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I get every webpage as text-only I can reformat webpages into formatted text exactly the way I want it; I can save the important bits into an SQL database (I l

• tombert 1y ago
  Which browser do you use? W3m? Elinks?
  • 2b3a51 1y ago
    I'd like to know what post above yours is using as well. I'm posting this from the venerable links in a terminal. HN works OK on a text mode browser, including find in page. This level of functionality isn't the rule though.
    • 1vuio0pswjnm7 1y ago
      "HN works OK on a text mode browser, including find in page." Perhaps that's one reason why I spend so much time on HN "95% of the time", I am a text-mode command line user, no graphics layer (note difference between "text-mode" and "terminal"; I'm not using the later) I make choices in software based on what I think works well for command line use and what fits own aesthetic preferences TBH I have no idea what are other peoples' preferred aesthetics, I only know mine Currently, I submit/reply/edit on HN using tiny shell scripts, no browser (TCP client to send the HTTP, custom text-processing filter to format the request body) I search HN using a local SQLite database and a shell one-liner I read HN using links (modified with some personal changes) In the past I have stated that I use links as an "HTML reader"; I do not necessarily use links to make HTTP requests nor do I necessarily consume all webpage content as HTML; mostly I am using links to read HTML offline, e.g., an HTML file saved to a tmpfs directory The point I'm trying to make when I mention I'm not using a popular browser is that, according to the design of the www, www users (e.g., me) get to choose the software, not web developers or website operators As such, I would not expect any other www users to necessarily use the same software; nor would I expect any www user to care about any other www user's personal preferences, particularly mine; others could have different expectations Each www user can choose whatever software they want, including software that isn't popular When I mention I'm not using a popular browser, I sometimes get these "what browser are you using" comments I'm not inclined to answer because I think it distracts from the point I am trying to make; it's a tangent, a red herring I wish the question was something like "how do you view [example.com]", where example.com is some website the commenter visits that causes them to believe popular web browsers are required for _every_ website Chances are, I do not visit the same website; every www user is different But if I knew what this website was, then perhaps I could demonstrate how I might extract the information I wanted from it and read it as a text file
      • 2b3a51 1y ago
        Thank you for taking the time to write this detailed description of your methodology for reading and interacting with Web sites. I found it interesting and I'm going to look a little more closely at what actually happens when I type a Web address into a browser address bar! I don't spend that much time on HN hence the delay in replying. > "I'm not inclined to answer because I think it distracts from the point I am trying to make; it's a tangent, a red herring" I sort of guessed that you were not using a 'standard' Web browser (tui or gui) which is why I became interested. At least you now have a text that you can post a link to next time someone becomes insistent about this.
        • 1vuio0pswjnm7 1y ago
          "At least you now have a text that you can post a link to next time someone becomes insistent about this." Exactly right, that's the idea HN commenters sometimes ask for "a writeup" I think it's interesting that you use links and consider it venerable
• Y_Y 1y ago
  I wish I could live like this, but I don't use the internet just for pleasure. There are things like buying flights, buying concert tickets, anything with a bank, etc. that require exactly the setup that the web developer had, lest the site explode. It's also very difficult to delegate since they'll want some cybersecurity theatre "verifciation" that requires multiple devices, cursed mobile apps, and "selfies". I don't see any way around this apart from not taking flights, or paying a lot more for these privileges.
  • 1vuio0pswjnm7 1y ago
    "I don't see any way around this apart from not taking flights, or paying a lot more for these privileges" But someone else might see ways around it; not every www user is the same For example, it's possible to use a popular browser for banking and purchasing tickets while using some other program(s) for reading and commenting on HN If one only ever uses the internet for banking and purchasing tickets, and refrains from any noncommercial use, e.g., reading HN submissions and commenting on them, then a popular web browser might be all one ever needs But how many websites submitted to HN require "cybersecurity theatre "verification" that requires multiple devices, cursed mobile apps, and "selfies"" Other www users might only spend a relatively small amount of their internet usage making purchases Not every www user is the same, nor is every website on the internet the same "... lest the site explode." I use a setup that differs from web developers and I have never seen a website "explode"; this includes commercial websites Like the OP suggests, it's just text