This is right. I used to be there.
Fred
From: Optim <optim81(a)yahoo.co.uk>
Reply-To: Wikimedia developers <wikitech-l(a)Wikipedia.org>
Date: Mon, 23 Feb 2004 13:42:38 -0800 (PST)
To: Wikimedia developers <wikitech-l(a)Wikipedia.org>
Subject: Re: [Wikitech-l] User-agent block list & Netscape 3
Summary: Optim supports a lynx-friendly html
skin. Optim addresses the problem of
low-bandwidth Internet users, giving examples
from Greece. We have an educational mission to
fulfill and Internet may be very under-developed
in Africa and other regions of our planet.
(end:summary)
I would like to have a lynx-friendly html skin.
I need some skin which will NOT include any of
the following:
* any HTML more advanced than version 3.2
* Dynamic HTML and DHTML
* HTML Tables
* Any kind of inline Images
* Java / Javascript / ASP / Any kind of scripting
* DIV and SPAN HTML tags
* Preferably no custom HTML colours.
* Any characters not included on a standard
105-key English keyboard. This means: Avoid HTML
entities, Unicode, etc when it is not absolutely
needed.
One reason I dislike DIV tags is they prevent me
from easily copy-pasting Wikipedia articles which
contains inline images. Selecting the article
text selects the image caption, too.
BTW I have created a "plain vanilla" main page at
[[Wikipedia:Plain vanilla main page]] and I try
to keep it updated whenever I can. Maybe it will
be useful to some, I hope.
It's not only for old browsers. It is for slow
Internet connections too.
I plan to get some Packet-Radio Internet
connection for my laptops, which is expensive and
not fixed-rate. I will have only 40MB per month
and I will pay too much money for any extra
megabyte I download.
Just checking my email involves more than 1
megabyte in traffic. Daily checking of email
makes up somewhat more than 30MB in total.
So, for browsing I will have only 9-10MB per
month.
It would be great to be able edit and contribute
to Wikipedia from the bus, the sea, etc.
Most Internet users in Greece pay per minute they
stay online, or per megabyte they download.
The telecom options a Greek has are:
- GPRS with 45kbps - paid by MB - maximum 40MB
per month but you can pay for extra MBs
- PSTN with 50kbps - paid by minute
- ISDN64 with 64kbps - paid by minute
- ISDN128 with 128kbps - paid by minute <-
extremely expensive
- ADSL256+ paid by minute or MB <- not
immediately available by the telecom provider
- ADSL256+ with fixed rate cost <- expensive to
most greeks, not immediately available by the
telecom provider
- SDSL128+ <- expensive, not immediately
available by the telecom provider
In general, the average Greek has a 50kbps
Internet connection and pays by minute he/she
stays online. I have seen people who still have
33kbps connections.
Personally I am well above the average, but this
does not mean I wouldn't like to have access to a
lynx-friendly html skin. It will be very useful
with a GPRS connection on my laptops.
Recently someone from USA where accessing
Wikipedia with Lynx, if I believe what he said.
And when I think about Africa and other regions
where Internet may be more under-developed, I
think a lynx-friendly skin is a must, considering
that we have an educational mission to fulfil.
--Optim
--- Jimmy Wales <jwales(a)bomis.com> wrote:
How hard would it be for us to have and
maintain a "lynx-friendly"
html, and serve it to old browsers like this?
It seems a shame to
give people something that causes headaches,
even if they really
really should upgrade, because maybe they can't
upgrade for some
reason (poverty, for example).
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