Re: LYNX-DEV You'll love "progress"...

[Jason F. McBrayer]

>>>>> "DC" == David Combs <address@hidden> writes:

DC> QUESTIONS re java-only (and) javascript pages:
DC> 1> Staying within text-only mode, is there any way
DC>    for lynx to at least SAY what the problem is,
DC>    ie that this is java-only page, or that it has
DC>    java-script on it.

Sure.  If people would use the SCRIPT and APPLET tags properly,
alternative content would be included for scripts and applets.  I
don't know that there's anything Lynx could do that wouldn't cause
problems on the few pages where someone uses SCRIPT or APPLET as
intended by the W3C.

DC> 2> If java, how does one download to one's own computer
DC>    the java program so as to run it on one's own appletviewer
DC>    (this question assumes using a "shell account" and thus
DC>    text-only possibility for display while connected to ISP.)?

Assuming a shell account (lynx is not running locally), not much?  You
could download the main classfile for the applet, but you don't know
what other class files you need to get or what other files the applet
would need.  Probably it's out of the question.

If you're running Lynx locally over a real TCP/IP connection, Java is
easy.  You just install appletviewer as an external or a downloader.
Should work fine under Unix, OS/2 or Win32.

DC> 3> Any other ideas?

It occurs to me that the page in question
(http://www.ford.com/us/index2.html) doesn't do anything with
javascript that would be out of the question for a BarryScript-enabled
Lynx.  Basically it just stuffs all of the page content into a
javascript variable and writes it out with document.write().  Which is
clearly a foolish and almost impossibly wrong-headed thing to do, and
one wonders why they went to such lengths to do the Wrong Thing.  But
however bizarre, it's nothing a future Lynx couldn't handle
if it had to.

DC> 4> Is there any way a java-app CAN be "text only", or provide the
DC> text-only alternative that one can have in HTML?  (For us to ask
DC> sites to use).

Every java app I've ever written was text-only.  Of course, that
only includes "HelloWorld.class".  Applets are a little different,
especially as used as web-clutter.  Java is a nice language and a Good
Thing, but it doesn't belong on the WWW.  I don't think there's much
of a comprehensive way of doing a text-only alternative; however, the
APPLET tag in HTML content does allow you to provide alternative
content:

<APPLET CODE="Frippery.class" WIDTH="500" HEIGHT="300">
Thank the gods your browser does not support Java or you have Java
turned off.
</APPLET>

No problem, if people would use it.

-- 
+----------------------------------------------------------------+
| Jason F. McBrayer              address@hidden |
| The scalloped tatters of the King in Yellow must hide Yhtill   |   
| forever.                   (R.W. Chambers _The King in Yellow_ |