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What do you think about the Gemini protocol? (lemmy.ml)

submitted 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

47 comments fedilink hide all child comments

For those, who do not know what the Gemini protocol is, think of it as a modern, light-weight HTTP alternative without CSS or JavaScript. In layman term, you could see it as Web 1.0 reinvented. It uses GemText instead of HTML. For folks who want to try it out, you can either install a Gemini extension for your HTTPs browser (which kinda defeats the purpose, as modern browsers are heavy), or download a dedicated Gemini browser like Lagrange. Here's a few sites you can access in Gemini.

Personally, I love it, although I miss a few stuff, like for example, multimedia, streaming and stuff like that. The memory foorprint is very low, and pages are super-fast.

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[–] [email protected] 26 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Why?

What problem does this solve over simple HTML/CSS pages?

Outside of a very specific niche I can't see how anyone would choose this over normal HTML and HTTP/HTTPS, you'd need to run a new Gemini specific server to host Gemini specific files, created by Gemini specific softwares or Gemini specific developers, files that can only be read with a Gemini specific client.

This won't happen outside systems with highly specialized requirenments.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 6 months ago (2 children)

The advantage is that it's an obligate web 1.0 (-ish) experience. You aren't clicking a link on a Gemini site that is going to take you anywhere crazy. There's no tracking pixels and embedded content to get in the way.

It's possible to attempt this by just following web 1.0 standards on your w3 site, and only linking to sites that do the same, and so on, but eventually there's going to be a like button or an embedded video or something that ruins the experience. The web is messy.

Smaller spaces with constraints can be a lot of fun. Working within those constraints can breed innovation.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 6 months ago (2 children)

There's no tracking pixels and embedded content to get in the way.

Looking at the Gemini docs, I feel like I can recreate a way to add tracking and embed content. I could be wrong. But it looks possible.

And if that is the case, once marketers see the potential, all the tracking, popups and gated content we all love so much can happen on Gemini.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 6 months ago

Possible only if you add that functionality to Gemtext, but currently not something you can do with existing clients. It's pretty much just modern Gopher.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

combine with tor(orbot)

[–] [email protected] 0 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Sure, but untill web browsers support the protocol natively, it will never take off

[–] [email protected] 5 points 6 months ago (1 children)

This completely misses the point.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 6 months ago

Why would you not want a broader adoption of the system?