A Simpler Web: Gopher & Gemini

“The web was supposed to be a tool for thinking, not a platform for advertising.”

What Happened to the Web?

The modern web is broken. Pages that should be 10KB are now 10MB. JavaScript trackers watch your every move. Autoplay videos assault you. Cookie banners demand consent. The web became a surveillance capitalism nightmare.

But it doesn’t have to be this way.

Gopher: The Protocol Time Forgot

Before the web dominated everything, Gopher (1991) offered a simpler way to navigate information. Plain text menus. No images. No JavaScript. No ads. Just pure, hierarchical content.

Why Gopher Matters

• Fast: Pages load instantly, even on dialup
• Private: No tracking, no cookies, no analytics
• Accessible: Works on anything with a terminal
• Focused: Content over presentation

Accessing Gopherspace

Via Browser:

lynx gopher://gopher.floodgap.com

Popular Gopherholes:

• gopher://gopher.floodgap.com - The mothership
• gopher://gopher.black - Phlog aggregator
  
• gopher://zaibatsu.circumlunar.space - Community server

Gemini: Gopher’s Modern Cousin

Gemini (2019) takes Gopher’s philosophy and updates it for today. It’s heavier than Gopher but much lighter than the web. Think of it as the middle ground between simplicity and functionality.

The Gemini Philosophy

1. Privacy by default: TLS required, no tracking possible
2. Simple markup: Even simpler than Markdown
3. Fast: No images inline, no JavaScript ever
4. User control: Client decides how to display content

Accessing Geminispace

Terminal Client:

amfora gemini://gemini.circumlunar.space

Popular Capsules:

• gemini://gemini.circumlunar.space - Project homepage
• gemini://warmedal.se/~antenna/ - Gemini feed aggregator
• gemini://midnight.pub - Social space

Why This Matters

The web doesn’t have to be what Google and Facebook made it. These protocols prove you can have:

• Rich content without bloat
• Community without surveillance
  
• Information without distraction

It’s not nostalgia. It’s a rejection of what the web became.

Getting Started

1. Install a client: lynx for Gopher, amfora for Gemini
2. Explore the old web: Start at gopher.floodgap.com
3. Join Geminispace: Browse gemini.circumlunar.space
4. Create your own: Many pubnixes offer Gopher/Gemini hosting

The web is what we make it. Choose simplicity.

Further Reading: * Gopher Protocol (RFC 1436) * Project Gemini * Why Gemini?