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⬅️ Previous capture (2022-04-28)

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Introducing: spa, a Whinam browser for the Spartan Protocol

So far It is a pathetically primitive terminal viewer, but the interesting thing about it is its use of sigils, 4-letter persistent mnemonics for Spartan URLs. 4 alphanumeric (caps only, no 'O','I','0' or '1') characters provide 20 bits, or 1 million+ URLs, plenty for Spartan.

https://tildegit.org/stack/spa

Sigils

Sigils are useful as site-local shortcuts, easily-remembered for often-used destinations, are easy to type, and form a basis for a bookmarking/logging database that helps you deal with interesting URLs.

Many browsers (especially text mode ones) provide a numeric shortcut for each URL. A sigil is just a couple of keystrokes more. Sigils are persistent (you can browse to a sigil now or next year), and the ones you use often will be memorized by osmosis.

I am not yet sure if sigils are a great idea, or a dumb one. If I like them, I will probably put together a Gemini requestor (I would have to deal with certificates, ugh).

Modularity

I am also experimenting with a modular environment. There is a separation between the network requestor, the URL database, the rendering engine and the (not yet implemented) scroller-pager environment.

Practical HorseWare

spa is built around the principles of Whinam software: an immutable log with indices. It is a work in progress, but if you are curious to play with a sigiled environment and see the handful of existing Spartan sites in your terminal, give it a shot. I will write more about the architecture of spa and other horseware in the Whinam folder.

gemini://gemini.ctrl-c.club/~stack/whinam/index.gmi

A Taste of Spa

This is what it looks like (if your Gemini browser supports ANSI color) at this moment. Looking at `spartan://mozz.us`. You navigate by specifying a URL or a sigil (rendered in orange).

I plan to add one/two-digit page-local shortcuts, and 3-character user-chosen sigils for really special sites...

✀------------------------------------------------------------
spa spartan://moz.us

 spartan://mozz.us

                 /|
  _______________)|..
<'______________<(,_|)
           .((()))| )) << THIS. IS. SPARTAN:// >>
           (======)| \
          ((( "_"()|_ \
         '()))(_)/_/ ' )
         .--/_\ /(  /./
        /'._.--\ .-(_/
       / / )\___:___)
      ( -.'.._  |  /
       \  \_\ ( | )
        '. /\)_(_)|
          '-|  XX |
           %%%%%%%%
          / %%%%%%%\
         ( /.-'%%%. \
        /(.'   %%\ :|
       / ,|    %  ) )
     _|___)   %  (__|_
     )___/       )___(
      |x/      mrf\ >
      |x)         / '.
      |x\       _(____''.__
    --\ -\--
     --\__|--

RB4U (view this art in color)

 Content

Congrats! You've made it to the fabled D E E P N E T.
SBS8 UFO sightings

Air your grievances.
87AB sign the guestbook

Upload something and have it echoed back to you.
=: /echo echo service

View the specification.
L8UJ spartan://spartan.mozz.us

Verify your client's behavior.
PRPC text/gemini test file

Get plugged in.
89QD spartan software list

 Local Users

TPHR ~mozz

 Into the Sparty-Verse

All of the spartan servers (that we know of)!

RCV9 spartan://mozz.us
2G7P spartan://alexschroeder.ch
YPMM spartan://tracciabi.li:3000
CHEP spartan://de1.hashbang.sh:3000
EH2P spartan://armen138.com
GYLK spartan://armen138.com:301
P5KY spartan://tilde.team
B2MD spartan://webdragon.mywire.org:1962

email michael@mozz.us to get yours added to the list!

> Our arrows will block out the sun.
> Then we will fight in the shade!

✀------------------------------------------------------------

Colors (and everything else, really) are provisional and will be fine-tuned (and made user-selectable) later. And yes, I am not handling the new =: links yet, as I am still contemplating what that means.

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