wb web browser

Tue Jun 4 23:06:50 EDT 2013

If I am using another frame buffer, will this prevent me from installing
the xvfd?  Also, I have firefox already on the system, what will happen
if I try to install clifox?  Also, what is the URL to get clifox?

Kirk Reiser <kirk at reisers.ca> wrote:

> On Tue, 4 Jun 2013, Don Raikes wrote:
> 
> so knowing that I should include gnome/gdm and then install Clifox is good to know.
> 
> You currently only need to have xvfb installed along with python to
> use clifox. The installation script will pull down and install the
> most recent nightly build of firefox.
> 
> There is a mailing list wb-subscribe at linux-speakup.org will get you
> added to the list.
> 
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Brandon McGinty-Carroll [mailto:bmmcginty at bmcginty.hopto.org]
> > Sent: Tuesday, June 04, 2013 1:51 PM
> > To: Speakup is a screen review system for Linux.
> > Subject: Re: wb web browser
> >
> > Responses are below.
> > Kirk, if you read this, feel free to correct me as needed.
> >
> > Brandon McGinty-Carroll
> >
> > On Tue, Jun 04, 2013 at 11:47:54AM -0400, Doug Smith wrote:
> >> Hi, everyone.  I have recently heard about a javascript/ajax capable
> >> browser somehow associated with the speakup project.  I cannot find out anything about it on the web, but i am wondering if it would be ok to ask for some information.
> > Ask away.
> >>
> >> You don't know how much this will help me out.  If this works, I will
> >> soon be free from the evils of the graphical world.  You don't know
> >> what a blessing this will be.  I have a few questions I need to ask about this browser before I remove my gnome desktop and the rest of what goes with it and have to try to reinstall.
> > First, don't remove Gnome, GDM, or the like.
> > This solution isn't going to fix you right up, and I'd hate to put you in the position of not being able to access what you need to.
> > The old project was called wb. It was a hand-crafted monstrosity, running Google's JS engin, and a python-based HTML parser.
> > Imagine trying to catch an eliphant in a butterfly net. That was what wb was trying to do with the web.
> > It worked, but not for the needed sites.
> > Let's not relive those days, shall we?
> > The new browser is called Clifox.
> > It is a layer between your text-based console and the firefox web-browser.
> > Firefox runs via xvfb, and runs a plugin called MozRepl, that gives access to Firefoxes internal structure.
> >>
> >> 1. Do you have distribution-specific packages available for wb? I am
> >> using debian testing and everything that works in the console is working like a dream on here, but the desktop screenreader is out.
> > Sounds familiar. I've got GUI issues you wouldn't want to believe on this debian stable machine.
> > We don't have OS specific packages as of now. We've got a shell script that installs the browser.
> >>
> >> 2. What all kinds of media and whatever can this browser handle?
> > Currently, it handles webpages, no more, no less.
> > When I get someone with a working copy of Orca and a GUI, we'll figure out how to get a CLI copy of flash installed, and what we need to do to play other media types.
> >>
> >> 3. Is wb as capable of handling imbedded multimedia as, for example, firefox or something like that?
> > See above.
> >>
> >> 4. What about multimedia streams like radio stations and the like?
> > See above. If firefox can do it, clifox should be able to, given a way to install multimedia plugins without an interactive GUI installer.
> >>
> >> 5. Does wb use helper programs like vlc or mplayer to handle all the different kinds of media that can be found on the web?
> > See above.
> >>
> >> 6. Does it have integration for starting mutt on mailto links on web sites?
> > It does not currently, though there is code for content-type detection and mailcap usage.
> >>
> >> 7. How well does wb work with speakup?
> > It's cli based, so as well as can be expected. We need to add in highlighting for better cursor tracking.
> >>
> >> 8. Is the interface more like w3m which I am really familiar with or does it resemble some other browser such as links or lynx, the cat or whatever?
> > If you have used windows, it is an attempt to emulate browsers on that platform.
> > Images and links are positioned on new lines; keystrokes will be used to move from element to element.
> > W3M is _probably the closest in my opinion.
> >>
> >> 9. I hope wb will have some way to keep all those nose-pieces that run
> >> the web sites from trying to track the movements on their sites.  I don't personally think they have the right to people's browsing habits.
> > We can do only what Firefox allows for privacy.
> > However, feel free to add functionality as you need it.
> >>
> >> 10 Can wb be used with surfraw as the browser used when you do a, for
> >> example,
> >>
> >> google fusion reactor
> >>
> >> Will wb come up as the browser for this search?
> >>
> > Probably not. We use NCurses as our GUI toolkit, and I haven't enabled other modes of webpage output.
> > The surfraw project looks awesome, though. Hadn't heard of it before.
> > Again, feel free to add features, or pay me to add them.
> > I happily accept bribes, or coffee. Large amounts of coffee.
> >> 11. If wb is not in a stable version yet, do you have an expected time frame for when it will be?
> > Time frames are nasty things to commit to, especially with something this large.
> > Development is ongoing.
> > Feel free to pull changes from git, and poke and prod me as needed.
> > Kirk Reiser has also been developing Clifox.
> >>
> >> 12. If wb is in a currently stable release, where can I get it?
> > It isn't "stable,", but feel free to give it a shot.
> > You will need git and python2.6+.
> > git clone http://bmcginty.hopto.org/clifox.git
> > Be warned.
> > Because of the configuration that Clifox uses, your current Firefox profiles will be erased.
> > I will work on this soonest, as I can see it becoming quite an issue.
> > Your settings/cookies/passwords Will Be Completely Gone, Forever.
> > Begging nor bribes will get them back.
> > Backup your ~/.mozilla directory before running the install.sh script!
> >>
> >> Thank all of you for any information you can give me.  I just heard
> >> about this a few days ago and have been on a quest for it ever since.
> >> I hope to have it on here and working as soon as possible.  I hope to see wb packaged for various distributions as soon as possible so that others can enjoy the freedom to, as the song says, "Say goodbye to guiwood."
> > That's the goal for sure.
> > In the long run, though, I'd love to see GUI's get fast enough so that we can mainstream our software usage.
> >
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> Thanks.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> --
> >> Doug Smith: Special Agent
> >> S.W.A.T  Spiritual Warfare and Advanced Technology Forever serving our
> >> LORD and SAVIOUR, JESUS CHRIST.
> >>
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> >
> 
> -- 
> Well that's it then, colour me gone!
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