agreed, thats why I think that text browsers are a good compromise.
DESCRIPTION
w3m is a World Wide Web (WWW) text based client. It has English and
Japanese help files and an option menu and can be configured to use
either language. It will display hypertext markup language (HTML) docu‐
ments containing links to files residing on the local system, as well
as files residing on remote systems. It can display HTML tables and
frames. In addition, it can be used as a "pager" in much the same man‐
ner as "more" or "less". Current versions of w3m run on Unix (Solaris,
SunOS, HP-UX, Linux, FreeBSD, and EWS4800) and on Microsoft Windows
9x/NT.
And a "real" browser could be optionally used.
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I used to use Lynx a lot when I had dial up--for its speed which came mostly from the fact that it didn't download images and flash crap etc. Then I discovered Opera that allowed me to defer image download until I chose to download them--individually or on-mass, and I didn't use Lynx much after that.
These days, now I have broadband, speed is less of an issue. And with css and javascript being de rigour, it would be pretty much useless anyway for online browsing. For local html, download speed was never an issue, but the restrictions of fix-width only fonts, no css or javascript is. I really cannot see the benefits of the intermediate stage. My browser is always there, and I can quickly flip between several ModPods and my editor and one or more command lines quickly and easily.
Trying to do everything through a single UI makes no sense to me. Like trying to control one of the modern breed of photo-realistic car or plane sims through a keyboard: possible, but crappy. Can you imagine trying to drive your real car by pounding on the uparrow to go faster or downarrow to hit the brakes?
For all it's limitations, html is far superior--for users--to any of the other text viewers, simply because its ubiquity, and open competition, has meant browsers have developed rapidly to improve the UI.
Examine what is said, not who speaks -- Silence betokens consent -- Love the truth but pardon error.
"Science is about questioning the status quo. Questioning authority".
In the absence of evidence, opinion is indistinguishable from prejudice.
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> I really cannot see the benefits of the intermediate stage.
a) This thread is about local POD from perldoc, so no CSS, no JS, no speed problems, no images and (sorry) even no modern plane simulation.
b) w3m does not only allow to execute shell commands directly (type !) it also supports many keybindings of your preferred ed(v)itor. No mouse needed. (Sometimes you just wanna automatically search for a special keyword or only display a certain paragraph)
c) Using w3m within an emacs buffer¹ allows me running the same automization interface (macros) for POD and my source, like cutting code, switching buffer and pasting and running it, without even touching the mouse. The geometry of splitted windows showing my source and POD are automatically controlled, the bookmarks use the same interface, and all the other "same UI benefits" I forgot...
d) And as I said, it's only optional, users could still use a full scale browser if they don't like these benefits...TIMTOWTDI...
(Sure I could emulate all of this with JS, AJAX, a local podserver or sending FF remote commands and FF AddOns like vimperator and It's all text, plus tools like AutoIt or wmctrl but surely for more than doubled implementation costs)
UPDATES:
1) added link
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