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Show HN: Gemini web client in 100 lines of C

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Show HN: Gemini web client in 100 lines of C

#1

Post by ir3k »

Gemini protocol documentation claims that it is possible to write basic web client in 100 lines of code proving protocol simplicity. Easy in modern scripting language but can it be done in ANSI C? Let the source code decide.

Someone suggested to share this silly project of mine with HN community so here it is. Enjoy

Show HN: Gemini web client in 100 lines of C
github.com

Re: Show HN: Gemini web client in 100 lines of C

#5

Post by sjmulder »

Narishma wrote: post #2

What do you mean by web client? From the github it looks more like a command line program.

Web refers to Gemini here, it being a command-line client for the Gemini web.

These line-based browsers used to be more common, there were a few ones for the www but also ‘ftp’ has such a mode. As does my little ‘nostt’ Teletext reader.

Re: Show HN: Gemini web client in 100 lines of C

#6

Post by ploum »

ir3k wrote: post #4
Narishma wrote: post #2

What do you mean by web client? From the github it looks more like a command line program.

Yea, you are right. Poor choose of words on my side. One can argue the definition of "web" but it would be much more precise to write "CLI client".

There’s nothing to argue. The "World Wide Web" or "Web" is defined as servers and clients communicating using the HTTP protocol. (Usually, it means that content is using HTML but this is not mandatory).

"Gemini" is defined as servers and client communicating using the "Gemini" protocol (and content is usually in the gemtext format).

Both are part of the Internet, which is defined as an INTERconnection of NETworks, thus a physical worldwide network of computers. Any computer with a public IP (Internet Address) is thus part of the Internet (in your house, is usually your box which is part of the Internet and acting as a gateway for your computer).

So : Internet is mostly an hardware network. You then join different part of the Internet by running adhoc software: Web, Gemini, Gopher, Mail, FTP, Usenet, etc…

Those have very clear and crisp definitions, there absolutely nothing to argue about. A "Web Gemini client" means a browser capable of accessing both Gemini and the Web, which is not the case here. It is a "Gemini browser".

Re: Show HN: Gemini web client in 100 lines of C

#7

Post by 6581 »

sjmulder wrote: post #5
Narishma wrote: post #2

What do you mean by web client? From the github it looks more like a command line program.

Web refers to Gemini here, it being a command-line client for the Gemini web. These line-based browsers used to be more common, there were a few ones for the www but also ‘ftp’ has such a mode. As does my little ‘nostt’ Teletext reader.

> Web refers to Gopher here, it being a command-line client for the Gopher web.

Gemini, not Gopher.

Re: Show HN: Gemini web client in 100 lines of C

#10

Post by lolinder »

Narishma wrote: post #2

What do you mean by web client? From the github it looks more like a command line program.

If you're going to nitpick you could nitpick on the use of "web" (though, as others note, that's not wholly inaccurate), but there are plenty of command-line web clients. For example, wget and curl.
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