Date: Wed, 10 Jan 2007 13:45:31 +0900 (WST)
From: Bret Busby <bret@busby.net>
To: Linux Australia <linux-aus@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@bakeyournoodle.com>
To: Bret Busby <bret@busby.net>
Cc: Linux Australia <linux-aus@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
..............