Hej Donnie!

google has officially dropped support for text browsers, such as lynx. As for me, duckduckgo is the new default, including a gui browser such as firefox which happens to be the only such browser here.

As the subject implies, I won't be shedding a tear.

Het leven is goed,
Maurice

o- -o -o -o -o -o o- -o -o -o o- o- o- -o -o o- /) (\ (\ (\ (\ (\ /) (\ (\ (\ /) /) /) (\ (\ /) ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ... Æfter leofan menn langað swiðost.
People long most for a loved one.
--- GNU bash, version 5.3.3(1)-release (x86_64-pc-linux-gnu)
* Origin: Little Mikey's EuroPoint @ (2:280/464.113)

google has officially dropped support for text browsers, such as lynx. As for

Hmm, well that is some BS. On an older machine, I am using links2 with a search called frogfind. It will (usually) translate pages into plain text
but there are some that it cannot render.

Mike


* SLMR 2.1a * Have a (cute) electrician check your shorts.
--- SBBSecho 3.28-Linux
* Origin: capitolcityonline.net * Telnet/SSH:2022/HTTP (1:2320/105)

Hej Mike!

Hmm, well that is some BS.

As google now says, "Your browser isn't supported anymore. To continue your search, upgrade to a recent version." I don't mind upgrading but in this case it isn't going to happen no matter what google thinks.

I am using links2 with a search called frogfind.

<Esc>:read !links -version
Links 2.30

That looks okay. Always nice to have choices such as;

<Esc>:read !lynx -version
Lynx Version 2.9.2 (31 May 2024)
libwww-FM 2.14, SSL-MM 1.4.1, GNUTLS 3.8.10, ncurses 6.5.20250809(wide)
Built on linux-gnu (Sep 7 2025 02:40:40).

Copyrights held by the Lynx Developers Group,
the University of Kansas, CERN, and other contributors.
Distributed under the GNU General Public License (Version 2).
See https://lynx.invisible-island.net/ and the online help for more information.

Also lynx can handle gopher connections which links cannot. However I still prefer links for straight text browsing.

Het leven is goed,
Maurice

-o o- o- -o -o o- -o -o o- -o -o o- -o -o o- o-
(\ /) /) (\ (\ /) (\ (\ /) (\ (\ /) (\ (\ /) /)
^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ... Eall þæt mon untidlice onginþ, næfþ hit no æltæþne ende.
Anything begun at the wrong time will never have a good end.
--- GNU bash, version 5.3.3(1)-release (x86_64-pc-linux-gnu)
* Origin: Little Mikey's EuroPoint @ (2:280/464.113)

Also lynx can handle gopher connections which links cannot. However I still prefer links for straight text browsing.

Thanks for the tip, I don't think I was aware that lynx could do gopher.

Mike


* SLMR 2.1a * Can bankers count? Eight windows and only four tellers?
--- SBBSecho 3.28-Linux
* Origin: capitolcityonline.net * Telnet/SSH:2022/HTTP (1:2320/105)

Hej Mike!

Thanks for the tip, I don't think I was aware that lynx could do gopher.

According to './configure --help';

Other Network Services:
--disable-finger disable FINGER logic
--disable-gopher disable GOPHER logic
--disable-news disable NEWS logic
--disable-ftp disable FTP logic
--enable-wais enable WAIS logic

It looks like it is enabled by default, along with finger, news and ftp protocols. I use lynx mostly for converting html to text and in that case 'lynx -help' will give you all the gory details in order to create an excellent commandline and/or shell scripted html2text function. I can see the gopher capabilties being attractive for a minimalized, low bandwidth app on a smartphone to a properly configured gopher server tasked to provide such a desirable connection.

Het leven is goed,
Maurice

o- -o -o -o o- -o -o o- o- -o -o -o -o o- o- -o /) (\ (\ (\ /) (\ (\ /) /) (\ (\ (\ (\ /) /) (\ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ... A sceal snotor hycgean ymb þysse worulde gewinn.
A wise person should always be thinking about this world's strife.
--- GNU bash, version 5.3.3(1)-release (x86_64-pc-linux-gnu)
* Origin: Little Mikey's EuroPoint @ (2:280/464.113)

Hello Maurice!

12 Sep 2025 19:16, Maurice Kinal wrote to Mike Powell:

--disable-gopher disable GOPHER logic

shame on you :)

see my origin


Regards Benny

... too late to die young :)

--- Msged/LNX 6.1.2 (Linux/6.16.8-gentoo-dist (x86_64))
* Origin: gopher://fido.junc.eu/ (2:230/0)

Hej Benny!

shame on you :)

Yeah I know I'm a bad, bad boy. However I still have and use lynx with the default gopher capabilities left turned on.

see my origin

Yep. Works like a charm. I figured it would make a good BBS. Too bad there are few lynx users to fill the void.

Het leven is goed,
Maurice

o- -o o- o- -o -o -o o- -o -o o- o- -o o- o- o- /) (\ /) /) (\ (\ (\ /) (\ (\ /) /) (\ /) /) /) ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ... God ana wat hwæt him weaxendum winter bringað.
Only God knows what the years will bring the growing child.
--- GNU bash, version 5.3.3(1)-release (x86_64-pc-linux-gnu)
* Origin: Little Mikey's EuroPoint @ (2:280/464.113)

Hello Maurice!

11 Oct 2025 09:57, Maurice Kinal wrote to Benny Pedersen:

shame on you :)

Yeah I know I'm a bad, bad boy. However I still have and use lynx
with the default gopher capabilities left turned on.

is it better ?, links is more like a non gui version of seamonkey imho :=)

see my origin

Yep. Works like a charm. I figured it would make a good BBS. Too
bad there are few lynx users to fill the void.

thanks for testing, i had reports it did not work, but simply gopher client on windows works, and on android it does aswell


Regards Benny

... too late to die young :)

--- Msged/LNX 6.1.2 (Linux/6.17.1-gentoo-dist (x86_64))
* Origin: gopher://fido.junc.eu/ (2:230/0)

Hej Benny!

is it better ?

lynx is the only web app I currently have that can successfully do gopher protocol. links is a no show thus far but then again I haven't really researched it. I think w3m might also work but to be honest I am happy with lynx and have other uses for it.

thanks for testing, i had reports it did not work

It works great. No complaints about it from this direction.

Het leven is goed,
Maurice

-o -o -o -o -o -o -o -o -o -o o- o- -o -o o- -o
(\ (\ (\ (\ (\ (\ (\ (\ (\ (\ /) /) (\ (\ /) (\
^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ... Man byþ on myrgþe his magan leof; sceal þeah anra gehwylc oðrum swican.
Man in joy is dear to his kin; but they will have to part.
--- GNU bash, version 5.3.3(1)-release (x86_64-pc-linux-gnu)
* Origin: Little Mikey's EuroPoint @ (2:280/464.113)

On 2025-09-11, Maurice Kinal <Maurice.Kinal@p113.f464.n280.z2.fidonet> wrote:

Hej Donnie!

google has officially dropped support for text browsers, such as lynx. As for me, duckduckgo is the new default, including a gui browser such as firefox which happens to be the only such browser here.

As the subject implies, I won't be shedding a tear.

Het leven is goed,
Maurice

o- -o -o -o -o -o o- -o -o -o o- o- o- -o -o o-
/) (\ (\ (\ (\ (\ /) (\ (\ (\ /) /) /) (\ (\ /) ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ... Æfter leofan menn langað swiðost.
People long most for a loved one.
--- GNU bash, version 5.3.3(1)-release (x86_64-pc-linux-gnu)
* Origin: Little Mikey's EuroPoint @ (2:280/464.113)

Head to https://lite.duckduckgo.com just in case.

Also:

https://farside.link <- debloated replacement
gopher://magical.fish <- shitload of services,
from news, RSS feeds and a online translator
over gopher.
gopher://bitreich.org/1/lawn <- tons of links
--- SBBSecho 3.33-Linux
* Origin: Vertrauen - [vert/cvs/bbs].synchro.net (1:103/705)

Hey Rob????

Head to https://lite.duckduckgo.com just in case.

That works. So far, so good.

I'll have to check the rest later. Thank you for the heads up.

Дуже груви,
Maurice

o- o- -o -o -o o- o- o- -o o- -o o-
/) /) (\ (\ (\ /) /) /) (\ /) (\ /)
^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^
... Ne byð þæt fele freond, se þe oþrum facn heleð.
He who harbours treachery against another is not a faithful friend.
--- GNU bash, version 5.3.3(1)-release (x86_64-pc-linux-gnu)
* Origin: Little Mikey's Brain - Ladysmith BC, Canada (1:153/7001)

�ਢ��, Maurice!

15 ��� 25 14:26, Maurice Kinal -> Real User:

Head to https://lite.duckduckgo.com just in case.

That works. So far, so good.

opens for me too.

Дуже груви,

which codepage is this phrase?

antiofftopic: what is best gother server & client also from security history point of view?

I'ven't used gother for lots of years. What shouuld I do to add support for it in Alt Linux for example?

By good security history I mean the VM with this stuff is not getting owned by someeone not so lazy to
place a web trap. :-) Do people still develop gother servers and clients?

Best wishes, Oleg.

--- -��⭮ � ���, � ⮫쪮 ��࠭��. � ᮫�� ����.
* Origin: � �� ��த ����騩��... (2:6078/80.1354)

Hey Oleg!

Дуже груви,

which codepage is this phrase?

utf-8. They are cyrillic characters, not unlike your cp866 characters, except far more universal.

For the record, it is half-assed Ukrainian/Canadian the first word translates to "Very" in English whereas the second word spells "groovy" (translit). We used to say it that way back in the 1960's and it is pronounced "Doosha groovy".

What shouuld I do to add support for it in Alt Linux for example?

For a client, lynx is the way to go given that it supports the gopher protocol by default. As for server software I have yet to try anything other than using lynx to connect to gopher servers.

Do people still develop gother servers and clients?

Yes.

Дуже груви,
Maurice

-o -o o- -o o- o- o- -o o- -o o- o-
(\ (\ /) (\ /) /) /) (\ /) (\ /) /)
^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^
... Hwæt bið betst and wyrst? Ic ðe secge, mannes word.
What is the best and the worst thing? I tell you, man's word.
--- GNU bash, version 5.3.3(1)-release (x86_64-pc-linux-gnu)
* Origin: Little Mikey's Brain - Ladysmith BC, Canada (1:153/7001)