Re: lynx-dev lynx2-8-1/Linux patch for new VTs

[Leonid Pauzner]

28-Mar-99 23:39 Anthony James Garnock-Jones wrote:
> Hi. I've been missing a feature that both Netscape and IE have - the
> capability to open a new browser window to explore sublinks in. As I
> run Lynx mostly on console on a Linux box, I decided to play with
> implementing a "open new browser window" feature using the Linux
> VT_??? ioctl()s.

> It works, ish. Hitting control-O while Lynx is idling will first fork,
> then find, open, and try to switch to a new VT. If Lynx is downloading
> something, hitting control-O will fork, open the new VT as per normal,
> and stop the download (as if 'z' had been pressed).

> There's also the possibility that there's already a way of doing
> something similar to what I want, without having to resort to the VT
> ioctls (which are heavily festooned with warnings in the
> manpages). <shrug>. It works for me :-)

> It's a very naive implementation, obviously, and needs things like
> proper autoconfing (or maybe a #define to control inclusion of the
> feature). It is also deficient in that it is a patch against Lynx
> version 2.8.1, rather than the latest developer release, or even
> the latest stable version.

> Other things to consider:
>       * it has no user documentation. If you don't know the
>         feature's there, you'll never find out :-)

Also it would create problems with cookies
(there is no inheritance or exchange of cookies between two lynx copies
running from the same account, though this may be implemented).

>       * I'd like to see it check to make sure Lynx is _actually_
>         running on a Linux VT before it tries anything at all.
>         For instance, if you're running under X, or maybe over
>         a serial link or something, it will still fork() and try
>         to open an unused VT.
>       * A cool thing would be to extend the code so that it
>         opened a new X window if you're running under X!
>       * I run dual-headed console with an old MDA. I'd like to
>         somehow hack it so it opens on the *other* monitor from
>         the currently active one. Or maybe a separate key would
>         make it try that strategy as distinct from the 'first-
>         unused-VT-I-can-find' strategy.
>       * Is it possible/easy to make those URLs which automatically
>         open a new window with Netscape and IE work properly with
>         something similar to my patch under Lynx? I don't even
>         know how it's done with Netscape, so I'm not the right person
>         to answer that question :-)

> Comments? Please feel free to email me directly, address@hidden,
> or reply to the list (of course). This is my first post, and I'm a very