Taking Gemini for a spin

I started getting curious about Gemini a few months ago, mainly because the modern web is a tangled mess of spyware, dark patterns, bloat and unnecessary complexity.

This is especially true on phones which are now the default browsing device for most people.

Compared to desktop and laptop computers, phones are constrained in terms of:

Screen size;

CPU speed;

Memory;

Input fidelity.

This implies that a smaller and leaner solution than the modern web may have some interesting advantages.

Additionally, sometimes you just want to read an article and have it load quickly, without popups, without have to think about terms, privacy policies and cookie settings. And you just want a nice, highly readable and clear layout.

It is exactly for this use case that Gemini should shine, because it is essentially just markdown over TCP. There is no scripting, no images or videos. There's no tracking and also very limited interactivity.

Possible downsides

I just wrote that there's no interactivity, images or videos. These limitations may lead to Gemini feeling too static and dull. Even the early versions of HTML had these things.

Let us see shall we? I will use Gemini, follow other people and see what I think in a few months time.

Some links you might find useful

This is the "gemtext" specification which explains how to write Gemini pages (hint, it's just Markdown).

Agate - This is the Gemini server I'm using

Andthat's all for today. Thanks for reading.

Back to my Gemini home page