1992
University of Kansas team creates Lynx
Lou Montulli, Michael Grobe, and Charles Rezac at the University of Kansas built Lynx in 1992 — a text-based hypertextText with links to other documents — clicking links instead of linear reading was the core idea behind the web. browser that later gained web support.
What it was for
Before graphical browsers dominated, Lynx let developers and universities browse hypertextText with links to other documents — clicking links instead of linear reading was the core idea behind the web. from shell accounts. It remained essential for accessibility and low-bandwidth access for decades.
People
- Lou Montulli — creator
- Michael Grobe — co creator
- Charles Rezac — co creator
Why it's here
Lynx proved hypertextText with links to other documents — clicking links instead of linear reading was the core idea behind the web. worked without graphics — critical for universities on UnixAn influential multitasking OS from the 1970s — files, pipes, and C shaped Linux, macOS, and BSD..
Why it mattered
It kept the web accessible on text-only and low-resource systems.
What it solved
Many users had no GUIGraphical user interface — windows, icons, and pointers instead of typed commands. but still needed to read linked documents.
Media
ImageLynx (web browser)Screenshot created by User:Aoidh. For attribution of the Lynx software, see https://lynx.invisible-island.net and for the attribution of the Wikipedia article, see the page history of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolf, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Related
- WorldWideWeb — first web browserDecember 1990
- Lynx 2.0 gains World Wide Web supportMarch 1993