in reply to Re^3: Better perldoc on Windows
in thread Better perldoc on Windows

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.

Cheers Rolf

Replies are listed 'Best First'.
Re^5: Better perldoc on Windows
by BrowserUk (Patriarch) on Jun 07, 2010 at 02:20 UTC

    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.
[reply]
      > 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)

      Cheers Rolf

      UPDATES: 1) added link

[reply]
        ) This thread is about local POD, so no CSS, no JS, no speed problems, no images

        Hm.

        1. No CSS: 
          <html>
<!-- saved from url=(0017)http://localhost/ -->
<head>
  <title>ActivePerl User Guide</title>
  <meta name="Author" content="ActiveState">
  <meta name="AppleTitle" content="ActivePerl 5.10.1.1007 Help">
  <script language="JavaScript" src="tocTab.js"></script>
  <script language="JavaScript" src="tocParas.js"></script>
  <script language="JavaScript" src="displayToc.js"></script>
  <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="Active.css">

          [download]

          And very useful it is too. To be able to tailor *all* the POD on my set up to my preferences--fonts; sizes; colors--with simple changes in *one* place.

        2. No JS:

          Wouldn' t it be nice to be able to (say) double-click (or Ctrl-Alt-Meta-Meta-f) a function/method name in the POD and be taken directly to the module source for that function/method?

        3. No images:

          And no amount of words will ever be a substitute for a few simple pictures.

        I guess the only lesson here is that you hate my way of working as much as I hate yours.

        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.
[reply]
[d/l]
[select]
        Using w3m within an emacs buffer¹ allows me ...

        No need to install w3m, WoMan is core in emacs.

        cperl-mode also has an info-reader interface to perldocs!

[reply]

In Section Cool Uses for Perl