So I finally started working with Gemini.

It's actually good lol

Lemme explain what I mean.

In case you don't know what Gemini is, it's this thing. I know you either didn't know about the link or were too lazy to click on it, so here's a tldr from the website:

Gemini is a new internet protocol which:

• Is heavier than gopher
• Is lighter than the web
• Will not replace either
• Strives for maximum power to weight ratio
• Takes user privacy very seriously

so basically it's something like http except extremely simplified and made in such a way that extending the protocol isn't easy (to prevent feature bloat like it happened to http, but i'm not convinced that that was the only solution).

however, it has the following key features, which all interest me:

• It uses gemtext (a subset of markdown with some slight changes) instead of html, which makes it significantly easier to write a blog post. I know you can write in markdown and then chuck it into a static site generator, but i've had quite the experience with a lot of them and that requires its own post (speaking of which, i have an announcement at the end of this one)


• there's no styling options for the content creator, which means i don't have to maintain a css file which is what causes 90% of my troubles and commits. i know i can go full-motherfucking-website with no css, but that just looks terrible.


• continuing from the previous point, you know how html without any css attached looks absolutely horrible by default? that's not the case with gemini, since browsers are encouraged to have their own styling, which for some clients actually looks good (like lagrange, the client i use), which is in stark contrast to modern web browsers who all have really barebones user stylesheets which do nothing to make a website look not-bad.


• the browsers are lightweight, and by lightweight i mean it (looking at you, chromium, calling yourself lightweight); the gemini browser i use is filled to the brim with features (some would call even that feature-bloat) while only taking 40-50 megabytes with half a dozen tabs open.


• Last but not least, since it's so new, everybody using gemini right now are people who like playing with tech, and almost nobody is on geminispace to advertise or to earn money.

and now, for an announcement.

now that i have it properly set up (it even has a post on it already!), i'll be posting both on the gemini capsule (that's the term for websites on gemini) and on here; however, i'll be posting there a lot more often than here.

the reason is simple: writing for gemini is much easier, and i want this website to be a lot less extreme and incoherent. so the nonsensical, screaming, childlike side of me will be transferred to gemini, and this will be a (relatively) sanitised and civilised blog.

also i forgot to link to the website, it's this. have fun!

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