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Linking to non-gopher URLs in gophermaps (WIP)
October 04th, 2021
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I have uploaded to github the urlhandler.mole script I use with
gophernicus to supply links to non-gopher resources on my server...
It is a work in progress.
Check it out at: https://github.com/zcrayfish/urlhandler.mole
Additionally I have attempted to copy the rationale of why I created
the urlhandler, and the main ways of linking to link to non-gopher
resources on gopher... Hopefully it looks ok here on gopher.
An HTML version is available here, it might be easier to read.
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I cannot stand the hURL scheme that was bafflingly created in 2002...
This despite that gophertype w has been in libwww, and some other
gopher clients, since at least 1992. Unfortunately, some clients support
one or the other, but none that I know of support both CORRECTLY.
(invariably, clients I see that attempt to support both cannot load
regular type h files on gopher, or have other severe issues, nearly
always with hURL handling).
I will attempt to illustrate the three ways I can know of to link to
an example website in gopher so that you may judge for yourself.
|type|display name |selector |FQDN |port
|----|---------------|--------------------------|------------------|----
|h |Example website|GET /index.html |www.example.org |80
|h |Example website|URL:http://www.example.org|gopher.example.org|70
|w |Example website|http://www.example.org |ANYTHING |1
The issues:
* The `GET /` method **can only reliably link to HTML documents hosted
by HTTP/0.9 servers**. Most HTTP servers I have run across these days
upgrade all HTTP/0.9 requests to at least HTTP/1.0, which adds garbage
headers to anything sent back... Gopher-only or HTTP/0.9 clients
_might_ be able to receive HTML documents from these servers, but
could complain about the headers, and text-documents would be even
worse... Binary files flat-out will not work for the HTTP/0.9 or
gopher clients using this method with HTTP/1.0+ servers.
* Some clients that support HTTP/1.0 and higher are still restricted
to HTML documents using the `GET /` hack. Lynx is one such client.
* The HTTP/0.9 specification also clearly says that it is to transfer
HTML only, using it for binaries is out of scope.
* **This method has been obsolete since 1992
(https://math.albany.edu/g/Adm/goph-www.html#1.2), for the love of
god don't use it!**
* The type `h` with selector beginning with `URL:` method (referred to
as `hURL` henceforth)
* Requires the server to actually support it, which some don't.
* Some servers, such as gophernicus, restrict what types of URLs can
be linked to
* _should_ only be used to link to HTML files
* But most HTML capable clients can handle other really basic files,
such as plain text, JPEGs, or GIFs.
* Type `w`
* Much simpler than the other two types because the client need only
deal with the `type`, `display name` and `selector fields`. (the
`FQDN` and `PORT` fields are not used at all for this type)
* Can link to any valid URL, the client is simply expected to open
whatever the default application is for the given URI scheme.
* Has been around as far back as I am able to browse the libwww
source, 1992 or before, which made the `hURL` hack absolutely
pointless.
* Only requires client support, but some clients might not support it
due to it not being in the gopher RFC, more of a problem with NEWER
clients due to the `hURL` distraction
* Many libwww-based clients do support it however. (e.g. Lynx,
elinks)
* Now also supported by the popular Squid proxy/cache server.
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