Lynx Friendly?

Too many web pages have links like "You should be reading this page with [Netscape 2 or 3 (which were new when I first wrote this!) or Microsoft Internet Explorer or whatever feature-laden web browser the author uses]. Download it now!" (Such a page uses nonstandard features that may look terrible or be unusable in other browsers.) Whether intended or not, this seems to imply that you're a pathetic loser if you don't have that specific "latest and greatest" browser.

Also, many sites use imagemaps -- those fancy button bars or navigational pictures, displayed as a single image, which let you click in different spots to go to different places. They look wonderful and polished on a graphical browser. The problem is that some sites don't provide alternative means of navigating around the web site. Not everyone uses a browser that supports graphics, and imagemaps come out as a useless single [IMAGE] or [ISMAP] in a text-based browser.

There are many possible reasons why someone would use a "lesser" web browser!

Imagine a "public" library that lent books only to people driving Lamborghinis or Lotus Esprits. An inaccessible web site is just as bogus.

You create a web site because you have something to say (or sell!). People will be interested regardless of which browser they drive. A well-designed web site lets everyone in, without having to give up style; everyone can read and access the same information. All readers (or potential customers) are welcome.

(Even if your web site deals with inherently graphical material like art or photography, remember that people using text-based browsers can generally download and save the image files.)

Making your web site Lynx friendly

I have some specific suggestions you can read.

Read more about it!

• Lynx Friendly pages by D. Joseph Creighton.
• The Dehanced for Lynx pages
• NOTscape sites "renounce K00L" and use only the standard HTML codes, that are guaranteed to work on all browsers.
• Have You Hugged Your Lynx Today? DarkRose explains why all serious webmasters should know how to make their sites "all-browser friendly".

How do your pages look in Lynx?

• Lynx-it -- see how any web page looks in Lynx.
• Public Lynx access at public.sunsite.unc.edu (login as "lynx").
• Public Lynx access at sailor.lib.md.us (login as "guest").
• Other public Lynx access sites (courtesy of Subir Grewal's Lynx links)

Also check out...

• Grig "Punkie" Larson's web pages, an example of interesting, cool, funny stuff, with good writing and sensible organization. For a long time this site had no graphics at all! (His pages are still Lynx-friendly.)
• The Listening Homepage -- again, good material; and completely graphics-free.

The Lynx logo is from an original drawing by Jordan Greywolf, based on the "Lynx" character by Conrad Wong.

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