Re: lynx-dev plugins/helpers (was: When I tell a Webmaster...)

[Heather]

> On Tue, 3 Aug 1999, Heather wrote:
> 
> > 'bout time they upgraded... or you're using the NUGLOPS version,
> > perhaps. (Last time I was on netcom, they were two years behind on
> > the Lynx version, maybe longer.)
> 
> Last I saw of them, the system copy was 2.4.2 just before 2.7 was
> final revision.  Is NUGLOPS still as active as then?  It's the thing I
> miss the most from there.

Sadly, I wouldn't know... about the third or fourth time they made my life
hell trying to renew my shell account, I blew them off, for I had other
personal shells by then.

> GREAT information, Heather... extra ammo for the already-enlightened
> here to make sure the others get with it too. :)

:D  Maybe I'll throw an advocacy page onto starshine.org sometime.  

> One thing I was asked recently though, and lost the bits I had saved
> the info on, was good utilization of calling external programs.  I
> have not yet personally done this since all my Lynx access was by
> telnet to Unix accounts.  Having gotten the Lynx 2.8.1 rel1 and
> 2.8.2pre6(H.S.) programs spread around to all the PC's here, everyone
> is curious if they can successfully get a number of desired external
> programs to launch as automatically as NS and IE plugins.
> 
> The most requested are music modules (typically played with modplug,
> the aim is to send them to the standalone player) and realaudio (for which
> I see an implementation idea in helper.txt... I wonder...is that the
> best way for all external calls, or are there other good ways?) Also,
> the plan is to have a link to the file itself, but is there support (or
> planned support) for the EMBED way?  

I dunno about the EMBED way.  

Ways to call external things:
Least obtrusive?
   MIME types (multiple ways to specify) combined with VIEWER entries should 
   probably do the trick.  

Most obvious?
   Define a new DOWNLOADER entry.

(BTW if the only option on a config is the built in "Save to Disk" why bother 
 wasting a page on it?  Just do it... Yeah, I know, because it would be a 
 decision instead of just composing the page.)

Less obvious, unless maybe "p" for "play" lights someone's fancy:
   Define a new PRINTER entry.

I guess lynxexec, lynxprog, lynxcgi are ways to call external things too,
but they don't make sense for your context.

On linux, you can also use openvt to force things to spawn onto an empty 
console, assuming you have any unused console devices left (and there's a
command to return unused consoles to the pool).  Or you might be able to use 
a sound playing daemon, and just pass it music files.  But I wouldn't know... 
getting sound working again since I last upgraded has not been a big 
priority to me.

* Heather