When Linux distributions appeared for a more or less general public, web browsing was a recent phenomenon, although some progress has been made. Several browsers already existed, many of which were gradually ported to Linux. Some text browsers were in the first wave. And after some linux time has become the main environment for text browsers, where most of them are developed and used. Even if they are for the most part intended not only for Linux, but also for various other *nix systems. There are also their ports for many others operating systems for a variety of platforms.

Lynx - /homepage/

Text browser. Versions for Linux, FreeBSD, Mac OS X, some other *nix systems, DOS, Windows, BeOS, MINIX, QNX, AmigaOS, OpenVMS and classic Mac OS.

lynx.isc.org

Lynx 2.8.7rel.1 in GNOME Terminal 2.32.1, Zenwalk Linux:

Lynx 2.8.7rel.1 in GNOME Terminal 2.32.1, Zenwalk Linux:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lynx_(web_browser)

Lynx 2.8.7rel.1 in GNOME Terminal 2.32.1, Zenwalk Linux:

ebay.com

Links - / home page 1 : home page 2 /

Text browser. Versions for Linux, FreeBSD, Mac OS X, some other *nix systems, BeOS, Haiku, OS/2, DOS, Windows. The browser could be compiled with support for displaying graphics, fonts different sizes with anti-aliasing that works on Linux and other *nix systems both under X (or other windowing environment) and using SVGALib or framebuffer graphic card system().

HTML (including tables and frames)

links.twibright.com

Links 2.7 in GNOME Terminal 2.32.1, Zenwalk Linux:

w3schools.com/browsers/browsers_stats.asp

Links 2.7 in GNOME Terminal 2.32.1, Zenwalk Linux:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Links_(web_browser)

Links 2.7 in GNOME Terminal 2.32.1, Zenwalk Linux:

ebay.com

eLinks - /homepage/

Text browser. Versions for Linux, some other *nix systems, Windows, DOS.

HTML (including tables and frames). Very limited CSS and JavaScript (). Support color palette in 16, 88 or 256 colors. Support for tabs, background downloads with notification of the end of the download. Experimental support for the BitTorrent protocol.

elinks.cz

ELinks 0.12pre2 in GNOME Terminal 2.32.1, Zenwalk Linux:

w3schools.com/browsers/browsers_stats.asp

ELinks 0.12pre2 in GNOME Terminal 2.32.1, Zenwalk Linux:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ELinks

ELinks 0.12pre2 in GNOME Terminal 2.32.1, Zenwalk Linux:

ebay.com

W3m - / /

Text browser. Versions for Linux, some other *nix systems, OS/2, Windows (in Cygwin environment).

HTML (including tables and frames), SSL, color, and inline images in terminal emulators/console that support these features. W3m can by acting itself as an HTTP server. W3m is used in text editor Emacs for displaying web pages along with the corresponding Emacs interface, emacs-w3m for viewing web pages without leaving the editor.

w3m.sourceforge.net

W3m 0.5.2 in GNOME Terminal 2.32.1, Zenwalk Linux:

w3schools.com/browsers/browsers_stats.asp

W3m 0.5.2 in GNOME Terminal 2.32.1, Zenwalk Linux:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W3m

W3m 0.5.2 in GNOME Terminal 2.32.1, Zenwalk Linux:

ebay.com

Netrik - / /

Text browser. Versions for Linux, some other *nix systems.

netrik.sourceforge.net

Netrik 1.16.1 in GNOME Terminal 2.32.1, Zenwalk Linux:

w3schools.com/browsers/browsers_stats.asp

Netrik 1.16.1 in GNOME Terminal 2.32.1, Zenwalk Linux:

freecode.com/projects/netrik

Netrik 1.16.1 in GNOME Terminal 2.32.1, Zenwalk Linux:

ebay.com

Retawq - / /

Text browser. Versions for Linux, some other *nix systems. Linux versions of retawq for DSLinux, a distribution for portable game console Nintendo DS.

HTML. Network protocols: HTTP 1.1 and 1.0, HTTPS, FTP, FTPS, NNTP, Finger().

retawq.sourceforge.net

Retawq 0.2.6c in GNOME Terminal 2.32.1, Zenwalk Linux:

w3schools.com/browsers/browsers_stats.asp

Retawq 0.2.6c in GNOME Terminal 2.32.1, Zenwalk Linux:

freecode.com/projects/retawq

Retawq 0.2.6c in GNOME Terminal 2.32.1, Zenwalk Linux:

ebay.com

Line Mode Browser - /homepage/

Text browser. Versions for Linux, some other *nix systems. And beyond the PC world for VMS, VM/CMS, MVS, Ultrix (DECStation and VAX)

December 21, 2009 at 01:42 pm

Overview of text web browsers

• Linux setup

Introduction

The simplest and at the same time complete definition A text browser is an application that only displays the text content of websites. When working with such a browser, you will not see our beloved pop-up banners. In many current text browsers, content-loading traffic is blocked. The main aspect of the use of text browsers is that they can and should be used in those systems where there is no graphical shell. First of all, this, of course, concerns a variety of UNIX-like operating systems, but there are also analogues for MS Windows. In this article I would like to describe some text browsers and their capabilities.

Lynx

Lynx is one of the first and most famous of the text based browsers. this moment comes bundled with almost any *nix system. Does not have support for tables, frames and Java Script. Distributed under the GNU GPL license.
Often this browser is used to check if the bot will see search engine all changes to the site that have been made. Supports protocols: HTTP, FTP, Gopher, WAIS, NNTP.

Supported operating systems and platforms:
- GNU/Linux, Minix
-*BSD
- HP-UX, Sun Solaris, IBM AIX,
- Windows and OS/2 as well as DOS
- BeOS, ZetaOS

edbrowse

Edbrowse is a text browser implemented almost entirely in Perl. Chief Developer browser Karl Dahlke. Versions for Windows and *nix are currently available. There is support for frames, java script, also has a built-in mail client and proxy support.

W3M

w3m is another text browser. The main purpose of creating this text browser is to create a tool for quick view HTML pages. Similar to Lynx, but unlike it, some operations, such as page navigation, are performed a little differently. Also, unlike Lynx, it can draw tables and frames and display a document passed through the stdin stream. Supports mouse in xterm or gpm console. There is an interface to w3m for Emacs called emacs-w3m that provides web browsing in Emacs.

Project home page -

Links

Links is the most popular text browser based on the Lynx text browser, but unlike its parent it has the following features: it supports frames, tabs, tables and java script. The browser is licensed under the GNU GPL.


Homepage - Links

Elinks

Elinks is a text browser based on the Links browser. There is support for tables, frames, a color palette of 16, 88 or 256 colors, HTTP, HTTPS, FTP and proxy authentication, background downloads with notification of the end of the download, built-in support for custom protocols: IRC, mailto, telnet, as well as nntp and Gopher. Partially implemented support for cascading stylesheets CSS tables and ECMAScript, there is also support for tabs (so-called tabs), and full support I/O UTF-8.


Homepage - Elinks

Links2

Links2 is the closest relative of Links. Unlike Links, it has graphical improvements, added support for java script. There is also a graphics mode. By default, Links2 works in text mode, and in order for the graphical one to be available, you need to enable its support at the configuration stage before compiling. As for Links2's launch graphics mode, then for this you need to launch the browser from the terminal with the -g key.


Homepage - Links2

Netrik

Netrik is a text browser similar to w3m. The main purpose of the Netrik text browser is to use vi-compatible keys and macros to browse the Internet. Works with multiple windows, supports JavaScript, CSS.

As well as less popular, but also quite widely used among text web browsers:
*W3mmee - W3m variant with extended encoding support;

*Debris - 25% smaller than lynx, but with support for forms and tables;

*zen web browser- Console web-browser, characterized by the ability to display using Frame Buffer, ie. can display pictures without having to launch the X Window and show minimum requirements to the size of the RAM;

P.s. Of course, not all text browsers are described in this article, those that I either used or tried to use are described here, as well as the most popular of the existing ones.

We all heard, and with a high degree of probability we use browsers with GUI, such as Firefox, Chrome, etc. In this article, you will learn about Linux console browsers. A text (console) browser is commonly used system administrators to browse websites, as server computers An X server is usually not installed.

As you know, GUI browsers process and display text along with graphics, which looks nice and user friendly. Console browsers, on the other hand, display only text, no graphics.

Popular Linux text browsers:

• Links
• Links2
• Elinks
• Netrik

Links is an ubuntu console browser that works in both pseudographic and text modes. It renders "heavy" pages, supports both color and monochrome terminal emulators, and lets you scroll pages horizontally. Links can be installed on various Linux distributions such as Debian, RHEL, Ubuntu, Linux Mint, CentOS, Fedora, openSUSE, suse, ArchLinux, Manjaro, Antergos Mageia, and others. This Linux console browser is one of the most popular among users, along with Lynx.

sudo apt-get install links

RHEL, CentOS, Fedora 21 and older:
yum install links

Fedora 22 and newer:
dnf install links

SUSE and openSUSE:

zipper install links

Archlinux, Manjaro, Antergos:

sudo pacman -S links

How to use:

links www.site

2) Installing Elinks

Elinks - a fork of Links; fully functional console browser, with great opportunities, can display frames and tables, is customizable and its functionality can be extended with Lua or Guile scripts. This browser can be run on in large numbers platforms. Elinks is also available for various Linux distributions, such as Debian, RHEL, Ubuntu, Linux Mint, CentOS, Fedora, openSUSE, suse, ArchLinux, Manjaro, Antergos, Mageia, and others.

Debian, Mint and Ubuntu, as well as those based on them:

sudo apt-get install elinks

yum install elinks

Fedora 22 and newer:
dnf install elinks

SUSE, openSUSE:
zipper install elinks

ArchLinux, Manjaro, Antergos:
sudo pacman -S elinks

Mageia:
urpmi elinks

How to use:
elinks www.site

3) Install Lynx

Lynx is a highly customizable web browser for use on character cursor terminal emulators. This is the oldest of the browsers. Lynx is available for various Linux distributions such as Debian, RHEL, Ubuntu, Linux Mint, CentOS, Fedora, openSUSE, suse, ArchLinux, Manjaro, Antergos, Mageia, and more.

Debian, Mint and Ubuntu, as well as those based on them:

sudo apt-get install lynx

RHEL, CentOS and Fedora 21 and older:
yum install lynx

Fedora 22 and newer:
dnf install lynx

SUSE and openSUSE:

zypper install lynx

Archlinux, Manjaro, Antergos:

sudo pacman -S lynx

How to use:

lynx www.site

4) Installing w3m:

w3m is a linux text browser that displays pages in text format, and can also be used as a text formatter that translates HTML Documents into plain text. The program works in the window of any terminal emulator (rxvt, xterm, gnome-terminal, etc.) The browser is available for various Linux distributions such as Debian, RHEL, Ubuntu, Linux Mint, CentOS, Fedora, openSUSE, suse, ArchLinux, Manjaro, Antergos, Mageia, and others.

Debian, Mint and Ubuntu, as well as those based on them:
sudo apt-get install w3m w3m-img

RHEL, CentOS and Fedora 21 and older:
yum install w3m

Fedora 22 and newer:
dnf install w3m

SUSE, openSUSE:
zipper install w3m

ArchLinux, Manjaro, Antergos:
sudo pacman -S w3m

Mageia:
urpmi w3m

How to use:
w3m www.site

5) Install Links2

Links2 is a linux console browser, as well as links on which it is based, it allows you to work in both graphical and text modes. It renders "heavy" pages, supports both color and monochrome terminal emulators, and allows pages to be scrolled horizontally. Links2 is available for various Linux distributions such as Debian, RHEL, Ubuntu, Linux Mint, CentOS, Fedora, openSUSE, suse, ArchLinux, Manjaro, Antergos, Mageia, and more.

Debian, Mint and Ubuntu, as well as those based on them:

sudo apt-get install w3m w3m-img

RHEL, CentOS and Fedora 21 and older:
yum install links2

Fedora 22 and newer:
dnf install links2

SUSE, openSUSE:
zipper install links2

ArchLinux, Manjaro, Antergos:
sudo pacman -S links2

Mageia:
urpmi links2

How to use:
links2 www.site

6) Netrik installation

Netrik is a simple web browser that works in text mode, like him similar browsers w3m, links and lynx. It displays voluminous web pages without any problems; its operation is possible in terminal emulators with both color and monochrome support. Like all of the above, it supports horizontal scroll. Netrik has several handicapped compared to the above browsers, which also makes it unique in its kind.

Debian, Mint and Ubuntu, as well as those based on them:
sudo apt-get install netrik

RHEL, CentOS and Fedora 21 and older
yum install netrik

Fedora 22 and later
dnf install netrik

SUSE, openSUSE
zipper install netrik

ArchLinux, Manjaro, Antergos
sudo pacman -S netrik

Mageia
netrik links2

How to use:
netrik www.site

conclusions

In this article, we looked at an alternative to the friendly graphical browsers we are used to. Each of us may encounter a situation where the use of the X server is impossible or irrational due to certain reasons. In this case great solution there will be linux console browsers, as they can provide basic functionality like searching or downloading the files we need.

Alternative browsers

Consider alternative browsers, which are in the shadow of their eminent competitors.

flock. A cross-platform browser with a multilingual interface, built on the basis of Firefox, using the Gecko engine to display web pages and positioned by developers as the first social browser. Flock is tightly integrated with various services implemented in the spirit of the "second web", is equipped with advanced tools for working with RSS, is able to store custom bookmarks on the remote server, provides convenient search photos and videos on YouTube, Flickr and other hosting, includes tools for posting multimedia content in various online services. Strong point application is the interaction with the network diaries. WordPress, Blogger, LiveJournal, TypePad, Drupal and other blogs are supported. To connect to the blog engine, it is enough to enter the address, login and password, while the program includes visual editor A that makes posting easier. Akin to a "fire fox", Flock supports the plugin mechanism. A list of usable extensions can be found in the corresponding section of the program's website.Maxthon. Browser translated into 35 languages ​​for Windows platforms, formerly known as MyIE. Uses Microsoft's Trident core Internet Explorer, resulting in compatibility with all resources developed for the Microsoft web browser. Unlike IE8, it understands mouse gestures, allows you to store the contents of the Favorites folder on the Web and launch selected applications on your computer, includes a screenshot tool and a sniffer that allows you to recognize real addresses multimedia files on online video sites. In addition, Maxthon has an option to speed up page loading, a content filter and a skins mechanism that modify the program interface. As for security, Maxton has a built-in special module an update that, according to the creators of the application, reduces the risk of exploiting known unpatched vulnerabilities in Internet Explorer when surfing.

wyzo. A browser based on the work of the Mozilla community, in currently available as a beta version for operating Windows systems and Mac OS X. In fact, it is turned Firefox, sharpened to work with social and file-sharing networks. Boasts a built-in BitTorrent client, support for mouse gestures and some other options, the usefulness of which is questionable. Being built on the basis of "fox", Wyzo does not know conflicts with Firefox plugins, and the functionality of the program can be extended according to the user's preferences.

Another example of the implementation of the Gecko engine from the Mozilla Foundation, which is launched only in Windows environment. Users may like the system of add-ons that can significantly expand the capabilities of the application, flexible interface settings and the option to change the User-Agent field on the fly. Of particular interest may also be support for macros, functions for changing visual themes, skins and browser icons, a browser control mechanism using programmed mouse gestures. The K-Meleon interface has been translated into Russian, English, German, Polish, French and Spanish. Help for the program is provided only in English.

blackbird. Browser Based Mozilla Firefox, created specifically ... for African Americans. Unlike its platform-independent "brother", the Blackbird browser works only under Windows, it is characterized by black as night, color scheme and contains a set of preset bookmarks for social services, blogs, mail systems, dating sites and others network services, which may be of interest to black users of the program. The rest of the Blackbird is no different from the "fire fox".

Arora. This multi-platform application is based on the WebKit browser engine and a minimalistic interface localized into 30 languages, including Russian. Browser developers focus on high speed program downloads, flexible search engine settings, intellectual address bar, the ability to set custom style sheets, and privacy mode mode, upon activation of which the browser automatically deletes cached data, browsing history, cookies and other information that may indicate what the owner of the computer was doing on the Internet. Arora may appeal to those who need an easy-to-use and not stuffed with excessive functionality Internet browser.

Midori. Another WebKit-based browser available for operating systems Linux systems and Windows. In terms of capabilities, it largely corresponds to the aforementioned Arora, supports working with Netscape extensions, has a fully customizable interface and can perform various tasks when processing web pages, guided by user scripts and plug-in CSS styles. As you can see from the screenshot below, the Midori interface is Russified, and therefore there are problems with mastering software product beginners should not have. The browser does not need to be installed, so it can be run from any portable flash drive.

A text browser that will not only delight amateurs command line, but it can also be useful for working on slow data links. In addition to table formatting and frames, Links supports processing Javascript instructions and cryptographic SSL protocol, has in its composition a bookmarking mechanism, a file download manager from the Internet and a series of other functions for working with documents presented on the Web. The program is ported to the most various platforms, including Windows.

Text browsers