Thoughts about the Gemini protocol

Yeah, I think what we need is a system with using sandboxed WASI with some
kind of file based GUI API. Apps would be run in a sandbox with a temporary
folder and a size limited persistent folder. I think the name Gravity
Runtime is good.

On Tue, Aug 18, 2020, 2:51 PM Dave Gauer <dave at ratfactor.com> wrote:

> On 8/14/20 4:59 AM, /dev/urandom wrote:
> > I was thinking about an idea similar to Gemini that could work as a
> > protocol for not just websites, but also simple and functional web
> > applications as well that could, to a reasonable extent, look and work
> > well on lots of different devices (desktops, smartphones, feature
> > phones, text-mode interfaces).
>
>
> Gemini has hard conceptual/technical boundaries which make it pretty
> unsuitable for building general purpose applications. And that is, of
> course, on purpose.
>
> I've thought for years that browsers should have entirely separate modes
> of operation: one presents content and the other is an application
> client. The user would have strict control over which mode was being
> used, so I could say that reddit.com can only do "displaying content"
> things, but gmail.com can do "application" things.
>
> But I like even more the idea of having separate clients (and protocols)
> for these purposes.
>
> I feel like Gemini "solves" the content mode.
>
> We still need the application mode. Universal distributed applications
> are incredibly useful and cool (and that use of the Web keeps me
> employed). But the Web _sucks_ for making applications.
>
> So, if I were to build the "Gemini of applications", I think I would
> take a hard look at two things:
>
> * WASM for execution
> * Existing UI languages for layout
>
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WebAssembly
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_user_interface_markup_languages
>
> I like your abstract input examples.  The client should be able to
> determine the best way to present this to the user.  Entering a date on
> a desktop computer should not use the same UI as a touchscreen kiosk or
> a voice-activated home assistant!  Nor should the application developer
> need to create these UIs from scratch each and every time.
>
> Hmm, now we just need a good name for a "Gemini of applications"...
>
> :-)
>
>
> > 2. Continuous connections
> > 3. Append mode
>
> #3 is intriguing.  I suppose it's to allow the server to respond with
> messages such as "I didn't understand 'asdfklj' as a date!" or provide
> interactive feedback, such as a session with an Eliza-like chatbot or
>
> -Dave
>
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