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Online Banking Customers Migrating To Lynx

Posted by Soulskill on from the browsers-with-character dept.

Jibbler writes "Following the recent Pwn2Own competition, in which Firefox, IE8 and Safari all fell quickly to exploits, Netcraft has observed a surge in popularity of the text-based Lynx browser. Netcraft points out that Lynx supports the latest cryptographic ciphers, and at least one online banking site has seen Lynx usage overtake that of Internet Explorer and Firefox. To boost Lynx's excellent security history, Netcraft has even developed a version of its anti-phishing toolbar for Lynx."

35 of 220 comments (clear)

  1. Is this it? by Shadin · · Score: 4, Funny

    Which one is THE April Fools story?

    1. Re:Is this it? by hack++slash · · Score: 5, Funny

      The one saying "2009 will be Year of the Linux Desktop."

      --
      To do something right, you often have to roll up your sleeves and get busy.
    2. Re:Is this it? by glavenoid · · Score: 5, Funny

      You have to unlock it by getting the RTFA achievement first

      --
      I, for one, am looking forward to the inevitable /. beta rollout fallout.
    3. Re:Is this it? by The+Elven+Archer · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Maybe *ALL* the world is a great April Fools Story... ...I hope...

    4. Re:Is this it? by Ghost+Hedgehog · · Score: 3, Informative

      I'll doubt it is this one. Lynx is a pretty safe browser you know.

    5. Re:Is this it? by eln · · Score: 5, Informative

      Psh...that achievement is just a myth. No one has ever actually achieved it.

    6. Re:Is this it? by McGruber · · Score: 5, Informative

      The one saying "2009 will be Year of the Linux Desktop."

      How about seeing long-time Microsoft shill John C. Dvorak penning a column titled "Dvorak likes Linux"? You wouldn't fall for that, would you?

      It actually happened back on March 9: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2342703,00.asp

      Dvorak wrote: "I cannot wean myself off Windows altogether because, well, I write about Windows. But for ancillary machines that I put together where I need reliability and low price, I'm always going to see whether Ubuntu works. And if it does, that's what gets installed. "

  2. Frist prost by Gizzmonic · · Score: 4, Funny

    And I've actually used Lynx on eComstation! OS/2 is the true 3l33t h4x0r OS!

    Mod me up!

    --
    (-1, Raw and Uncut is the only way to read)
    1. Re:Frist prost by Richard+Steiner · · Score: 4, Funny

      Which version? There are multiple Lynx ports to OS/2, ya know. :-)

      I prefer Links under Warp 4 myself, especially the 2.xx port with the -g option.

      w00t!

      --
      Mainframe/UNIX Bit Twiddler and long time Windows/Linux Hobbyist.
      The Theorem Theorem: If If, Then Then.
  3. First Post by JohnHegarty · · Score: 4, Funny

    First Post (Right Arrow)

    --
    Cruise TT
  4. Why not? Ascii is everything. by SpzToid · · Score: 5, Funny

    Take that you GUI loving pansies!

    What? poniez too?

    Freakin' awesome. Must be my lucky day.

    --
    You can't be ahead of the curve, if you're stuck in a loop.
    1. Re:Why not? Ascii is everything. by ControversialMatt · · Score: 5, Funny

      Pfth. You command line wussies are gonna be the next to be hit while those of us who read the packets straight from the CAT-5 laugh at your insecure browsers.

    2. Re:Why not? Ascii is everything. by notarockstar1979 · · Score: 5, Funny

      How the hell are you supposed to see the ponies if you don't have a graphical browser? ASCII art? There aren't any ASCII ponies, and if I have my way there never will be. DOWN WITH ASCII PONIES!!!

    3. Re:Why not? Ascii is everything. by Dr.+Eggman · · Score: 4, Insightful

      This totally explains what happened to computer displays in futuristic sci-fi movies like Alien...

      --
      Demented But Determined.
    4. Re:Why not? Ascii is everything. by Hal_Porter · · Score: 5, Informative

      How the hell are you supposed to see the ponies if you don't have a graphical browser? ASCII art? There aren't any ASCII ponies, and if I have my way there never will be.

      DOWN WITH ASCII PONIES!!!

      http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/7373/farm.htm#horse

      --
      echo -e 'global _start\n _start:\n mov eax, 2\n int 80h\n jmp _start' > a.asm; nasm a.asm -f elf; ld a.o -o a;
  5. Excellent move by Mr.+DOS · · Score: 5, Funny

    Now they just need to replace their backup systems with paper tape and punch cards for security reasons. After all, it's so much harder to steal a few cubic miles of solidified wood pulp than a cargo container.

          --- Mr. DOS

  6. OMG, try look at Slashdot in Lynx!! by neo · · Score: 3, Funny

    That's really funny guys.

  7. Such an amazing time of year! by MaxwellEdison · · Score: 5, Funny

    I am always amazed by the amount of wonderful news items, each of which seem to stretch credulity, that appear every year around this time. I wonder if researchers have ever looked into a cause for this...

    --
    -=Bang Bang=-
  8. This'll never work. by quixote9 · · Score: 4, Funny

    For a text-based browser, you have to know how to read, for God's sake.

    1. Re:This'll never work. by InsertWittyNameHere · · Score: 5, Funny

      Lynx turns every website into a MUD.

      Location: www.bank.com

      You see a long line of roped off people leading to several tellers behind a glass partition. A security guard stands, seemingly day dreaming, off to one side. You sense that he would fail to stop any robbery attempt.

      What would you like to do? [MOVE, LOOK, TOUCH, SMELL, ATTACK, WITHDRAW, DEPOSIT, MORE...]

  9. My ASCII Art Collection is back in vogue by belloc1 · · Score: 5, Funny

    .--. |V|
              / \ _| /
              q .. p \ /
                \--/ //
    jgs __||__// /. _/ // \ / // ||
        \\ / \
          )\| |
        / || || |
        |/\| || |
              | || |
              \ || /
          __/ || \__
        \____/\____/

    I have long awaited the return of fixed width fonts.

    1. Re:My ASCII Art Collection is back in vogue by uncledrax · · Score: 4, Insightful

      By the look of it, you'll still be waiting..

      Might I recommend using the code post type in the future? :]

      --
      ----- The internet has given everyone the ability to have their voice heard equally as loud.. even if they shouldn't be
    2. Re:My ASCII Art Collection is back in vogue by Nushio · · Score: 5, Funny

      It looks like shit in any browser :P

      --
      Check out Unsealed: Whispers of Wisdom! http://unsealed.k3rnel.net It's an action-RPG about Open Sourcerers.
  10. If only... by clang_jangle · · Score: 4, Insightful

    You laugh, but I tried to access my accounts using elinks. Alas, the asshats who code for my bank can barely code a site that works with Opera.

    --
    Caveat Utilitor
  11. The biggest problem with Lynx... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    ...is getting past the captcha.

    1. Re:The biggest problem with Lynx... by xororand · · Score: 3, Informative

      You can download the CAPTCHA images and view them externally, for example in fbi: http://linux.die.net/man/1/fbi

  12. The Web on April 1st by castorvx · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Makes me want to delete my web browser.

  13. Re:Oh dear... by 0racle · · Score: 4, Informative

    At least the screenshot of the toolbar is worth a chuckle.

    --
    "I use a Mac because I'm just better than you are."
  14. Not funny when it's obvious AND predictable by blind+biker · · Score: 4, Insightful

    If you want to make a good, truly funny April's Fool joke, you should have a very minimum of talent/inspiration, which the Slashdot editors don't.

    You will notice that on Slashdot, on the 1st of April, there isn't one hidden joke-story submission, but that they are all or almost all such. This makes ALL of them un-funny. There's not "ha, you got me!" or "OK, that was actually a creative one." - there's nothing. It only really makes Slashdot look utterly, pitifully pathetic.

    --
    "The agriculture ministry is not in charge of Gundam" - Japanese ministry official.
    1. Re:Not funny when it's obvious AND predictable by auld_wyrm · · Score: 5, Funny

      It only really makes Slashdot look utterly, pitifully pathetic.

      You must be new here.

  15. New Browser by Chlorine+Trifluoride · · Score: 5, Funny

    Maybe now we'll see "Intertext Explorer", Microsoft's response to the resurgence in text-based browsers. Of course, it still won't render PNGs correctly.

  16. My Amiga 4000 is running NetSurf just fine. by Phizzle · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Nothing beats old school! Zero problems whatsoever, system has a failsafe - it simply chokes and kicks out GuruMeditation error screen any time any script of Flash tries to run. Been virus free since the SCA virus in 1987!

    --
    I will not be pushed, filed, stamped, indexed, briefed, debriefed or numbered. My life is my own.
  17. Could have been plausible, but you overplayed it by elrous0 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    "at least one online banking site has seen Lynx usage overtake that of Internet Explorer and Firefox"

    See, that's where it really went off the plausibility deep end. A good April Fool's joke can't be so obvious. It requires a touch of subtlety.

    --
    SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
  18. "CLUI" by Olaf+Underbridge · · Score: 4, Funny

    It's "CLUI" for Command-Line User Interface.
    "CUI" is "Curses User Interface", fsckface.

    --
    slashdottagsshorterthanhaikunewartform
  19. Re:-5 troll by Tycho · · Score: 5, Funny

    The power of Jesus compels you! The power of Jesus compels you! The power of Jesus compels you!

    Pretty please?

    The power of Xenu compels you! The power of Xenu compels you! The power of Xenu compels you!

    Okay, maybe not?

    --
    Impersonating Tycho from Penny Arcade since before there was a PA.