6e9c93b3822596e7d7272c36ffcd5186
Introducing Gerbil and Molasses
Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 4.0
MONTHS ago we tried to show some of the many options for Gemini surfing, so we ended up comparing Moonlander, Telescope, Amfora, Kristall, and Lagrange (newer and older versions). Today we take a look at Molasses and Gerbil, which are actively being developed in GitHub and GitLab, respectively. Molasses last had a git commit 3 days ago. For Gerbil it was 4 months ago. Instructions for installing them on GNU/Linux (or downloading the binaries) can be found here and here. Gopher protocol is supported as well, but we do not focus on Gopher because it's very old and even outdated, with many lingering deficiencies which render it impractical for our needs.
The video above shows Gerbil and Molasses in action. It's a spontaneous video that I recorded minutes after I had tinkered with both Gerbil and Molasses (they didn't take long to install and were very simple to install on Debian 10). There aren't many features, but that's a plus, assuming KISS principle or Occam's razor.
There are many purely practical reasons to move to Gemini where (and when) possible. It's not only about being principled, it's about being pragmatic, putting efficiency, security, and simplicity first. The Web is going in a dark direction for a number of reasons (the Internet as a whole is under attack), and it won't improve for reasons we've been covering here for a very long time. Gemini is actually a lot simpler than the Web, so embracing it should not be difficult at all. It's different, sure, but not harder. ⬆