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What is an interesting fact that you recently discovered? (pawb.social)

submitted 7 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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[–] [email protected] 24 points 7 months ago (2 children)

I was initially interested in the idea of Gemini, but when looking for a client, I happened upon this blog post by the creator of one of the clients about why they were abandoning it.

After a lot of thinking, I’ve realized there is one main reason I don’t keep coming back to Gemini: it offers no advantage over how I already use the Web.

In practice, the Web already has all the Gemini content I’m interested in from various people, and then of course everything else. Having everything in one place (whether my web browser or feed reader) makes for a much nicer experience.

Gemini is a reaction to bloated modern websites, but in fact I don’t actually visit that many gross websites like that. When I do, my ad blocker and paywall bypasser usually make them decent again. Otherwise, I spend the majority of my non-work Internet time on lightweight sites like my feed reader and Hacker News, and some time on sites that Gemini can’t emulate: YouTube, Reddit, Discord. The reality is that Gemini just wouldn’t actually improve this experience for me.

These are exactly the reservations I had about the concept, so to have someone so invested in it reach this exact conclusion and leave it made me decide to forego it. I think it's a neat toy, and if it becomes relevant I'll definitely take another look, but I think it's a bit of putting the cart before the horse. I don't want to use a protocol for the sake of using a protocol, I want it to serve a purpose and solve an actual problem I have.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 7 months ago (2 children)

I enjoyed browsing Gemini capsules using the Lagrange browser. Its look and feel is awesome and made me want to write smol websites again. I'm appalled by what modern websites have become. I miss making light but cool sites without an ounce of scripts in them.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago)

Have you looked at the source code of a capsule? It's delightfully simple.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 7 months ago

I'm not familiar with the Gemini protocol, but how does it differ from just starting up a webserver pointed at a single folder with an index.html? Isn't it still just as possible to make a simple site using http?

[–] Feathercrown 2 points 7 months ago (1 children)

I wonder if the "everything in one place" issue could be resolved by a browser extension to view gemini pages?

[–] [email protected] 3 points 7 months ago (1 children)

At that point, I think ideally, normal users wouldn't know the difference between viewing a normal webpage and a gemini page, until they run into a random inconvenience where a link doesn't work as expected or something.

I just don't know what Gemini has to offer. It's basically a novelty protocol for people who want to pretend it's 1995 again. Nothing wrong with that, but I don't see it having practical use.

[–] Feathercrown 1 points 7 months ago

Yeah, sounds about right. It's the same deal as those productivity phones with 4 hardcoded apps on them. I suppose there's appeal, because these types of things keep being made.