how to telnet from firefox?

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Severino
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how to telnet from firefox?

Post by Severino »

Please check the following page
http://www.westlib.org/english/catalogue.htm

It's from a public library. In item 1, there's a link to access its catalog "Libray Catalog", that does this: telnet://207.236.161.62

When I click on that link, a small window pops up with the following message:
"Firefox doesn't know how to open this address, because the protocol (telnet) isn't associated with any program."

On the address bar of Firefox, I entered "about:config" and I noticed that there is one line as follows:
applications.telnet // default // string // xterm -e telnet %h %p
(with the "//" meaning a separation between columns)

Thank you,

Severino
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dickvl
Posts: 54145
Joined: July 18th, 2005, 3:25 am

Post by dickvl »

I have a registry key for telnet (windows XP): http://kb.mozillazine.org/Register_protocol

Code: Select all

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\telnet]
@="URL:Telnet Protocol"
"EditFlags"=dword:00000002
"URL Protocol"=""

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\telnet\DefaultIcon]
@=hex(2):25,00,53,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,52,00,6f,00,6f,00,74,00,25,\
  00,5c,00,73,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,33,00,32,00,5c,00,75,00,72,00,\
  6c,00,2e,00,64,00,6c,00,6c,00,2c,00,30,00,00,00

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\telnet\shell]

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\telnet\shell\open]

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\telnet\shell\open\command]
@="rundll32.exe url.dll,TelnetProtocolHandler %l"
texmex
Posts: 403
Joined: March 26th, 2006, 8:58 am
Location: NE Lincs

Post by texmex »

I have the identical key on my laptop (Windows ME). I think it's pretty universal. ie: HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\telnet\shell\open\command\default = rundll32.exe url.dll,TelnetProtocolHandler %l
Clicking your link automatically shells out to Telnet.exe

Checking my about:config I don't appear to have any entry for applications.telnet I even checked for various other spellings, but I simply haven't been able to find anything like it.

I recall using XTERM on DEC and HP Unix boxes years ago. We also had it running on SUN sparc workstations. IIRC, these were running Solaris. As far as I know, it isn't available for Windows machines. Are you perhaps running Linux?
Severino
Guest

Post by Severino »

I'm very sorry, I forgot to mention that I run Debian Linux (Sarge), not Windows.
Thank you.
VanillaMozilla
Posts: 13808
Joined: November 7th, 2005, 11:26 am

Post by VanillaMozilla »

Linux should have telnet. Even Windows has it. Just type "telnet" (without the quotes) at a command prompt. Also, telnet is old-fashioned and insecure because it does not encode passwords or any other information. Secure Shell (ssh) is preferred.
old FatJohn
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Joined: December 31st, 1969, 5:00 pm

Post by old FatJohn »

Yeah, dump telnet for ssh as stated by VanillaMozilla.
texmex
Posts: 403
Joined: March 26th, 2006, 8:58 am
Location: NE Lincs

Post by texmex »

There is a known bugin Firefox running on Linux, dealing with the telnet protocol. The recomended workaround is to install Protozilla
Guest
Guest

Post by Guest »

VanillaMozilla & FatJohn wrote:Linux should have telnet. Even Windows has it. Just type "telnet" (without the quotes) at a command prompt. Also, telnet is old-fashioned and insecure because it does not encode passwords or any other information. Secure Shell (ssh) is preferred.
Yeah, dump telnet for ssh as stated by VanillaMozilla.

Yes, thank you guys. However, as I mentioned in my question, this is to access a server from a library. So, the only choice that I have is to use telnet because that's what they offer. I have telnet and I know how to telnet from command line.

All I am looking for is the way to open the terminal with telnet already connected to the library address, directly from Firefox.
I specified the library page before.

Firefox works like that in Windows and I think it is configured to work the same way in Linux because, as also I mentioned before, on the address bar of Firefox, when I enter "about:config" and I noticed that there is one line as follows:
applications.telnet // default // string // xterm -e telnet %h %p
(with the "//" meaning a separation between columns)

Thanks again,

Severino
Severino
Guest

Post by Severino »

Thanks texmex. I will try Protozilla and let know in this post how it works for me.

Severino
Severino
Guest

Post by Severino »

I said something wrong and I apologize. This telnet doesn't work from Firefox in Windows. What I saw was it working from I.E. in Windows.

Severino
VanillaMozilla
Posts: 13808
Joined: November 7th, 2005, 11:26 am

Post by VanillaMozilla »

I just tried it from Windows XP Pro. After asking permission to launch an external application, Fx opened a separate telnet (not Firefox) window. I do not have any telnet entry in about:config. Sorry I couldn't be of more help.
Severino
Guest

Post by Severino »

texmex, it seems that Protozilla is only for Mozilla.

I wasn't able to install it in Firefox.
Severino
Guest

Post by Severino »

Something caught my attention and I would like to share here...
This telnet feature works pretty well with Internet Explorer.
The problem happens in Firefox, it's a known bug, and no solution as yet.
It's interesting to note that Firefox has an "evangelist" team dedicated to contact people responsible for websites that don't seem to work well with Firefox (activated by an option under "Help" of Firefox menu bar that sends a report to that team).
With this report feature, Firefox has an interest to make sure that websites work well under it, which is a legit concern.
However, for the same reason Firefox seeks to have websites that work well under it, Firefox should resolve its own bugs.
The above mentioned bug has its last update almost 6 months ago. Was it forgotten? Is it rocket-science to fix? Does Firefox team care about its own bugs the same way it cares websites that are only "Internet Explorer-compliant"?
No consistency here. That's so shameful...
I'm very curious to see what a Firefox team member would have to say about what I just wrote.
Severino
old FatJohn
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Joined: December 31st, 1969, 5:00 pm

Post by old FatJohn »

No, we have dropped Firefox development alltogether. It's pointless since IE is so superior. We just eat donuts and spend the millions we got from google. You know, live a nice life.

NOT!
Severino
Guest

Post by Severino »

FatJohn wrote:No, we have dropped Firefox development alltogether. It's pointless since IE is so superior. We just eat donuts and spend the millions we got from google. You know, live a nice life.

NOT!

Watch the excess of donuts! Junk food is not good for health!
He he he. Kid, your sarcasm was so funny. Now, get yourself some snack and leave this to adults, OK? Thanks...
Back to adults' talk, I do hope someone of Firefox team could take a look at this bug.
I think my point is valid and deserves attention.
Like FatJohn quoted in his/her signature, I also use Ubuntu Linux and I do my attempts to convice people that Firefox is much better than other browsers but, unfortunately, nothing is perfect. People find a bug here, another there, and bother to file.
My point is that it's very frustrating to show Firefox to others, and bump on a silly bug like this, and tell others: "you know what? It's an opensource software, and this bug will be taken care easily and quickly". Six months pass and nothing. Instead, a ridiculous dispute whether it was duplicate or not. What should we tell the people we are trying to convince to switch over to Firefox?
I hope my point is now better understood.
Thanks again,

Severino
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