For example, the link Find info on printing would start man on the local system if activated. In a similar approach the program is executed and all program output is placed in a temporary file. The temporary file is treated as a normal Lynx hypertext file, and may be searched for targets specified in the link. The temporary file will be deleted when Lynx exits. The ability to execute some local commands is so useful, however, that Lynx provides several standard local file execution links.
Lynx utilizes Gopher servers primarily to support distributed hypertext file access.
In addition, Lynx can function as a Gopher client itself when it encounters links that specify gopher file types. For example, the link Connect to UMN Gopher Server appearing in a hypertext file allows a user to begin a Gopher session with the Gopher server at gopher.micro.umn.edu. The Lynx interface to Gopher presents Gopher files as Lynx hypertext documents. For example, users can select a file from a Gopher directory by using the usual interactive arrow key sequences to highlight the desired file. There were several approaches to this database over the years.