💾 Archived View for gemi.dev › gemini-mailing-list › 000778.gmi captured on 2023-11-04 at 13:06:16. Gemini links have been rewritten to link to archived content
-=-=-=-=-=-=-
??://?? Toward the end of his seminal "The Mercury protocol" gemlog ?, Solderpunk raises the following questions: ? How much more difficult is Gemini to implement than Mercury? ? What are the things Gemini can do which Mercury cannot? ? How much do we value those things? ? Is the difference in implementation effort commensurate with the value of the extra abilities gained? ? Is there anything Mercury can do which Gemini can't? With a concrete ?? Gemini definition at hand, we can now compare and contrast it with Gemini proper: ?? gemini ? a minimalist gemini protocol https://lists.orbitalfox.eu/archives/gemini/2021/005851.html ?? gemini ? esthetics https://lists.orbitalfox.eu/archives/gemini/2021/005852.html ? HOW MUCH MORE DIFFICULT IS GEMINI TO IMPLEMENT THAN MERCURY? Both are trivial to implement ? everything else being equal. ?? Gemini is more essentialist than Gemini proper ? less moving parts overall ?? Gemini doesn't mandate TLS by default ? Gemini's albatross ?? Gemini text/gemini is more streamlined, with only one essential construct: the link ? WHAT ARE THE THINGS GEMINI CAN DO WHICH MERCURY CANNOT? None. ?? Gemini can run over TLS like Gemini proper, given the appropriate multiaddr support: /dns/host.xyz/tcp/1965/tls ?? Gemini can express all of Gemini various line types solely using the link construct ?? Gemini can do all of what Gemini proper can ? just differently ? HOW MUCH DO WE VALUE THOSE THINGS? Depends who "we" is. Technically speaking, there are no capabilities differences ? it all boils down to esthetics and sensibilities. ? IS THE DIFFERENCE IN IMPLEMENTATION EFFORT COMMENSURATE WITH THE VALUE OF THE EXTRA ABILITIES GAINED? ?? Gemini has a more focused value proposition than Gemini proper ? which doesn't add any extra abilities per se. Both protocols do the same ?just differently. ? IS THERE ANYTHING MERCURY CAN DO WHICH GEMINI CAN'T? Yes. ?? Gemini frees Gemini proper from its TLS albatross ? a significant simplification ?? Gemini introduces a flexible connection mechanism ? multiaddr ?? Gemini is conceptually more consistent and streamlined ? the very essence of Gemini In conclusion: ?? Gemini can do more with less ?? Gemini embodies the essential qualities of Gemini proper That's all folks. ?0? ? https://portal.mozz.us/gemini/gemini.circumlunar.space/users/solderpunk/g emlog/the-mercury-protocol.gmi?raw=1 Archived at: https://web.archive.org/web/20210302133216/https://portal.mozz.us/gemini/ge mini.circumlunar.space/users/solderpunk/gemlog/the-mercury-protocol.gmi?raw=1
---
Previous Thread: [user] Putting my blog on gemini, question about subdomains