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RE: The Tragedy of Gemini

Does one answer to an article one saw on the WWW? Heck, I’ll do it, sorry if I’m breaking any rule. Because this morning, I read there an article that made me think:

[HTTPS] Maya, “The Tragedy of Gemini”

In her article, Maya states that what makes Gemini enjoyable is its scale, and that its scale is caused by the difficulty one has to use it if the potential user is not computer-literate:

While everything I have seen served via Gemini is friendly and sociable, the technical barriers of what-is-a-command-line and how-do-I-use-one are a fence put up that keep out the riffraff. Certainly, you can walk around the corner and go through the gate, but ultimately the geminiverse is lovely because it is underpopulated, slower-paced, and literate. It is difficult enough to access that those who can use it can be welcoming without worrying its smallness will be compromised.

I think we could all agree that the smallness and the pace of the Gemini-space is what makes it enjoyable. But, in other terms, what Maya is accusing us all (including her) is to be *elitists*, loving to chill with same-minded people, and trying hardly (if unconsciously) to let the others (“the riffraff”) outside. That part may not be totally wrong, but I still disagree.

I disagree firstly because I don’t think the *technical* fence is that high. It exists, of course, you have to install a new browser, learn how to use certificates… but nothing insurmountable. You only have to be actually tech-savvy if you want to host your own capsule; and if you aren’t, you can use the Midnight Pub or Flounder to publish things. I don’t consider myself tech-savvy, and to host this gemlog I just had to learn how to use SSH (and the fact that I had to *learn* to use a tool as basic as SSH is a testimony to my tech-savvy-lessness). But I’m in a middle ground, and even SSH is not needed with Flounder. You still have to learn a markup language, but gemtexts are *very* simple.

I disagree secondly because as a “middle-grounder” I have sometimes to frequent computer-related communities, as I have TONS of questions, mostly basic ones. And I can say that the level of technicality has *nothing* to do with friendliness and sociability. Some are wonderful places where everybody is welcome, others are hellish places where everybody hates anyone using SystemD. The level of the “fence” and the level of friendliness are totally disconnected. Thus, even if the fence was technical, it wouldn’t be a reason for the coolness of Gemini-space.

However, I agree on the fact that a fence exists. I wouldn’t say it’s technical, however: I’d say it’s *cultural*. It’s perfectly true that the geminauts are somewhat like-minded, and that that is an important part of the coolness of the Gemini-space. Gemininauts have a more *active* attitude towards information and communication technologies. Not (only) because of how the protocol was thought and written, not (only) because of its history (people tending to attract same-minded people), but (mainly) because of the question Gemini is an answer to.

For a lot of people, Internet is a given. They generally don’t understand how it works, or if they do understand, they’re happy with it. The predominance of the GAFAM, the economic system centred around private data… all these things I don’t have to explain here on Gemini are seen as natural and/or normal by 99% of the Internet users. They don’t see how they could have any influence on it, or just don’t bother. These people will just don’t meet Gemini, or if they do, they won’t see any interest. Of course, there are exceptions and gradients, but that’s the general picture.

So most people don’t ask themselves “wouldn’t the web be better if…?”. However, Gemini is an answer to this question. Or, at least, a part of an answer. People are on Gemini for multiple reasons, and generally more than one. But we all have grievances against the WWW.

We are, in the good sense of the term, a community, and I don’t find that sad.

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Author: Adou (CC BY-SA 4.0)

3x37zj4e@anonaddy.me

Subject: Computing