(This is part of a "what if" series of idle thoughts. If you haven't read the introduction, please do that first.)

Alternative universe gemini ramblings

Pane Client

Imagine a graphical desktop gemini client where each page is displayed in side-by-side vertical panes. That's it. That's the idea.

(Unlike the other topics in this AUGR series, this one is 100% compatible with gemini as it exists today.)

The first page you visit is loaded into a narrow column (say, about 40 characters wide). When you click on a link, the original page remains where it is and the new page is loaded into a column to its right.

If you click on a link on the second pane, it opens a third pane, and so on. If there isn't room to fit a full pane in the remaining window space, a horizontal scroll bar is added to the window and scrolled to the right, so that the new pane is fully visible.

If you click on a link in the first pane, any second, third, fourth or higher panes are discarded, and the link is opened in a new second pane.

There is no back/forward navigation. (Okay, I guess you can have it if you want, but I want to try it without first.)

You can drag the boundaries between panes to change their widths. Any new pane copies the width of its parent at the time the page is loaded.

Basically this is just the column-based file browser interface, but for fully rendered gemini pages.

Is this a good idea? Would this be a pleasant way to browse gemini? I have no idea, but I keep thinking about it, and I'd like to try it.

emptyhallway

2021-01-13