IIgs Web browser - WAS:(Re: NUTS!)

[cturley2@aol.com (Cturley2)]

Supertimer wrote and proposed:

"Well, a graphical IIGS browser would be nice, but I propose a
graphical browser that would display graphics from IIGS
specific web sites BUT act as a lynx type browser in other
web pages.

The main barrier to a graphical IIGS web browser is that GIF
and JPEG are not native IIGS formats, so they require a great
deal of conversion to display.  GIF might be doable, since
Brutal Deluxe's Convert 3200 program uses routines that can
convert and resize a 640x200 GIF in a couple of seconds on
the IIGS, but foreign formats are still not ideal.

I propose that the new browser checks the image tags and
if the image specified is a IIGS format image such as SHR,
it'll download the image and display it.  SHR images are
small (32k max) and do not need conversion.  They can
be display in an instant.  The IIGS is more than up to the
task.  Thus, on IIGS specific web pages, you get graphics.
But on other pages with GIF and JPEG files, you would
get the option of downloading it for later viewing because
they take time to be converted.  I think this is the best
solution.

Of course if Netscape or IE browsers encounter an SHR
image, they would display a broken image icon.  It would
be possible to write plug-ins for Netscape and IE browsers
to display SHR images, though."

And I reply:  What you proposed is just fine and dandy.  I'd love to
see it happen in fact.  And, it's all very doable too.  Question is: Who's
going to do it all -  Richard Bennett and the programmers that live, breath,
eat and sleep on the A2Pro Forum of Delphi or somebody out here on the Internet
in the Apple II community?

All answers greatly appreciated!

Cheers,
Tom