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Cream of the Crop 20 (Terry Blount) (1996).iso
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readme.os2
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Lynx/2 - Beta version 0.4
INTRODUCTION
Lynx/2 is a fully-featured World Wide Web (WWW) client for OS/2 text mode
sessions. It will display hypertext markup language (HTML) documents
containing links to files residing on the local system as well as files
residing on remote systems running Gopher, HTTP, FTP, and NNTP servers.
Lynx/2 may also be used with Telnet, TN3270, and Rlogin clients.
Other current versions of Lynx run on UNIX and VMS. A Beta version for DOS
is also available. See the accompanying Lynx documentation for more details.
Lynx/2 is based on the 2-4-1 release of Lynx.
WHY BOTHER?
I mean, isn't Webexplorer a much better WWW browser than any text-based
program could be? Well, yes, but that doesn't mean that there's not a place
for Lynx/2 as well. Lynx/2 can be used as a BBS Door, providing BBS users
with a way to cruise the Web. Because Lynx/2 doesn't bother loading all
that graphics nonsense, it's very quick. And I use it to ensure that the
WWW pages designed by Decker Automation look OK to the text-based world.
Plus, I had some time between paying gigs, and needed something to do.
What's your favorite excuse for using Lynx/2 instead of a graphical
browser? I'd sure like to know!
INSTALLATION
Unzip this file in a directory of your choice. It is best if the directory
that Lynx/2 is installed in is in the PATH. The file tree should be created
as follows:
acro.cmd
bookmark.htm
buzlynx.ico
gif.cmd
inews.cmd
LYNX.CFG
lynx.cmd
lynx.exe
lynx_2.inf
lynxcp.exe
lynxmv.exe
lynxos25.txt
lynxrc
prt.cmd
readme.os2
sayit.cmd
setup.cmd
about dir:
about_ly.htm
readme.htm
docs dir:
readme.htm
readme.txt
rfc-mail.txt
help dir:
keystrok.com
lynx_hel.htm
lynx_use.htm
help\keystrok.com dir:
bookmark.htm
dired_he.htm
gopher_t.htm
history_.htm
keystrok.htm
movement.htm
option_h.htm
other_he.htm
print_he.htm
scrollin.htm
xterm_he.htm
Samples dir:
jumpsuni.htm
jumpsvms.htm
lynx.cfg
lynx.com
mime.typ
new_inst.htm
readme.htm
test dir:
iso_lati.htm
readme.txt
Lynx/2 requires the EMXRT 0.9b runtime libraries to run. These should be
available from the same FTP site you obtained Lynx/2 from.
All of the files required for proper operation of Lynx/2 meet the criteria
for 8.3 FAT compatibility. Now, all of the temp files produced by Lynx/2 do
as well.
Lynx/2 uses environment variables (those things you set with the SET command
in config.sys) in order to find its ancillary files. In particular, Lynx/2
will use files named bookmark.htm and lynxrc in the HOME directory, and a
configuration file named lynx.cfg in the ETC directory. Lynx/2 will also
put it's temporary files in the directory pointed to by the TMP environment
variable, so there's no need to have a TMP dir under the current working dir
when running Lynx/2.
The next step in the installation procedure is to run setup.cmd. Setup.cmd is
a rudimentary setup script - it checks for the presence of HOME, TMP, and ETC
environment variables, and if they are all present, copies the correct files
to the correct directories and exits, reminding you to ensure to include the
directory Lynx/2 is installed in in the path. If it does not find everything
it's looking for, it will complain and exit. If you should be the recipient
of such complaints, please set up the appropriate environment variables in your
config.sys file, reboot, and run setup.cmd again.
If you wish to be able to read/post news with Lynx/2, you may need to add an
additional environment variable to your config.sys. Lynx/2, and its associated
news posting utility, Inews.cmd, use a default of 'news.' for an NNTP server
address, which works in a surprisingly large number of cases. If, however,
this does not work for you, place a
"SET NNTPSERVER=news.myserver.com"
(with, of course, the proper address for your newsserver) in your config.sys, and
both Lynx/2 and Inews.cmd will receive and post news correctly.
The final step for installation is to edit the lynx.cfg file to reflect
the setup for your local site. In particular, the LOCAL_DOMAIN entry
should be changed to reflect your local domain name. You may wish to
modify the PRINTER entry "HP Deskjet", which reflects my personal
configuration. The usage of the included prt.cmd file for printing is
encouraged. Documentation for all the lynx.cfg entries may be found
within the file itself. There is additional documentation on the
lynx.cfg file in the LYNX_2.INF file included in the distribution.
RUNNING LYNX/2
Start Lynx/2 by typing "lynx" at the command line, after ensuring that
you are connected to the Internet. Lynx should start and automatically
connect to its default start page - the LYNX page at U Kansas. You may
enter your own favorite start page by editing the appropriate entry in
your lynx.cfg file, as described above. Help for Lynx/2 is available
at any time by means of the '?' key, set by default to the LYNX Help Page.
You may start lynx with a command line parameter to connect you
directly to a particular URL. For instance, the command line
"lynx ftp://hobbes.nmsu.edu"
will start lynx and connect directly to the hobbes ftp site. You
may also specify a local file URL. Please note that local file
URLs have the form:
"file:///e:/webpage/djd/index.html", or
"file://localhost/e:/webpage/djd/index.html"
WHAT TO DO IF IT DOESN'T WORK
Email me, Derek J Decker, at djd@cris.com - I'll try to determine what
is going wrong and come up with a fix. You may also try to catch me in
the #os/2 channel on IRC - I show up there from time to time.
Before you send me email, you may want to try running lynx with the
-trace command line option, and including the section of the resulting
trace that shows where the problem occurs. A good description of how
Lynx/2 is installed on your system, what you are trying to do that is
causing a problem, and specific problem symptoms always helps to ensure
an accurate and enthusiastic response.
Unfortunately, the press of other work at Decker Automation prevents me
from being able to support this via telephone.
THINGS THAT ARE FIXED IN THIS RELEASE
Manual Java Support.
See Lynx_2.inf for a description of how ths works.
Support for local editing of files.
INF - based help file.
Added Inews.cmd for posting News.
Complete OS/2 file system support
Lynx/2 now has the capability of using URLs of the form
"file:///e:/webpage/index.html".
Allow for User-Specified Colors and attributes
Documentation for these and how to set them may be found near the end of
the LYNX.CFG file.
Enable Abort from Download
So you've started a multi-megabyte download you don't really want, and
you want to abort? Hit the 'Z' key!
Fix version reported Information
Lynx/2 now says so, when asked.
Support for Umlauts and other 8-bit characters
For all of you Germans and Swedes who have been complaining, Lynx/2 now
displays 8-bit characters without highlighting them, greatly enhancing
readability of those northern European WWW pages.
Lynx/2 no longer requires cp.exe for printing and downloads
LYNXCP.EXE, a simpler program supplied with this distribution, is used instead.
It's dumb and slow, but it works.
THINGS I KNOW ARE WRONG AND WILL BE FIXED IN FUTURE VERSIONS
This is, as stated above, the Beta 0.4 of this program. As such, it
is currently a better than rough port of the UNIX version of Lynx. You Have
Been Warned! The rate at which this program gets updated depends proportionally
upon the rate at which I receive feedback indicating that folks are trying
to use it - there's no sense in spending tons of effort enhancing and fixing
something no-one uses.
The following items are on my to-do list, in no apparent order:
-Add WAIS Access Capability
-Create non-horrible icon (my 4 year old did this one)