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# Gemini Quickstart!
About Contact
(DIR) Gemini Quickstart!
(DIR) About
(DIR) Contact
# What is Gemini?
Gemini is a new way of using the Internet, separate from the
World Wide Web you are familiar with. Compared to the WWW, it is
intended to be:
* Simpler – Gemini pages aren’t programs that run in your
browser like most modern websites are; they’re just text with a
little formatting, so there are no surprises. Once you know how
one Gemini page works, you know how they all work.
* Human Scale – Gemini servers and clients aren’t written by
big, monopolistic software companies the way web browsers are;
the DIY ethos of Gemini means that complete applications can be
written by individual developers or small groups in a reasonable
amount of time. That also means that you have more choices
compared to web browsers.
* Distraction Free – Gemini pages are text-only and have simple
typography. You can view images, watch video, or listen to music
over Gemini, but nothing will ever autoplay, pop over what
you’re reading, or jump out of the way of your mouse.
* Privacy Protecting – Every Gemini request is independent of
every other, so there’s no way to track you between sites. Every
site you visit is protected by the same encryption used by
banking and eCommerce sites on the WWW.
More details are in the Official Gemini FAQ. Be aware that it’s
targeted at a more technical audience than this quick start
page, so you might want to skip it for now and come back later.
The main thing to know is that you’re going to get a much more
stripped-down experience compared to the modern WWW, but that’s
okay! Some of the choices made to keep Gemini simple may seem
too extreme, compared to even a bare-bones web site, but there
are hidden benefits that won’t be obvious at first.
FAQ
# How do I read pages on Gemini?
The first thing to do is to install a Gemini client. A Gemini
client is like a web browser, except instead of browsing the
web, it browses Geminispace. There are at least a couple of
Gemini clients available for most platforms. Here, I’m going to
recommend just one, that I think will feel most familiar or
least surprising to new users. That doesn’t mean I think the
other ones are bad. A lot of it is just personal preference,
just like with web browsers. After you get used to Gemini with
the client I recommend, you may want to try some others.
You may be used to doing everything in the web browser, and find
it strange or uncomfortable to have to install a different
program to read Gemini pages. But you’ll get used to it; the WWW
tries to be everything to everyone, both a floor-wax and a
toothpaste, while Gemini tries to be good at just one thing.
## Windows
You have several options for a Gemini browser on Windows, but
I’m going to recommend that you install Geminaut, because of its
comfortable, Windows-native user interface. Download and run the
latest MSI file from the website. You will get a warning that
the installer isn’t signed, which is because the developer is an
independent hobbyist. If you downloaded it directly from the
link above, it should be safe to “run anyway”.
[‡ A screenshot of GemiNaut on Windows 10] >>
Lagrange is another good option – it has more features and is
lightweight, but the user interface isn’t native like
GemiNaut’s. There is also a nightly build of Kristall.
(IMG) >>
## MacOS
There are several Gemini clients that can be built for MacOS,
but the only one I know of that provides pre-built downloads for
a released version is Lagrange. That’s okay, because Lagrange is
a very good browser. The UI doesn’t use native controls, but
it’s light and fast.
[‡ A screenshot of Lagrange on MacOS] >> [‡ Another screenshot
of Lagrange on MacOS] >>
There may also be nightly builds of Kristall, if you’re so
inclined.
(IMG) >>
(IMG) >>
## iOS
There is one Gemini client on the app store, called Elaho. There
is another one on TestFlight called Rocketeer.
[‡ A screenshot of Elaho on iPhone] >>
(IMG) >>
## Android
For Android, I recommend Ariane. The developer’s site has
several different download options, but if you are at all
unsure, you should install from Google Play.
Deedum is also a good client for Android, but its UI is not
quite as simple.
[‡ A screenshot of Ariane on Android 10] >> [‡ A screenshot of
deedum on Android 10] >>
Play
(IMG) >>
(IMG) >>
## Linux or Unix (desktop GUI)
If you’re able to compile programs from source, you are spoiled
for choice. Most Gemini clients are developed for Linux. The
main GUI choices are:
* Lagrange
* Kristall (QT5)
* Castor (GTK)
If you need a binary release, you will probably need to install
Lagrange. Lagrange is on FlatHub, so if your distribution
supports FlatPaks, you’re in luck. There is also a nightly
AppImage of Kristall, if you prefer.
[‡ A screenshot of Lagrange on Linux (sway)] >> [‡ A screenshot
of kristall] >> [‡ A screenshot of castor, with quite an odd GTK
theme] >>
FlatHub
(IMG) >>
(IMG) >>
(IMG) >>
## Linux or Unix (terminal or console)
The situation here is similar to Linux GUI clients, but there
are at least two that have binary releases:
* Bombadillo
* Amfora
If you’re not sure which you want, go for Amfora; it has more
familiar keybindings than Bombadillo.
## Other
If there’s no Gemini client for your platform, but there is a
web browser, you can use a proxy. Either portal.mozz.us or
proxy.vulpes.one should work for your needs.
You shouldn’t use a proxy just because you don’t want to install
a Gemini client, though! You will miss out on the experience of
not using the web browser.
# Where do I point my Gemini client?
By now, you should have a Gemini client installed. If you’ve
tried to install one, but gotten stuck, please feel free to give
me an email at help@geminiquickst.art. I don’t mind! You can do
this next part using one of the web portals, but it would be
better if you had a real client installed.
First, open up your Gemini client, and arrange it so that you
can see both the Gemini client and the web browser you’re
reading this in. You should be able to follow the rest of this
tutorial in Gemini. In your Gemini client, open
gemini://geminiquickst.art/. You may or may not be able to click
on that link from your web browser and have it open up in your
Gemini client, depending on a lot of nerd stuff that you don’t
have to care about now. If it doesn’t open up on click, copy and
paste gemini://geminiquickst.art/ into your Gemini client. You
should get a page that’s pretty much the same as this one,
though the colors and fonts may be different. Scroll it down
until you reach this point, then read the rest of your page in
your Gemini client, rather than your web browser.
(DIR) help@geminiquickst.art
# Where do I find things to read on Gemini?
Gemini is pretty new, so like the early web, there’s not as much
content as you’re used to on the modern web, and too much of it
is tech stuff. But there’s a lot of other stuff there too, if
you’re willing to look.
## Gemlogs (like blogs)
One of the main things people have been using Gemini for is
blogging. And it makes sense, because blogs are mostly text,
it’s easy to find updates, and the web has made a real mess of
it, where it hasn’t completely abandoned it to social media.
Several of the clients recommended above have built in
feed-readers for subscribing to gemlogs and staying informed
about updates. If yours does, I recommend that you take
advantage of that feature as you find gemlogs you want to read.
It will be more flexible than depending on a feed aggregator
hosted by someone else, and easier than setting up your own feed
aggregator.
But to find feeds to subscribe to, you’re best off starting with
an aggregator someone else is running. This is a list of
well-known public aggregators in Geminispace.
* CAPCOM is run by Solderpunk, the founder of the Gemini
project. It knows about over 200 Gemini feeds, but picks 100
every month to display. It’s a good way of finding feeds to
follow.
* Spacewalk is an aggregator that follows every update to the
pages it follows. This makes it a little less accurate than
CAPCOM, but can follow pages that don’t announce their updates.
* gmisub aggregates over 100 feeds using the Gemini simple feed
specification.
(DIR) CAPCOM
(DIR) Spacewalk
(DIR) gmisub
(DIR) Gemini simple feed
specification
## Curated directories of interesting pages by topic
Because Geminispace is a lot smaller than the web, it’s still
somewhat possible to hand-curate a list of interesting sites.
You may remember how Yahoo! got its start as a curated index of
links by topic.
* Medusae.space is an index similar to the old Yahoo!. You can
browse by topic, or search.
* Gemini Discovery is a index of search engines and indices you
can use to find things you’re interested in.
(DIR) Medusae.space
(DIR) Gemini Discovery
## Searching
You can also search Gemini, just like you can search the web.
However, it’s not indexed by Google or Bing or DuckDuckGo; we
have our own search engines. Or rather, search engine. There
have been three search engines built for Gemini, but only one is
currently active: Geminispace.info.
That said, search is not as important, currently, on Gemini as
it is on the WWW. Subscriptions and cross-site links are the
main ways of finding new things.
(DIR) Geminispace.info
# How do I publish/share things on Gemini?
This part is a little harder, but people are busily working on
making it easier! The first thing that you should know is that
there’s no direct equivalent of the WWW’s social media sites on
Gemini. Gemini doesn’t have a built-in method for posting
things, so most people posting on Gemini right now are using
separate tools to write their pages or posts and to upload them
to a server. And that’s leaving out registering an account on
the server, which is usually done manually by the site owner!
But that situation is going to get better. Right now, there are
a few Gemini sites where the “separate tools” for registering an
account and posting pages or updates are web applications, and
it’s likely that someone will make an integrated native
application.
## Gemini sites with WWW applications for posting
* The Midnight Pub is a hybrid Gemini site with a “local pub”
theme. Some people post regular gemlogs, some people role-play
the part of patrons at the pub. It’s kind of a slow-paced social
media site. Registration requires emailing the bartender to ask
them for a key, but don’t be shy – they just want to make sure
you’re not a spammer. People can subscribe to a feed of just
your posts, or a feed of everyone at the pub.
* Gemlog.Blue is a site that makes it easy to maintain a gemlog.
You can register on the WWW side of the site, and create, edit,
or delete posts through the web interface, and view them through
Gemini. People can subscribe to a feed of your posts.
* Flounder is another site with a web application for posting.
It’s more general-purpose than Gemlog.Blue or the Midnight Pub.
The registration page asks where you heard about Flounder, but
it’s really just a low-tech anti-spam measure. Tell them this
page sent you.
(DIR) The Midnight Pub
(DIR) Gemlog.Blue
## Gemini sites with public account signup
Shared hosting on Gemini today is pretty similar to shared
hosting on the WWW in 1999, but in general more
community-oriented and friendlier. If you think of these sites
as being like GeoCities, but without neon backgrounds and
blinking “under construction” GIFs, you won’t be too far wrong.
With these sites, you will sign up, either via the web or email,
and have a space that you can access with a native graphical
file transfer application such as FileZilla (Windows, MacOS, or
Linux). You’ll write Gemtext documents on your own computer,
then copy them to your host with Filezilla or a similar program.
Some of these sites will want you to send an SSH public key,
which may sound too technical, but Digital Ocean has a pretty
good guide to using them with FileZilla. It’s focused on their
own VPS service, but most of it should apply here, too.
(DIR) Gemtext
Ocean
One warning – if you’re on Windows and you’re not careful with
how you install Filezilla, you may end up with some additional
bundled software you don’t want. For Windows users, I recommend
Winscp as an alternative.
* pollux.casa offers free Gemini hosting on subdomains (like
‘yourname.pollux.casa’) that are also reachable by http. Sign-up
is by email to Adële, the host, and access to your files is by
SFTP or FTPS. Overall, this seems like one of the most friendly
site hosting options for newcomers.
* If you are a French speaker, you might look at Un bon café, a
French Gemini hosting service that aims to be simple and use
sFTP for uploading content. They also offer an email hosting
service. The service is free.
* koyu.space offers free hosting. Unlike some of the others,
your site gets automatically updated from a git repository you
maintain, so this one is probably not best for non-technical
people, unless you have a hankering to learn git.
* SourceHut Pages offers free Gemini hosting. Their setup is
probably more complex than non-technical users will want to
engage with, but it’s free, and it’s somewhat less involved than
running your own Gemini server.
* Jae’s Gemini pod offers free hosting, on a subdomain or your
own domain. You’ll need to send the owner a SSH public key, a
name for your website, and the domain name or subdomain you want
to use.
* Main Street in Nightfall City offers Gemini, Gopher, and WWW
hosting at the center of downtown Nightfall City, home of the
Midnight Pub. The hosting here is a little more hands-on, but
more flexible. You’ll need an account name and SSH public key.
The online help focuses on terminal tools, but you should be
able to use FileZilla or similar to upload your pages.
* si3t.ch offers free shared hosting. Your capsule will have its
own subdirectory. Instructions are on the site.
(DIR) pollux.casa
(DIR) Un bon
café
(DIR) koyu.space
(DIR) SourceHut Pages
(DIR) Jae’s Gemini pod
(DIR) Main Street in Nightfall
City
(DIR) si3t.ch
## Pubnixes and Tildes
A pubnix is a PUBlic uNIX server, a kind of shared computer for
use by members of a community. They’re usually used by logging
in to a terminal interface using an SSH (secure shell) client.
That’s actually a very good way to dip your toes into the more
technical side of Gemini (and Gopher, and WWW) hosting, but it’s
understandable if it’s not for you. Many pubnixes offer Gemini
hosting to their members.
These are a few pubnixes with Gemini hosting:
* The Mare Crisium Soviet Socialist Regency
* The Mare Tranquillitatis People’s Circumlunar Zaibatsu
* The Mare Serenitatis Circumlunar Corporate Republic
* Ctrl-C Club
* envs.net
* heathens.club
* Park City
* RawTextClub
* SDF Public Access UNIX System
* tilde.pink
(DIR) The Mare Crisium Soviet Socialist
Regency
(DIR) The Mare Tranquillitatis People’s Circumlunar
Zaibatsu
(DIR) The Mare Serenitatis Circumlunar Corporate Republic
(DIR) Ctrl-C Club
(DIR) envs.net
(DIR) heathens.club
(DIR) Park City
(DIR) RawTextClub
(DIR) SDF Public Access UNIX System
(DIR) tilde.pink
## Self-hosting guides (here be monsters)
It’s not hard, as these things go to set up a Gemini server on a
VPS (Virtual Private Server), a collocated server, or a
Raspberry Pi in a shoebox under the bookshelf your router sits
on. However “as these things go” covers a lot of evils. You’ll
generally need to be familiar with the Unix or Linux
command-line, installing software from a distribution
repository, and with compiling software from source.
I do not yet have any How-To documents collected for
self-hosting a Gemini server. Please let me know if you find or
write one!
# Conclusion
That’s it! Hopefully by this point you have found some things
you want to read on Gemini, ideally things you’ve subscribed to
that will keep you coming back. And if things have gone really
well, you’ll have established a foothold of your on in
Geminispace, and I’ll be reading something you’ve shared in not
too long.
If any of the steps in this document were unclear or you need
help for another reason, please feel free to email
help@geminiquickst.art.
If you see something that’s missing (like a hosting site you
want to recommend), or something wrong, please mail
info@geminiquickst.art.
Thank you for reading! See you out there!
*
*
*
(DIR) //geminiquickst.art/
(DIR) //geminiquickst.art/it/
(DIR) //geminiquickst.art/pt-br/
© Jason McBrayer, 2023
[‡ This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution
NonCommercial ShareAlike 4.0 License]
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(DIR) Jason McBrayer