very small, very fast browser for Linux distributions is Dillo. It’s great on slow connections and pages load really fast.

[TexasGator]

“navigation with your fingers never leaving your hand! “

I use windows. My fingers never leave my hand!