Re: lynx-dev dotless IP-address in URLs

[David Woolley]

> 
> I've noted some web-owners use dot-less IP-adresses in their URLs for
> some reason. To make it harder for non-Windows users to connect maybe?

The reason is to try to make it more difficult to trace and close the
illegal web server and to try to work round firewall rules which restrict
the sites available.  Generally these sites couldn't care less one way
or another about non-windows users as there are just too few of them
(although I would note that the Linux traceroute has had no problem in
handling these addresses when I have been tracing the ISP hosting the
web site advertised in a spam - in fact, I believe tolerance of this
form originates in BSD Unix).

> Do you think it could be a job for Lynx to try to decode these to a
> "dot address" before connecting.

They are illegal URLs used for illegal purposes - I see no reason at
all why Lynx should support them.