About Lynx Ver. 2.2

About Other versions of Lynx

Availability

Version 2.2 is not the latest version of Lynx. The lastest version is 2.3 and can be obtained from ftp2.cc.ukans.edu in the /pub/lynx directory.

Release Statement

New Features in version 2.2

Completely interruptable I/O
Hit a 'z' or Ctrl-G any time during the connect or transfer process and the transfer process will be halted. If any data was transferred before the abort then it will be displayed.
Configurable key commands.
All command keys may be remapped in the lynx.cfg file.
Configurable download methods
When a binary file is encountered Lynx will ask the user if he/she wishes to download the file or cancel. If the user selects download then Lynx will transfer the file into a temporary file and present the user with a list of options. The only default option is "save file to disk", which is disabled for anonymous users. Any number of additional download methods may be defined in the lynx.cfg file in the same way that printers are defined. Programs like kermit, zmodem and FTP should work well with this.
Better handling of text emphasis
Prior to version 2.2 Lynx put _underscores_ around text that was supposed to be highlighted. Lynx version 2.2 now uses curses underlining to show emphasis. If you are using Lynx version 2.2 and if your operating system and terminal support it, this sentence should be underlined or highlighted.
USENET News posting
While reading news articles with Lynx version 2.2 you should see a link that says "Reply to user@host" and a link that says "Reply to newsgroup(s)"
Reply to user@host
user@host will actually appear as the mail address of the person who posted the news article. Selecting the link will allow you to send a message to the person who wrote the message you are currently viewing. You will be given the option of including the original message in your reply.
Reply to newsgroup(s)
Selecting this link will allow you to post back to the newsgroup that you are currently reading and any newsgroups that the message may be cross-posted to. You will be given the option of including the original message in your reply. Once you have typed in your message the inews program will be called to post your message to your news host.
Local Execution scripts (Feature may be selectively compiled in)
Four MIME file types have been defined as Local Execution types. The following file suffixes map to the MIME types listed above:
When a local execution script is encountered Lynx version 2.2 checks the users options to see whether the script can be executed. Users have the following options:
Always off
Local execution scripts will never be executed
For Local files only
Local execution scripts will only be executed if the script to be executed resides on the local machine, and is referenced by a URL that begins with "file://localhost"
Always on
All local exection scripts will be executed
If the users options permit the script to be executed Lynx will spawn a shell and run the script. If the script cannot be executed Lynx will show the script withing the Lynx window and inform the user that the script is not allowed to be executed and will ask the user to check his/her options.

Execution script capibilities are compiled out by default. Special action must be taken in the userdefs.h file in the Lynx source code distribution to enable execution scripts.

Local execution links (feature may be selectivly compiled in)
Local execution links allow a command to be placed in a link instead of in a script file. Execution links take the form of:
lynxexec:<ANY ARBITRARY COMMAND>
When an execution link is encountered Lynx version 2.2 checks the users options in the same way as it does for execution scripts (see above). If the options permit it, Lynx version 2.2 will execute the command listed in the "lynxexec:" link

Note: Execution links are not supported or endorsed by The World Wide Web developers, it is provided to make it easy to use Lynx as a menuing system. Execution scripts are the recommended means of supporting local execution if it is needed.

Execution link capibilities are compiled out by default. Special action must be taken in the userdefs.h file in the Lynx source code distribution to enable execution links.

Configurable character sets
The default character set can now be configured within the lynx.cfg file. Users have individual control of their character set through the options menu and .lynxrc files. Current choices include: ISO Latin I, DEC Multinational, IBM PC Character set, & 7 bit approximations. New character sets can be easily added by following the instructions contained in src/LYCharSets.c in the Lynx source distribution.
Slight change in forms user interface
Text and password input fields are now active as soon as the cursor pointer is over them. Therefore you may begin typing into the text field as soon as you come to it. Tab, and up and down arrow keys will move off of the text input field. The only problem with this is as follows. If you are in the habit of using the number keys (keypad) the or h,j,k,l vi keys, as soon as you move over the text link you will begin seeing numbers or hjk or l show up in the text field. In other words, your movement commands are now broken. :( You must use true arrow keys or the tab key to move off of the text field. I've tried this out and it seems to work alright. I don't think that users unfamiliar with this will have too hard a time figureing it out. Once you see numbers or letters appearing it becomes fairly obvious whats going on. I'll put a message at the bottom of the screen saying "use tab or arrow keys to move off of link."

Another problem you may encounter is that the space key will not take you to the next page while positioned over a text or password input field. Lynx 2.2 has better keypad support so your keypad PgDn and PgUp may now work if your terminal supports it. In any case you may use Ctrl-F and Ctrl-B for page up and page down.

New command line option -restrictions
-restrictions allows a list of services to be disabled selectively. -restrictions takes the form of:
"lynx -restrictions=[default],[all],[inside_telnet],\
[outside_telnet],[shell],[editor],[bookmark],\
[option_save],[print],[file_url],[download],[exec]"
all
restricts all options.
default
same as commandline option -anonymous. Disables default services for anonymous users. Currently set to, all restricted except for: inside_telnet, outside_telnet, and goto. Defaults setable within userdefs.h
inside_telnet
disallow telnets for people coming from inside your domain.
outside_telnet
disallow telnets for people coming from outside your domain.
shell
disallow shell escapes
editor
disallow editing
bookmark
disallow changing the location of the bookmark file.
options_save
disallow saving options in .lynxrc
print
disallow most print options
goto
disable the 'g' (goto) command.
file_url
disallow using G)oto to go to file: URL's
download
disallow saving binary files to disk in the download menu.
exec
disable execution scripts
added new more informative messages for form links
The following list of messages replace the old message:
(FORM LINK) Select link to change or use 'x' and 'z' to toggle
fixed -dump and -source options
-dump and -source should now work with binary files
Added command line option -show_curser
If enabled the curser will not be hidden in the right hand corner but will instead be positioned at the start of the currently selected link. show curser is the default for systems without FANCY_CURSES capabilities, and the default configuration can be changed in userdefs.h
FTP PASV mode fixed
The PASV code for FTP has been fixed and can be selectively compiled in. See the INSTALLATION instructions for details.