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Google Ends Support for Lynx Browser

82 points

1 day ago

| 13 comments

Accessing google.com in Lynx now shows:

  Google
  Update your browser
  Your browser isn't supported anymore. To continue your search, upgrade to a recent version. [Learn more]

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salted-fry

23 hours ago

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I just tested changing user agents in Chrome - setting UA to a random string like "fff" gets a search page, but setting it to "Links" or "Lynx" gets "Your browser isn't supported anymore" - which is to say, this doesn't look accidental, but more like these UAs are specifically being blocked.

EDIT: Forging user agent in Links (with links -http.fake-user-agent) gets a usable homepage, but the results page just sends you to a turn-on-your-javascript page.

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extraduder_ire

2 hours ago

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My impression is that support for less common browsers and other unusual uses of google products has survived due to pet interest by individual googlers and not any sort of widespread policy.

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ryao

1 day ago

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I wonder to what extent visually disabled internet users are affected by this, since I can imagine at least some of them using lynx with an on-screen reader for a terminal emulator.

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duskwuff

4 hours ago

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Not to any meaningful degree. Lynx (or other terminal-based browsers) would be an extraordinarily poor choice of browser for a non-sighted user, as it lays text out visually in the terminal (e.g. using color and indentation to distinguish between types of text) and does not provide accessibility cues. Those users are much better served by standard GUI web browsers.

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bitpush

1 day ago

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What's the advantage of using lynx as opposed to Chrome/Safari and using the read aloud features?

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ryao

21 hours ago

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Ask someone who is visually impaired. I know that they historically use browsers that do not support JavaScript. I also am acquainted with one developer who uses software for reading his terminal outloud, although I never asked the specifics of what he uses for web browsing or IRC for that matter. I do know that he loves the iPhone.

That said, I just found this post by a blind person who uses Lynx and complained about it the last time Google broke Lynx support:

https://blind.guru/blog/2019-11-25-endofgoogle.html

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tdeck

7 hours ago

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That may have been true decades ago but I think this is pretty marginal these days. All the Blind people I have talked to use mainstream browsers. GUI browsers actually provide more metadata to screen readers than something like Lynx can, and they actually work with websites people need to access.

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RAM-bunctious

16 hours ago

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I don't feel it's particularly controversial to think that Javascript shouldn't be a requirement to use the internet. This is one step towards making that the case.

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rgreekguy

16 hours ago

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From a normal browser (don't ask me what I mean by that), with its normal/default user agent, Google search does not work without Javascript. I think at all, any more, but at some point I had got rate limited of sorts, after using the search without Javascript for a little, I got a prompt to enable it.

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maltelandwehr

12 hours ago

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This is more about requiring JavaScript that blocking specific browsers. I think all the new LLM labs (plus all the tools offering SEO services for LLM-based search and answer engines) finally reached a limit of scraping that Google no longer can sustain.

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teejmya

23 hours ago

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Try http://frogfind.com/

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benbristow

22 hours ago

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Server error

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flaptrap

12 hours ago

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The most efficient way to search is to read the text. Waiting for images to download and then admire them cannot improve that. It looks like Google has lost relevance and is telling us, again.

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hulitu

4 hours ago

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> The most efficient way to search is to read the text.

"Maybe for you"

> Waiting for images to download and then admire them cannot improve that.

"It does improve the way we track you"

> It looks like Google has lost relevance and is telling us, again.

They just got patted on the back by regulators in US so they don't give a fsck.

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stefanos82

1 day ago

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Seems like elinks is affected too...bummer!

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anon1395

13 hours ago

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Seems like they are cracking down on people who use Google without JavaScript.

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ChrisArchitect

1 day ago

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Suggest changing title to something along lines of "Tell HN: Accessing google in lynx now shows unsupported"

Maybe, like in 2019 when a similar submission got traction, you'll be able to get it restored.

(I am no longer able to use Google with Lynx https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21626995)

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userbinator

18 hours ago

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Try asking the Google employee there directly if you can.

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samtheDamned

23 hours ago

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maybe this is a knee-jerk reaction but I don't see any good reason for this. At it's core Google's job is to take an input and list outputs. The marketshare of people using lynx is small enough that whatever advertising or ai extras they want to squeeze in won't be meaningfully impacted by not working on lynx.

Edit: corrected spelling error

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pachouli-please

23 hours ago

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Google's job is to sell ads, not provide accessibility to text-only browsers.

(for the record I grow to dislike g more every day, and also this move)

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codedokode

22 hours ago

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Internet marketers can misuse this to send lot of automated requests instead of paying for API access.

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bdhcuidbebe

17 hours ago

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Lol, what?

Anyone can spoof UA…

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codedokode

12 hours ago

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Standard Google page can use JS and WASM to fingerprint device and detect bots. No-JS page cannot detect bots so it makes sense to shut it down to prevent using it for bot detection bypass.

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bdhcuidbebe

9 hours ago

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That is besides the point.

I can spoof UA today with lynx, curl or what ever that isnt executing js.

See topic.

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userbinator

20 hours ago

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I wonder if an Invidious or Nitter-like solution will be coming soon, as no doubt me and countless others, although still a minority, are now truly motivated to do something about it.

These bastards have truly ruined what's left of the open Internet. Google, FUCK YOU!

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gh02t

18 hours ago

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For search, you mean? SearXNG has been around for a while and is excellent. I have used it for years as my main search. Not sure if it supports lynx but a least they don't arbitrarily block it.

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bdhcuidbebe

17 hours ago

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You wonder…

Just google it.

https://search.sethforprivacy.com/

How do kids today even survive online?

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userbinator

16 hours ago

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Just google it.

You might want to take a look at the context.

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bdhcuidbebe

9 hours ago

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And you need to calibrate your humor ;-)

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horseradish7k

14 hours ago

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4get is pretty decent

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LargoLasskhyfv

1 day ago

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Is Google exempted from the ADA?

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bitpush

1 day ago

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Safari offers https://www.apple.com/accessibility/ features, so I'm pretty sure someone with visual disability can access google no issues.

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LargoLasskhyfv

1 day ago

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Seriously? Apple only?

But Linux! And *BSD! Or some Illumos.

Or in general just some effin textmode terminal, running whatever is able to run Lynx/Links/Elinks(2?).

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tdeck

7 hours ago

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On Linux you use Orca with your browser of choice. On Windows you use JAWS or NVDA with your browser of choice. All major browsers support screen readers.

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ChrisArchitect

1 day ago

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Related discussion earlier this year:

Google begins requiring JavaScript for Google Search

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42747092

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TorstenK

5 hours ago

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When resources are an issue, this does matter. I use to store previous Lynx/ Links search results in history lists, to allow browsing within local files later. Creating such lists with Firefox is a mess. (This browser tends to block my Thinpad for hours.) Really sad. Google was a key to the internet. Torsten