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0 pointszenojevski5y ago0 comments

The ability for clients to render the markup as they please is actually one of the most important features, and a stark distinction from HTML, which only has one correct way to render.

I exploit this in my Unnamed Gopher Client[0], a client for the predecessor of the Gemini protocol, where I render links in a familiar files/folder format:

https://i.imgur.com/dw3e4Ou.png

And there are many more creative things that can be done with this.

[0]: https://github.com/zenoamaro/unnamed-gopher-client

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4 comments · 1 top-level

nicbou5y ago· 3 in thread

> which only has one correct way to render

A website can be rendered at different resolutions, with or without stylesheets, in dark mode, in printer-friendly formats, in a text-like format, with user stylesheets, with some elements hidden, as plain text, etc.

8organicbits5y ago

True, but at a given resolution, with CSS turned on, and in dark mode all users will basically see the same HTML view. The user can't have a dark mode HTML page unless the web site offers one or the user has an extension that makes a best effort to create one. HTML with complex Javascript rendering makes it hard to give the user control.

The concept of a user agent that gives the user much greater ability to choose how they want to view content could mean each user will:

* Pick their own font, font size, line spacing, margins

* Pick their own text color and background color. Like dark mode, high contrast, etc.

* Choose how linked images are shown: inline, click to load, load in new window, expandable thumbnails, etc

* How sections, section headers are displayed. Add a table of contents? Add a button to jump to the next section? The user can choose.

I like reader view, which gives me the ability to choose how I view HTML, but only when reader view can figure out how to extract the content (sometimes disastrously missing paragraphs of text...)

drkstr5y ago

This right here should be the headline selling point on Gemini existing as its own separate protocol segregated from standard HTTP.

This thread is the first I've heard, and up until this comment I was thinking in my head, "sheesh, what kind of value proposition would justify that amount of work. I'm just not seeing it."

It's kind of like what REST was meant to be. More about entities than verbs. Cool. I get it now.

bmn__5y ago

Opera 12 can do all that. I'm sad that you ever only experienced shitty browsers which take away this sort of control from the user.

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