Links functions like most of the browsers you’re used to, with a few changes. If you really need Links because your X.org configuration is messed up, it doesn’t make much sense to start it in graphical mode. However, the graphical mode will require starting a display server like X. I should note that Links can be run in a graphical mode if you want, by running links with links -g.
To look online, you need a browser, unless you feel like reading HTML page by page after downloading documents with other tools. Sometimes looking online is the best way to fix a problem.
#TEXTUAL WEB BROWSER HOW TO#
While manual pages are good for finding out how to do things, they aren’t much help when you’re looking to fix something that went awry. In this instance, some people may turn to manual pages for help. If the user is without a second PC, left her cell phone at home, and doesn’t have a live USB drive with her, how should she fix things? Sometimes, a desktop environment hangs or fails to load, kicking the hapless user into the darkness of the text-based TTY console. And the end result being a much faster rendered web experience.A text-mode browser like Links comes in handy when you don’t have a working graphical environment. And essentially ignoring the graphical based objects in the code. Text-based browsers render the text only.
#TEXTUAL WEB BROWSER CODE#
Graphical-based browsers render the entire code and and present you with the website, as was most likely intended by the web developer(s). Depending on the type of web browser the user is running. But that’s where it’s important to understand that that’s where things change. User types destination URL > browser sends request > webserver responds to that request by sending back the HTML code. Technically, the first stage of the process is exactly the same for text-based browsers. There is always that set amount of lag before the site returns your request and the browser renders the code to present you with the website. But not as quick as what I would call instant.
Rendering of pages on the internet is quick. A typical and standard home connection for a typical net user here in Australia. But for comparisons sake, lets reference my own ADSL2+ connection 25Mb/s. This results in different speeds, effectively producing different render times. Many different countries use different internet connections types, depending on which top dsl providers they use, and depending on what internet capabilities they have. From a worldwide point of view, internet connectivity speeds and browser page rendering can be quite difficult to measure on a worldwide scale. And the experience you get from using text-based browsers is an experience you just can’t emulate with graphical-based browsers such as Chromium and Firefox.īut what I find more interesting from a technical perspective is the fast access that can be achieved when using a text-based browser. You can’t help but get the feeling that it’s the way the internet used to be in its infancy and the way it was originally intended. And in a creepy and geeky sort of way, retro-like. What text-based browsers offer is an experience quite unique. And the newly released Ubuntu 12.04 contains slightly more updated versions 0.12pre5-7 and 2.8.8dev.9-2, respectively. Ubuntu 10.04 contains Elinks version 0.12pre5 and Lynx version 2.8.8dev.2. Either should be installable on basically any Linux distribution. Both have been well developed and get continued support and updates. The two most popular such browsers being Elinks and Lynx. You might find it surprising that they are actually very popular among Linux enthusiasts. What if you only want to see the text, information and don’t care about all the fancy extras and graphics? That’s where text-based browsers come into play. Sure, we can minimize the amount of graphics that our browsers present us, with the use of ad-blockers. With most websites carrying a lot of flashy graphics, banners and advertisements. We live in a flashy world when it comes to the world-wide-web.