[BRLTTY] Is there a feature-compatible text-based browser

[Jeanette C.]

Hi Ken,
I would be interested, but was also aware of Brow.sh which never really 
worked. Though if you could develop a proper text-UI this would be fantastic! 
I know that there are good UI libraries out there, especially if you take 
Python into consideration. The prompt-toolkit
https://github.com/prompt-toolkit/python-prompt-toolkit
is very powerful library, which offers many usable 2d fullscreen and 
shell-like features.

Best wishes,

Jeanette

kperry at blinksoft.com, Sep 16 2025:

> Hello everyone,
>
> This is a question from a developer. Back when I worked on the Mobile
> Manager for APH (around 2005-2010), we built a handheld Linux device before
> the Victor Stream came out. The web browser on that device worked in a
> text-based way-you navigated with arrow keys between links, images, and
> other elements. Think of something similar to the Pine email client.
>
> What many people don't realize is that under the hood, that browser was
> actually Firefox. We ran a full GUI browser in a "faceless" mode, while
> interacting with it entirely through a text interface.
>
> That brings me to my idea:
> Instead of trying to maintain a stand-alone text browser like Lynx, wouldn't
> it be easier to build a command-line browser that uses a modern engine like
> Chrome or Firefox as the backend? You'd only need some X libraries
> installed, but not an actual running desktop. Interaction could be handled
> through text, while the backend stays updated automatically as Chrome or
> Firefox updates.
>
> This could be developed using faceless web automation tools, Python, and
> other components. Over time, it might become a powerful text-mode browser
> where you could even choose your backend (Firefox, Chrome, etc.). and
> activate media links through the tools you want to etc.
>
> I'm curious-would this be of interest to people here? Is there something
> wrong with this idea that no one is doing it?
>
>
> Thanks,
> Ken
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: BRLTTY <brltty-bounces at brltty.app> On Behalf Of Aura Kelloniemi
> Sent: Tuesday, September 16, 2025 9:44 AM
> To: smassy at wolfdream.ca; Informal discussion between users and developers of
> BRLTTY. <brltty at brltty.app>; brltty at brltty.app
> Subject: Re: [BRLTTY] Is there a feature-compatible text-based broser
>
> Hello,
>
> On 2025-09-15 at 21:56 -0400, "S. Massy" <smassy at wolfdream.ca> wrote:
> > Hello,
> > So it looks like google pulled support for HTML-only text browsers at  >
> long last.
>
> I am sitll able to use Google search using HTTP, not HTTPS. I also needed to
> spoof my browser's user-agent string. "wg0.9" at least works, but ELinks's
> default user-agent string does not.
>
> As a sidenote: wg is a simple command-line browser script which uses Links
> to render HTML: http://sange.fi/~atehwa/userland-scripts/wg
>
> --
> Aura
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