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I agree that a text-focused web experience is important. The modern web makes it too easy to add trackers, consent banners, ads, and other distractions that pul

I agree that a text-focused web experience is important. The modern web makes it too easy to add trackers, consent banners, ads, and other distractions that pull attention away from the content. There’s actually a network protocol separate from the web with a small but growing user base. It uses a Markdown inspired format called Gemtext, has no cookies or trackers, and avoids most of the usual bloat seen in 2025. It’s called the Gemini protocol. It’s not perfect from the perspective of protocol design (which some people on HN can’t seem to get over), but it works, it has real users, and you can try it today. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gemini_(protocol) https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gemini_(protocol)

zahlman 1y ago
What the hell. Amazing to learn that people actually try to get things like this off the ground. I can remember many years ago having the kernel of a similar idea. Except I also imagined using JSON to describe page layout, like a common "UI form designer" language. On the other hand, this gets much further into the transport protocol, as opposed to just page content.
- JdeBP 1y ago
  It has come up on Hacker News fairly regularly over the past few years. Some examples: * https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44631577 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44631577 * https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44645144 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44645144