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nothien at uber.space nothien at uber.space
Tue Feb 23 19:08:48 GMT 2021
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I'm just going to quickly address everything about the metadata ideas /proposals:
They're not necessary.
I'm going to split it into two groups: metadata affecting presentation,and metadata about the document.
Gemini is (in specification and in spirit) against any specification ofpresentation. Stuff like favicons or colors as a part of the documentare problematic because you're going above and beyond the /one/ thingthat Gemini is trying to do: provide content without presentation.Instead of trying to introduce these, please work within the limits thatGemini has already presented to you.
What's the /point/ of standardizing a format for providing metadataabout a document? Seriously, I don't understand. What's the benefit ofletting a client know who the author is? If you, an author, want usersto know that you wrote something, just write "I wrote this". Thesekinds of proposals are unnecessary. If you want it to be read properlyby a screen reader, just write in full sentences ('this was written onthe 23rd of February'). Keep it open, prevent it from turning into amatter of convention, and think about how to solve problems /without/extending the specification in any way. Even if it's"backward-compatible", you're creating a rift in Gemini - see "Problemswith Conventions" below.
The problem with 'just' posting ideas and suggestions and proposals likethese is that they waste everyone's time (including yours). Instead oftrying to add new, unnecessary, and unwanted features to Gemini, startcreating content within it! We (and I'm speaking for a lot of peoplehere) are tired of dealing with new ideas from eager new Geminiauts whokeep trying (consciously or unconsciously) to reinvent the Web. Please/stop/ thinking about Gemini like it's the Web, or a replacement, oranything of the sort! Come to Gemini with an open mind to what it'strying to do. Read the spec, read the FAQ, read the companiondocuments, read the mailing list, and /understand/ the spirit of Gemini.
Conventions are naturally difficult because you're politely askingpeople to do something. This separates the Gemini userbase into peoplewho have done that thing and people who haven't. If you want to createa new convention, /please/ think about the effect this can have,particularly with conventions involving presentation. As others havepointed out, every new convention threatens to make a split in the userbase, and if anyone (user or site) can for any reason prefer one sideover the other, you've begun the process of separation. Don't do that,because we're just going to have to shoot your shit down.
Another issue with conventions is the fact that we have over 200individual pieces of software which use Gemini in its current state.This makes Gemini /very/ resistant to change, because we don't have themanpower to update all of that software. This is why the spec is now ina near-freeze state - all we want to do now is make clarifications tothe existing spec and to not add new things.
Please stop.
Thanks.
~aravk | ~nothien