New Blog with Gemini Support
Here we go! Finally, my new website is now all done and published. I've used many tehcnologies over the years for my blog but this is the first time there's also a Gemini version available.
Designwise not that much has changed, but some parts are even more minimalistic than before. And then, of course, there's the gemtext version which is minimalistic by design all the way through to the protocol level.
More than Nostalgia
I'm one of those people who hate it when someone says that everything used to be better before. I just don't think that's true by any stretch. Things used to be different, that's for sure, but better? No, I don't thinks so. Well, maybe some things were better but in general, I don't think so.
Making a minimalistic, mostly text-only website like this may seem like nostalgia coming from someone who's used BBS's and browsed the web before the Netscape era. In some ways, I guess that's true, but there's so much more to it than just nostalgia.
The early days of the web (for me, c. 1996) were very anarchistic. The web was filled with amateurs and hobbyists figuring out what the world wide web is about. For me, it was about the people. The people making simple websites like this one. Posting links to pages they found interesting and writing about stuff they care about.
The contrast to the web today is huge. The biggest difference is the commercialism. Everything online today is commercial in one way or another. There are the websites for businesses and brands, people generating content just to brand themselves and sell their services, and then of course the big silos like Facebook. And of course, ads. Ads everywhere.
Alternatives to the Current Web
It looks like I'm not the only one wanting to change what the web is today. The small web movement has gained traction in recent years and the Gemini protocol is the embodiment of the alternative Internet.
There are lots of alternative movements bubbling under the mainstream, permacomputing being one of the most interesting things I've read in a while.
Where Do We Go from Here?
I don't know. The beauty of the web is that the web is what people make it. Anyone can create content and share it with the world. I just wish more of the content was created out of passion and not out of business needs.
Gemini and the small web has made me enthusiastic about the web once more. I feel like I've found my kind of people in the small web circles.