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Comment by ecliptik

1 day ago

From what I remember about the name, it's derived from NASA space programs. Where Gopher is Mercury, Web is Apollo and Gemini is in between.

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

No images is a bit of a deal-breaker for almost everyone I would have thought.

  • Images aren't prohibited. They are linked but can be shown.

    • Gemini users kind of have a meltdown if you try to implement any optional features. One browser implemented favicons and users were flaming the github issues demanding it be removed or they would implement IP blocks for any users requesting the favicon url. I tried to find the link but search results are drowned out by Google's Gemini.

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I wonder how discovery and search work if it’s just a bunch of linked documents? Do search engines exist outside of Gemini and link into it?

  • There are several search engines of Geminispace, running as Gemini servers. There are also a number of feed aggregators that are widely used.

    • Also, part of the idea is discovery through linked high-quality sites. Like the webrings of the 1990s.

      You find a capsule you like and discover others through that person's links.

  • The protocol supports query strings so the server can generate content based on the string, which can be used for an in-Gemini Gemini search engine. It doesn't have to be all static content. People could also build out a directory (like the now defunct DMOZ and similar directories for the Web).