your opinion on the various text browsers?

fflarex · 2008-10-21 19:22:39

What is your opinion on the various text browsers that are available. Do you use them extensively or only in emergencies or when X is down? Which ones do like best and why?

I've tried most of them at least once (lynx, links, w3m, and about 2 minutes with netrik before I decided I didn't like the flashing text), but the only one I feel comfortable with is w3m. It seems to have very friendly defaults, while also being easily customizable (I have changed the keybindings to resemble vimperator). I may not have given the other browsers a fair chance after being put off by their defaults though.

So I'm curious, what do you think of them?

Baha · 2008-10-21 20:03:56

I think we aren't in the paleolithic age, and if we do new tools that make the work and entertaiment comfortable, we must use them.

So, i would use text browsers in emergencies...

catwell · 2008-10-21 21:10:05

I use links2 when X is down only, or sometimes in X with the graphical mode to test webpages with something else than my usual browser.

tonyisnt · 2008-10-21 21:52:40

I use lynx to read long, text-heavy pages because I find it more friendly than any modern browser for that kind of thing.

Procyon · 2008-10-21 21:57:35

elinks and fbv on an old PC is fun.

Gullible Jones · 2008-10-21 22:42:59

Links is an incredibly valuable tool when X dies, IMHO.

cardinals_fan · 2008-10-22 00:18:42

Links is the best, although I still prefer Vimperator and Opera (images are nice sometimes ).

I use lynx in a number of scripts.

Square · 2008-10-22 00:56:43

I'd have to agree and say links, although w3m is quite comfortable to use.
Plus, if need be, links -g can show images in the framebuffer! Quite useful indeed.

fumbles · 2008-10-22 03:01:09

i use lynx, when X has stuffed up, or to visit a link that could be dodgy.

pseudonomous · 2008-10-22 03:01:31

I like links II w/ the -g option too ... it's blazingly fast and usable without a mous , but it can't handle java and flash is right out so mostly I just use firefox. But I fire it up every now and then, particularly when I just want to read a wiki or some online documentation.

I also have run links or lynx on machines with no X server installed, I"ve posted questions to the Arch forums, but it wasn't so easy, since I didn't know (in fact I still don't know) how to past config files into the web forms. I ended up sticking them on a USB drive and posting on a different computer.

ioky · 2008-10-22 19:12:43

I did a research on all (a lot) the CLI software before. My goal at that point is to found out a full function CLI solution for Desktop. So text base browser, of course, is one of the kind I did research on. I found that Link are one of best follow by w3m. Link2 is "OK" through I found it freeze when running with "screen". I'd agree that text base browser should be something come with the core with any distro if not any unix/unix-like system. It will save your life.

Beside the serious usage, I use it to show off to my friend who say those people keep typing in front of the computer are completely freak. Though the one in the movie are freak, in real life, there are many software that operation just by command line. hehe

icetonic · 2008-10-22 20:35:27

Lynx is perfect for scripting, w3m makes the sites look best and links helped me very much during my arch installation
And although it's not a text browser - I really like dillo... I hope it'll have support for CSS soon...

Daenyth · 2008-10-23 02:01:10

pseudonomous wrote:

I also have run links or lynx on machines with no X server installed, I"ve posted questions to the Arch forums, but it wasn't so easy, since I didn't know (in fact I still don't know) how to past config files into the web forms. I ended up sticking them on a USB drive and posting on a different computer.

Try using "nopaste" and just inserting the link.

Procyon · 2008-10-23 11:13:39

Or use an external editor which can read in another file. (:r file in vi)

Profjim · 2008-10-23 12:32:04

I used lynx a long time ago. Been using elinks for the past few years and love it. The past few months, I've been using it almost exclusively, it's surprising how much you can do on the web in a text-only browser. It does some JS and it's easy to configure helpers so that I can view graphics or pdfs (I'm using fbi for that, in the console/with framebuffer).

Tried switching to w3m recently, but though I love the vim-like keys, it just wasn't powerful enough to use for my daily browsing. Elinks hits a nice balance between power and bloat.

IHateSnow · 2008-10-30 15:18:10

I use w3m for referencing the wiki when I'm installing arch. Very helpful to have.

rson451 · 2008-10-30 15:32:35

For anyone who things that text based browsers have no use, try modifying port settings on a router from a remote computer through an ssh connection with no X server installed on the machine.

moljac024 · 2008-10-30 15:39:30

rson451 wrote:

For anyone who things that text based browsers have no use, try modifying port settings on a router from a remote computer through an ssh connection with no X server installed on the machine.

try doing that when the router firmware uses javascript

renuvio · 2008-10-30 19:10:05

I love lynx: I use it everyday 'cause when i'm reading the news online i really don't care that flux of flash and innecesary (for me) images in every site. Only when I want to see something like youtube start the X and use Firefox.

Lynx works great for me, is extremly fast. Actually, i think lynx is maybe one of the main reasons of what i'm using GNU/Linux (that versions of this browser for w32 are not of my taste).

Last edited by renuvio (2008-10-30 19:10:47)

Barrucadu · 2008-10-30 19:31:08

I prefer w3m - sites look nice, and I can use it in Emacs

rson451 · 2008-10-30 21:39:22

moljac024 wrote:

rson451 wrote:
For anyone who things that text based browsers have no use, try modifying port settings on a router from a remote computer through an ssh connection with no X server installed on the machine.
try doing that when the router firmware uses javascript

mine does. use elinks.

Arch Linux

#1 2008-10-21 19:22:39

your opinion on the various text browsers?

#2 2008-10-21 20:03:56

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