gemini://jr.smol.pub/the-light-free-and-open-web

As Gemini adopters I think most of you would agree that the future of the web is small and light but also powerful and meaningful. I think this is the way that not only userland but also products and tools, most notably val.town[1] and hyperspace.so[2], are moving. These sites are cool little glimpses into what can be: a fast and light internet but with massive power and extreme usability. This is how I imagine the web would be if it was stuck in the 90s but continued to grow in power with JavaScript, WebAssembly and more. The Deno team wrote a great blog post about how Server-Side Rendering (SSR) is the future of deploying and serving[3] and how we're essentially returning to the 90s where everything was rendered on the server and where you receive lightweight applications that are simply "hydrated" on your side for interactivity purposes, and only if necessary.

I also think the future of the web is open and free, which isn't a new or fancy idea, but apparently really hard to implement. I think Bluesky[4] is promising. They seem to have realized that social platforms don't have to be toxic pits, and can be used as a tool. The key ideas behind Bluesky are that everyone has the right to a customizable online identity that is persistent and that there should be no single governing body behind the global public square. I think these are two really great things to keep as shining lights, as all of the current options for social media platforms don't do one or both of these. That's why I don't use Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, or whatever but also why I don't use Mastodon. I think that this can all be solved by what Bluesky has in mind. I've longed for a spot in the global public square, as I believe everyone deserves a voice and a place to use it, but even with our maximized technological society, it's not possible yet.

That's not to say that there aren't any good options — I think the small web is living out part of that dream. My only concern is that there's not enough room for everyone and that resources are lacking. I love my place here on the small web, but I wish everyone else could have one too and I'm not sure that's possible. My longing for the light, free, and open web continues.

The Light, Free, and Open Web

Endnotes