Re: LYNX-DEV collapsing BR tags

[Jason F. McBrayer]

>>>>> "PW" == Philip Webb <address@hidden> writes:

PW> 971106 Cyrille Chignardet wrote: 
>> I'm currently using lynx v.2.7.1 under VMS and have a problem with <BR> tag.
>> If I put several <BR> continously, just one is effective in the HTML page.
>> The same pages is displayed correctly with previous release of lynx.
>> What's this trouble??

Correct display is in the eye of the beholder on the WWW.

PW> i'm tempted to say some hyper-prescriptive developer around Lynx
PW> 2-6 or 2-7, but that might not be tactful.  i got caught by this
PW> too once.

PW> you can restore the natural rational sensible behaviour of treating
PW> each  <BR>  as a separate request for a new line by editing  lynx.cfg :
PW> find & set  COLLAPSE_BR_TAGS:FALSE  (it's some way into the file).

I'm not convinced that that's the most natural, rational, or sensible
behavior.  <BR> breaks a line; once a line is broken, can it be broken
again?

It is the most common behavior for browsers, even if it is not the
most sensible.  That in itself might (in the absence of a standard)
make it worth being the default, though I have to say that on a 80x24
screen, lots of extra empty lines is not something I personally want
to have thrust upon me.

PW> when caught myself i searched the HTML rules for authority for
PW> this change & could find it nowhere; nor was a request to lynx-dev
PW> for explanation rewarded with a reply.  maybe you'll be luckier.

You won't find authority for the other way, either, AFAIK.  Whether or
not multiple BR's should be collapsed or not is not defined in any
HTML standard that I know of.  

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