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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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