Skip site navigation (1)Skip section navigation (2)
Date:      Fri, 11 Jan 2013 00:41:26 +0100
From:      Polytropon <freebsd@edvax.de>
To:        <dteske@freebsd.org>
Cc:        scotteberl@gmail.com, 'Fbsd8' <fbsd8@a1poweruser.com>, questions@freebsd.org
Subject:   Re: Reading the handbook from console
Message-ID:  <20130111004126.8abe07ce.freebsd@edvax.de>
In-Reply-To: <06da01cdef84$9f327ca0$dd9775e0$@freebsd.org>
References:  <CAJfyLwf3Mr_ijPqYY7xf4=F22X76iZUgq%2B8OfatBVEtVtkZvRg@mail.gmail.com> <50EF0F2B.1030801@a1poweruser.com> <20130110233325.783e1d42.freebsd@edvax.de> <06da01cdef84$9f327ca0$dd9775e0$@freebsd.org>

next in thread | previous in thread | raw e-mail | index | archive | help
On Thu, 10 Jan 2013 14:48:33 -0800, dteske@freebsd.org wrote:
> 
> 
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: owner-freebsd-questions@freebsd.org [mailto:owner-freebsd-
> > questions@freebsd.org] On Behalf Of Polytropon
> > Sent: Thursday, January 10, 2013 2:33 PM
> > To: Fbsd8
> > Cc: scotteberl@gmail.com; questions@freebsd.org
> > Subject: Re: Reading the handbook from console
> > 
> > On Thu, 10 Jan 2013 13:57:47 -0500, Fbsd8 wrote:
> > > Scott Eberl wrote:
> > > > I went ahead and installed the FreeBSD handbook onto my system and I was
> > > > able to find it on disk per the motd notes but I'm wondering if there is a
> > > > preferred method for reading these since they are in html format. I tried
> > > > w3m and lynx and it looks like they are both not installed. Is there
> > > > something i'm missing for reading these or do I just need to install a cli
> > > > browser?
> > > >
> > > >
> > > Viewing html takes some form of browser.
> > 
> > There is no text mode web browser in the base system.
> > Installing one is easy: As the HTML files generated
> > for the Handbook are good quality, they display nicely
> > in lynx, links, and w3m (probably the most prominent
> > three text mode web browsers).
> > 
> > 
> 
> I must know...
> 
> What is Polytropon's favorite of those listed? (and perhaps also "elinks" ?)

Hard to say, now that X is everywhere... :-)

In the past, I've started using lynx because it was "the
default". Somehow I even tend to remember that it was part
of the default installation in around FreeBSD 4 or so...
but that could be wrong.

Later on I tried w3m and also found it usable.

Today I'd say I prefer links for interactive text mode
browsing. Still "lynx -dump" is a welcome tool in some
of my scripts, and never change a running system. :-)

Reading the pkg-descr of elinks it seems to bring lots
of extensions, some interesting, some not that interesting
(at least for the use discussed here: reading FreeBSD
supplied local documentation: no need for cookies, scripts,
or HTTP referers). Other features like the ability to
render tables might be a reason not to use a browser
that cannot do this (maybe lynx can't?).



> (and do you enable console graphics?)

No, I have to admit that I've never even _tried_ that.
Somehow deep inside my brain there's the statement that
"graphics in console mode is libvga which is for Linux,
not for FreeBSD", but that might not apply anymore.

However, The FreeBSD Handbook and the FAQ mostly contain
text, I mean, that's what they are about, and for reading
text I don't see a need for graphics. If I want graphics,
I have X. :-)



-- 
Polytropon
Magdeburg, Germany
Happy FreeBSD user since 4.0
Andra moi ennepe, Mousa, ...



Want to link to this message? Use this URL: <https://mail-archive.FreeBSD.org/cgi/mid.cgi?20130111004126.8abe07ce.freebsd>