Blog 1

Random Talk on Random Thoughts

Use Lynx Browser

| Comments | ∞

Why?

This morning, I saw a post on Search Engine People Blog, and decided to make a summary of it, so that I don’t have to think of the reasons for using Lynx when I’m asked for that next time.

Past usage

  • Lack of GUI web browsers like Firefox and Internet Explorer
  • Text browsers were capable of loading contents quickly, if there’s no connection problem.
  • The Internet wasn’t fast enought for extensive transmission of images and flash animations.

Present usage

  • “You really love text and hate images” :)
  • “For marketing to search engines”
    • “See what SEOs see”: they use browsers similar to Lynx.

Remarks: Due to my laziness, reasons for search engines to use text browsers, instead of “a modern browser”, are omitted.

How?

For GNU/Linux, type the command for installing Lynx. For

Ubuntu/Debian-based Distros

$ sudo apt-get install lynx

Fedora

$ su
# yum install lynx

Microsoft Windows

Refer to the section Lynx Links in the post on Search Engine People Blog.

What can I see?

This is a screenshot taken in Linux text mode.

fig1

Some useful keys

Help

  • Use k for keymap
  • Use h or ? for help

Browsing

  • Use g for inputting URL
  • Use G for inputting URL similar to the one of the current page.
  • Use l for displaying URLs of hyperlinks.
  • Use <Backspace> for displaying browsing history.
  • Use \ to view the source code

Searches

  • Use / for forward search
  • Use n for repeating search forwardly
  • Use N for repeating search backwardly

How to save the pages?

  • Source code
    • Inside Lynx 1. Highlight the link using the cursor 2. Press d to download the source code
    • Outside Lynx
      Use the following command
    $ lynx -source [URL]

  • Formatted output

    $ lynx -dump [URL]
Google's Homepage Downloaded with `lynx -dump` (LynxDumpGoogle.txt) download
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36

   Search [1]Images [2]Maps [3]Play [4]YouTube [5]News [6]Gmail [7]Drive
   [8]More »
   [9]Web History | [10]Settings | [11]Sign in

   Google

   _______________________________________________________
   Google Search  I'm Feeling Lucky                          [12]Advanced search
                                                             [13]Language tools

   [14]Advertising Programs     [15]Business Solutions     [16]+Google
    [17]About Google     [18]Google.com.hk

                        © 2013 - [19]Privacy & Terms

References

   1. http://www.google.com/imghp?hl=en&tab=wi
   2. http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&tab=wl
   3. https://play.google.com/?hl=en&tab=w8
   4. http://www.youtube.com/?hl=en&tab=w1
   5. http://news.google.com/nwshp?hl=en&tab=wn
   6. https://mail.google.com/mail/?tab=wm
   7. https://drive.google.com/?tab=wo
   8. http://www.google.com/intl/en/options/
   9. http://www.google.com/history/optout?hl=en
  10. http://www.google.com/preferences?hl=en
  11. https://accounts.google.com/ServiceLogin?hl=en&continue=http://www.google.com/%3Fhl%3Den
  12. http://www.google.com/advanced_search?hl=en&authuser=0
  13. http://www.google.com/language_tools?hl=en&authuser=0
  14. http://www.google.com/intl/en/ads/
  15. http://www.google.com/services/
  16. https://plus.google.com/116899029375914044550
  17. http://www.google.com/intl/en/about.html
  18. http://www.google.com/setprefdomain?prefdom=HK&prev=http://www.google.com.hk/&sig=0_E8LrWwWohWMriV1EcfDOmEFgqE4%3D
  19. http://www.google.com/intl/en/policies/

Comments