[Linux-aus] Problem with URL not showing as clickable link - was Re: [Linux-aus] New name for linux.conf.au in 2007

[Bret Busby]

On Tue, 9 Jan 2007, Tony Breeds wrote:

> Date: Tue, 9 Jan 2007 16:41:07 +1100
> From: Tony Breeds <tony at bakeyournoodle.com>
> To: Bret Busby <bret at busby.net>
> Cc: Linux Australia <linux-aus at linux.org.au>
> Subject: Re: [Linux-aus] New name for linux.conf.au in 2007
> 
> On Tue, Jan 09, 2007 at 01:51:29PM +0900, Bret Busby wrote:
>
>> Instal PINE (preferably version 4.64, to reproduce this properly) on
>> your Linux, and configure it to receive email (but not delete it from
>> your IMAP or POP server, so you can revert to using your previous email
>> application).
>>
>> Then forward the message to yourself, from your existing email
>> application, so that you receive it in PINE, as I had done.
>>
>> Then, try to copy the URL from PINE, and paste it to a browser window
>> URL text box
>>
>> Then, IF you can do that, you tell us how you managed to do it.
>
> Hi Bret,
> 	I have gained access to an older PINE install (4.10).
> I exported Jeff's email into an mbox file and read it in pine.
>
> To do this I opened an xterm (note not gnome terminal or Kconsole)
> ssh'd to the host with pine installed, viewed the email.
>
> Selected the text with the mouse, and use the middle button to paste
> that into firefox.
>
>

Thanks Tony, and Donna, and others, for explaing what the joke was 
about.

The reason (and the only reason) that I am posting this message, is 
that, after reading these messages today, I did a bit more 
investigating, and have now realised that all URL's in mail messages, no 
longer show as clickable links.

I run PINE within an xterm window, and, previously, I had no problems 
with URL's showing as clickable links, that I could simply click with 
the non-dominant mouse button, which would then open a menu which would 
include an option that is something like "Copy link address", which I 
would then select, then go to a browser window, and paste the URL into 
the URL box, and, away I would go. This would work, except where a URL 
was longer than a line (72 characters, I think).

However, it occurred to me, when I was further investigating this, this 
morning, that, as this is a new problem, that it may be something to do 
with a recent change on the system.

The only thing that I can think of, that may have caused this, is that I 
recently, in performing the system updates, using Synaptic, had an 
update to xine. After that update, icons started appearing in the 
workspace (I think that is the name for it) box that was one of a set of 
four (I think), immediately above the date and the graphical system 
monitors that are displayed in the taskbar at the bottom of the screen. 
I found this new displaying of the icon of whatever application was on 
the screen, in the workspace box, to be distracting (and, the icons did 
not fit properly in the workspace box, as they were too big), so I had 
to eliminate the displaying of the workspace boxes in the screen.

It occurred to me today, that, if the system update that included the 
update of xine, had that effect, then the system update that included 
the update of xine, may also have caused URL's to be no longer displayed 
as clickable links in xterm windows.

I had thought that it was the update of xine, that was responsible for 
the change(s), but I have just had a look at the reference to xine in a 
book that I have about sarge ("The Debian GNU/Linux 3.1 Bible"), and 
that says that xine is a video player interface,  so I think it unlikely 
that the xine update would be responsible for the changes. I do not 
remember what else was updated in that update, only that xine was 
updated.

However, as that system update, with whatever else was in it, caused the 
functionality of my screen display to change, I assume that it also 
caused the functionality of the xterm windows to change, thence causing 
URL's to no longer be displayed as clickable links.

So, while it should be a simple enough, ane easy enough, thing to open 
URL's (that are not longer than a line), from within my email 
application, PINE v4.64 , when running it within an xterm window, I 
think that the system update that included the latest update to xine, 
for Debian sarge, has made some change, that no longer allows that.

That is my opinion, so far, anyway.

--
Bret Busby
Armadale
West Australia
..............

"So once you do know what the question actually is,
  you'll know what the answer means."
- Deep Thought,
   Chapter 28 of Book 1 of
   "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy:
   A Trilogy In Four Parts",
   written by Douglas Adams,
   published by Pan Books, 1992

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