gemini://
) can already be used to fetch (at the back end) and present objects from a P2P-like network; we're currently exploring practical use cases and possibilities
It's possible to chain/group together and then fetch CIDs (obtain IPFS access) over the Gemini protocol; the number of software tools being developed around Gemini protocol is rather astounding. It's like for every 10 Gemini capsules which exist and are known about there's one bit of publicly-accessible Free software project (we have our own too, to be published some time soon under terms of the GNU AGPLv3). The number of clients or browsers is also huge; they're often implemented from scratch, unlike today's Web browsers that are mostly Chrome (or Chromium) 'clones'. This video started by debating a recent message about work that was done to chain IPFS and Gemini ("Gemini-IPFS gateway") and we too have been doing work towards that. It's actually possible already (presenting Gemini pages as output from ipfs cat [CID]
), but we're trying to present that in a way that includes practical benefits. Given a Gemini server (backend software) that can handle CGI, it should be possible to make Gemini capsules that serve contents of any given CID/hash. When it comes to very large files, it can tackle storage limitations, albeit Gemini is notoriously unsuited for very large files. So this is still work in progress as a side project. ⬆