Re: lynx-dev TEXTAREA (was Re: LYNX-DEV Using Lynx woth web "forums")

[Al Gilman]

to follow up on what Rob said:
> Benjamin C. W. Sittler wrote:
> > 
> > [spawning external editors]
> > 
> > Would this satisfy the standards?
> 
> It would satisfy me, but then I run my own mahcine - what about people
> on shell accounts?  I can't imagine most administrators would be happy
> about letting arbitrary people have access to a text editor (which is
> essentially an unrestricted shell) from lynx...

For shell customers like me, you get to a command shell first and
go to lynx from there.  Editing text files is one of the least of
the things you can do.  But in particular, I have Lynx and Elm
trained to use the same odd text editor and the ability to pick
that means a lot to my ease of use (it emulates WordStar keys).

Lynx is running as me and the editor would be running as me.
This is not unrestricted access.

Anonymous-use clients where Lynx _is_ the shell is another story.

Some people (not me) know how to create a jail where lynx and a
few selected helpers are held captive.  That may be more work
than the freenet sysop can devote to the problem.  

Making the external-editor capability something one can compile
out has been discussed as the appropriate accomodation for those
with editor-as-security-leak concerns.  Even if this is what is
offered to them, a configure option for hard-coded descent into
(statically linked) Pico instead of the linewise text entry we
now have for TEXAREA would IMHO be better.

Al