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

Wed Jan 10 13:15:02 UTC 2007

On Wed, 10 Jan 2007, Bret Busby wrote:

> Date: Wed, 10 Jan 2007 13:45:31 +0900 (WST)
> From: Bret Busby <bret at busby.net>
> To: Linux Australia <linux-aus at linux.org.au>
> Subject: [Linux-aus] Problem with URL not showing as clickable link - was Re:
>     [Linux-aus] New name for linux.conf.au in 2007
> 
> 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
> ..............
>
>

I have just found, in Synaptic, how to trace the system update packages 
by date, using the File->History option, and it shows that, on the 
particular day, only libxine1 was updated, from "libxine1 
(1.0.1-1sarge4) to 1.0.1-1sarge5" (now, that string, between the double 
quotes, was put there by copying the text from the Synaptic History 
window, by using the dominant mouse button to mark the text, and the 
non-dominant mouse button to copy the text, then pasting it into the 
xterm window), but, from that time, the functionality of my screen 
display, seems to have been changed, with, as mentioned above, icons for 
applications thence being displayed in the workspace boxes, and URL's no 
longer showng as clickable links when running PINE in an xterm window.

Now, to make this more specific, it only applies to URL's that are 
contained in email messages being viewed in PINE.

The reason that I make this distinction, is that I have just now, 
investigated, and found that, if I travel through the HELP facility in 
PINE, that takes me to a page that contains the URL for Washington 
University, that URL displays in reverse mode, when using cursor control 
arrows to travle to it (the up and down arrows), and, clicking on it 
with the non-dominant mouse button, brings up the menu described above, 
that includes the option "Copy Link Address".

But, with URL's in messages, such as the Linux Australia URL that is 
contained in the message footers for messages distributed by the list 
software, the URL is bypassed by the cursor control keys, and is not a 
clickable link.

I have just checked email messages that are not from the Linux Australia 
list, to check that this is not something attributable to the Linux 
Australia mailing list software, and the same applies.

I note that email addresses contained in messages, are clickable links, 
but not URL's.

So, this change appears attributable to the update of libxine1, or, 
coincides with it, involving changes to my screen functionality.

--
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

....................................................