Re: lynx-dev Link numbering and keypad mode

[Jacob Poon]

On Wed, 17 Feb 1999, David Combs wrote:

> On Tue, Feb 16, 1999 at 06:26:16PM -0500, Jacob Poon wrote:
> > On Tue, 16 Feb 1999, Laura Eaves wrote:
> > <SNIP!>
> > I think it will be bettter to add an option to number form fields and
> > links independently.  For example, when using goto command, '123l' chooses
> > link 123, and '123f' goes to form field 123.
> 
> Please, what BENEFIT from distinguishing these two types of
> things?

Of course there is.  Suppose there is a page filled with links to other
sites and form fields, but I just want to fill in forms, I can just go to
the form fields instead of accidentally jumping to another page, which
will take some time to recover.

> On my screen, at least, they look the same: [45], say.

That's because there is only one way to count.  When two (or more) types
of tags are counted independently, the numbers tags will need to be
distinguished on-screen.

> Why clutter the user's mind by REQUIRING him to learn some 
> implementation detail?

You have not read my suggestion carefully, I suggest it as an 'option',
not a requirement.  People can choose the old counting behaviours if they
want.  Besides, adding an new option != removing old behaviours.

[Much analogies deleted]

I don't see why adding an option will be relevant to Automatic vs. 
Manual shifting cars, or even 'object-orienated' software.  In the case of
car transmissions, they are nowhere as easily modified as this Lynx
software settings (besides, if you really want both auto and manual shifts
in one car, hybrid gearboxes do exist).  AFAIK Lynx is written in C, not
C++, not objective C.  But despite language difference, context sensitive
help is not available in Lynx.