Re: LYNX-DEV Re: Lynx updates

[Klaus Weide]

On Mon, 11 Nov 1996, Foteos Macrides wrote:

[pulling your last sentence up here, to comment on it first:]

>       See.  You don't have a monopoly on being verbose. :) :)

I, at least, appreciate *all* your longer mails.  I assume I am not
the only one.

> Klaus Weide <address@hidden> wrote:
> >On Sun, 10 Nov 1996, Foteos Macrides wrote:
> >
> >>[ Klaus Weide <address@hidden> wrote:]
> >> 
> >> >Now, is someody gonna try those damn patches and report on it, or do I
> >> >have to go on and on in long-winded messages [...]
> >> 
> >>    Please do your best not to be long-winded, but we'll try to
> >> cope with it if there's no alternative. :) :) :)
> >
> >Well it seems to have gotten me somewhere :)
> 
>       Let's be clear about that, to avoid inappropriate future
> behavior based on false assumptions.  I had already worked your DIRED
> mods into lynx2-6mods.zip when your rant arrived.  My initial reaction
> to the rant was "address@hidden you, Klaus!"  I "coped" with it by posting a
> psuedo-humorous, psuedo-put_down with smilies. 

Well, thanks for making that clear now.  I am not very good at interpreting
smilies in just the right way, and didn't get that message.  I did get it
now..

I am (of course) not seriously thinking that things get included in
an approved, or semi-approved, code set because of any rants.
(The only thing it *may* achieve is get more attention for something...) 

In my "rant mail", I started by making some factual statements (which
were porbably already unnecessary, since I had made them before), then
veered off into.. something more general that wasn't directed any more
at you or Hiram.  I was not fully aware that the result would be
offensive (just verbose).  

>       I've stressed numerous times before that the Unix DIRED support
> is a mixed-match of contributions over a period of years by people with
> differing skills and overview of the Lynx code and URL handling, and
> in need of a major overhaul, but that it must be done by people who use
> Unix as their primary platform, just as the colorization mods should be
> supervised by someone who uses Unix as his/her primary platform (since
> if done at all on VMS, it would be done with "emulation functions", and
> there's no point emulating a still moving target).

The "major overhaul" is something I didn't attempt (as you know); for
one thing I am not *that* much interested in the DIRED mode myself,
for another I feel that I lack the "overview of the Lynx code and URL 
handling" needed.  I may have voiced some opinion on how URLs _should_
be handled, but that doesn't mean I understand how they _are_ handled,
especially how more extensive changes in the DIRED mode handling would 
interact with HTFile.c, the HTML parsing, etc.  Regard some of my
messages on this topic as an attempt to find out whether some of the
people with either a strong interest in the DIRED specific code, or
a knowledge why it is written the way it is, are still around.  (*You*
probably knew that they aren't, but I didn't know that...) 

>       On VMS, we have CSwing for graphic-like file/directory management
> with VTxxx terminal interfaces.  It's an XTREE-like program, which does
> more, with *much* fancier displays (based on the much fancier SGM$ rather
> than curses library) and command features than could be done via Lynx
> without at least doubling the size of the Lynx image, so there's no point
> adding that to Lynx, when CSwing already exists.

I believe I have seen it once, a long time ago...  
Anyway, the end result of all this seems to be that, currently, there
is not much interest in (or support for) _extending_ the DIRED capabilities.
Some basic capabilities for file/directory management are wanted, and
should stay there (and maybe cleaned up a bit more).  Which is in line
with how Lynx is treating e.g. news or mail: it gives some basic functions,
but doesn't attempt to be a full-featured newsreader or mail user agent.  
(Unlike Netscape etc.)

[ Replies regarding the other topics will follow in separate mail. ]

  Klaus

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