About the Lynx MPG:
Use the Lynx MPG to connect to Orbis, email, and other online resources available
to members of the Yale community. It uses the Lynx Web browser to connect
to Web-based resources at Yale and beyond. It takes a short time to
get used to using Lynx, but once you learn the basic navigation commands,
Lynx is an easy and convenient way to browse the Web.
Why Did The MPG Have To Change?
For many years, the MPG (Multi-Protocol
Gateway) has served as the Library's text-based menu of library resources,
including Orbis. Use of the MPG in the Library has almost disappeared as
terminals have been replaced by Windows and Macintosh workstations. Many of the
original items on the MPG menu have been replaced by Web-based electronic
resources accessed primarily through the Library Research Workstation.
Still there are many dial-up and telnet users who cannot use the Web
because they have older equipment at home or prefer to use character-based
access because it is faster. The time has come when the library and ITS
cannot continue to provide public access through the old MPG. After nearly
ten years in service, both the hardware and the software are obsolete. ITS
and the library are, however, committed to replacing the MPG with new
services which will provide similar capabilities and which will NOT require
users to upgrade their equipment or their dial-up connection. Most users
will not need to reconfigure their communications software. These changes
will not affect users of PPP accounts (remote network access).
The new MPG will enable access to many of the web-based electronic resources on the Research Workstation
through Lynx, a character-based web browser.
How To Navigate The Web Using Lynx:
Lynx uses keyboard commands for navigating. Unlike a graphical browser,
like Netscape, you do not use the mouse to click on links. Instead,
you must use the up and down arrow keys to jump to the link, and then you
press the right arrow key (or the Enter key) to follow that link. The left
arrow key functions as a back button. Lynx is a fully functional Web browser,
although you will not be able to view images, and there may be a few Web
resources (such as ProQuest or JSTOR) that are not accessible through Lynx.
Here is a short list of important commands for using Lynx:
Using Web Databases Through Lynx:
In order to use many of the online databases and search engines on the Web,
it will often be necessary to fill out Web forms (text-entry fields) in Lynx.
Many of the databases on the Research Workstation will require this,
as well as all of the Internet Search Engines (Yahoo, AltaVista, etc.).
For More Information Or Assistance: