Seems that my cellphone modem will only connect between 9600 and :gasp: 4800 bps.
Is there a text based browser that I can use with this and get fast results? Even when I simply turn off graphics in IE and Netscape, it still seems to be bogged down with font characteristics and such.
Do you guys know of a good downloadable browser that would help??
Lynx.
Thanks friedo. I downloaded and extracted the 2.8.3 zip file. There is no installation file though. I checked the site and they talk all this junk about ‘building’ and ‘curses’ and all kinds of crazy stuff.
Am I going to have to get a geek to install this thing for me, or is there an easy way???
Generally if you telnet into your ISP, Lynx is already installed. To use it from command line, you type lynx and the url that you want to go to.
Example:
I can’t in good conscience let you use an outdated text browser like Lynx. w3m is the modern text-based browser. It can handle frames, tables, forms, and cookies much better than Lynx. You’ll need cygwin for it, though, if you use Win32.
Bear, it sounds like you may have inadvertantly downloaded a UNIX version of Lynx… Check back at the download site, and see if there’s a Windows version.
I’m not usually one to bump threads, but I’d really be interested in knowing if anyone found a pre-compiled or Windows ready version of this.
Several months ago I read an article about Lynx on ZDNet and I thought I’d like to try it. I was only able to find the one Bear found. And I have absolutely no clue how to ‘compile’ anything.
Or is anyone willing to give me and Bear a quick lesson in compiling?
Otherwise, would anyone care to translate what w3m and cygwin might be?
Thanks,
3Bunnymama
bunny,
http://www.fdisk.com/doslynx/wlynx/lynx_w32.2.8.2rel.1.zip
Download that file and extract it. I did not have to ‘install’ it or compile or any of that junk afterwards. All I did was drage the .exe file onto the desktop and name it Lynx.
After that, to open a webpage, I just go to START> RUN> then type "lynx [web address]. Seems to work fine. For some reason, the site lynx.browser.org is not working on my computer. Will not come up with Internet Explorer or Lynx. And Lynx tries to open this page right away once you open it, then it says ‘can’t find server’ or some crap, and then closes automatically. So just open it with the START> RUN thing and it will be fine. Then once you have it going, you can press “G” and type in a new address.
BTW, thanks for all the help everyone. You were right about downloading the wrong version Chronos. The only problem I have left is that, after I logged into Straightdope I could not reply to anything. Everytime I click on ‘Post Reply’, it keeps sending me to the log in page. I think this is because it is sending me to the previously cached page instead of rechecking for an updated page. This is a minor detail, and I am sure I will figure it out. But if someone wants to post and tell me just how to fix that, I would more than welcome it 
Hopefully I will be posting from Lynx soon.
Thanks for the advice Bear, I got the files alright. Now I’d like to use it - but you cant have everything, lol.
I can’t get the damn thing to start. I type
lynx http://www.straightdope.com
and I get the ‘Unsupported URL Scheme!’ error and the program closes.
Crumb.
I’ll try and dig something up tonight. I have it installed and working at home, and have not had any problems with it (apart from the initial configuration).
I’m 99% sure the Windows version is available on most of the big download sites like http://www.download.com or http://www.tucows.com .
Bear_Nenno, as an alternative approach to finding a text only browser:
If as your OP suggests, the modem is the only problem and you have a reasonably
fast computer, your only problem is to get your browser (any browser) to only
request text from the “remote server” (such as the SDMB).
The most effective way I know of is to use an additional program called a local
proxy. This fits between your browser and your modem and filters the requests
your browser sends out.
There are several of these. They are mainly designed to remove advertising banners
and other such bandwidth wasters.
I like one called Proxomitron. http://proxomitron.cjb.net/ it’s completely freeware.
You may need a geek to set it up for you as it has so many options. I hope I’m not
sounding patronising - I have no idea about your level of expertise.
One advantage of a normal browser plus a local proxy is you can bypass the proxy if
you need to view an image occasionally. A dedicated text-only browser may not have
this flexibility. Plus you can choose exactly how much of the “font characteristics and such” you wish to keep. You can even save a few different settings for different
purposes - the best setup for SDMB - the best for general browsing etc.
I have a reasonable modem but my internet connection is very slow sometimes - with
much the same result as your slow modem. The combination of the Opera browser with
the Proxomitron works really well for me.
Good luck
Try this link for Windows-ready Lynx:
Lynx 2.8.1. If that address doesn’t work, go to http://www.download.com and search for it.
I believe this is where I downloaded it and it works fine for me. It’s also freeware so don’t worry about licensing or legality.
Thanks matt - I’ve got it up and running. This rocks!