History of the Finger Protocol

by Rajiv Shah

June 2, 2000

https://web.archive.org/web/20230601031958/http://www.rajivshah.com/Case_Studies/Finger/Finger.htm

(original URL, but 404'ing: http://www.rajivshah.com/Case_Studies/Finger/Finger.htm )

#finger #fingerHole #fingerProtocol #smallInternet #smallNet #smallWeb #smolInternet #smolNet #smolWeb

What's your favourite client?
Your favourite server to run?
#smolweb #smolnet #SmallWeb #smallnet #geminiprotocol #gemini #GopherProtocol #gopher

I like the Gemini Protocol, but — I think too many of the other small-net protocols try to mimic Gemini.

One alternative path that small-net & small-web communities could try is —

Make a new version of the HTTP protocol.

One that includes small-net values.

A small-net HTTP (HTTP/1.4 ?) server could be backwards compatible, such that extant web-browsers could see something (even if the experience is better in a small-net web-browser).

#HTTP #HTTP_1_4 #smallNet #smallWeb #smolNet #smolWeb

1/

The Web of the 1990s and early 2000s (then called the World-Wide-Web) was different (in quality) from the Web of today.

One interesting thing from that era was that — there were many individuals who (on their own) created whole web-sites about some (narrow) topic each of them obsessed over. Something that each of them raged to master and document — and then published to the world (via the World-Wide-Web).

...

#smallNet #smallWeb #smolNet #smolWeb #WorldWideWeb

@reiver That was sort of my point, some of the #smolweb people of today are the same people as those who were excited by the web in the 1990s. I know, since I'm one of them.

7/

I think some of the hopes for Small-Net & Small-Web from its fans, enthusiasts, and advocates is —

• the return of individuals creating and publishing niche narrowly focused sites,

• removing the modern Gate-Keepers.

These obviously aren't the only desires from those in the Small-Net & Small-Web scene and social-movement, but — I think these 2 are interesting because they are related to the origin of the World-Wide-Web.

#smallNet #smallWeb #smolNet #smolWeb #WorldWideWeb

6/

The Web wasn't the start of the social-movement to get rid of these (historical) Gate-Keepers.

(The social-movement goes back to at least BBS and other similar networks — i.e., what, for regular people, was before the Internet.)

But the Web did have a big impact on removing these Gate-Keepers. A BIG one!

...

#smallNet #smallWeb #smolNet #smolWeb #WorldWideWeb

5/

Prior to the Web, if you wanted to publish something you created and reach a mass audience or a community — most of the time you would have to go through the TV industry, the film industry, the radio industry, or the newspaper industry.

These were the Gate-Keepers of the time.

In practice, only those with wealth or power were able to get permission from these Gate-Keepers.

For most of the people in the world — this wasn't an option

...

#smallNet #smallWeb #smolNet #smolWeb #WorldWideWeb

4/

I think people nowadays are unaware of just how big of a deal that latter part was — being able to write and publish content you created and reach an audience!

It was a huge deal!

As much as the Web was a technology, it was also a social-movement.

Part of the social-movement of the Web getting rid of Gate-Keeper.

...

#smallNet #smallWeb #smolNet #smolWeb #WorldWideWeb

3/

As I said, these niche web-sites about some narrow topic were one of the draws of the Internet on the 1990s and early 2000s.

Both reading what others wrote about niche topics you also cared about and perhaps also obsessed over.

But also, being able to create your own niche content on the (narrow) interests you obsessed over.

...

#smallNet #smallWeb #smolNet #smolWeb #WorldWideWeb

2/

These niche web-sites about some narrow topic of the 1990s and early 2000s were one of the draws of the Internet back then.

(And, to put this into context, remember that the mass-Internet, where regular people used the Internet, didn't really start until about the years 1998 to 2001.)

...

#smallNet #smallWeb #smolNet #smolWeb #WorldWideWeb

1/

The Web of the 1990s and early 2000s (then called the World-Wide-Web) was different (in quality) from the Web of today.

One interesting thing from that era was that — there were many individuals who (on their own) created whole web-sites about some (narrow) topic each of them obsessed over. Something that each of them raged to master and document — and then published to the world (via the World-Wide-Web).

...

#smallNet #smallWeb #smolNet #smolWeb #WorldWideWeb

What's your favourite client?
Your favourite server to run?
#smolweb #smolnet #SmallWeb #smallnet #geminiprotocol #gemini #GopherProtocol #gopher

@tcrouzet je vais peut-être dire une ânerie, mais est ce qu'il y a une différence entre slow web et #smolweb ?
https://smolweb.org/
(Je demande parce que j'utilise notamment les valideurs smolweb pour refaire mon propre site statique, et s'il y'a d'autres ressources, je suis toujours preneur)

@urlyman Very inspired by e.g. https://small-tech.org and #smolweb , I have thought a lot about “human scale systems” the last few years. One of my most interesting observations, is that not even web search needs to be web scale. We tend to think of web indexes as huge beasts which need parallel processing to scan, but take a look at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinboard_(website) , to quote Wikipedia “As of July 2024, Pinboard contained 288 million bookmarks for 233 million URLs.” That probably contains all the pages you're actually interested in hitting, and that could even be searched with reasonable performance using a single system.

Many moons ago, at a water cooler talk where I worked back then, engineer A made fun of the tiny car engineer B used to get to work. I looked at engineer A and asked why it was stupid _not_ moving two extra tons of steel just to move yourself. And, remember, these were engineers, so that question hit the spot.

I agree: Too many things are too big and too much. And they often only need to be so... because _they_ need to be so, not because _we_ need them to.

@urlyman Very inspired by e.g. https://small-tech.org and #smolweb , I have thought a lot about “human scale systems” the last few years. One of my most interesting observations, is that not even web search needs to be web scale. We tend to think of web indexes as huge beasts which need parallel processing to scan, but take a look at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinboard_(website) , to quote Wikipedia “As of July 2024, Pinboard contained 288 million bookmarks for 233 million URLs.” That probably contains all the pages you're actually interested in hitting, and that could even be searched with reasonable performance using a single system.

Many moons ago, at a water cooler talk where I worked back then, engineer A made fun of the tiny car engineer B used to get to work. I looked at engineer A and asked why it was stupid _not_ moving two extra tons of steel just to move yourself. And, remember, these were engineers, so that question hit the spot.

I agree: Too many things are too big and too much. And they often only need to be so... because _they_ need to be so, not because _we_ need them to.

It has been 6 months since I passed my viva, yet I forgot to share my thesis here (due to it feeling unreal af... until... today 😊

It's called 'The Image at the End of the World: Communities of practice redefining technology on a damaged Earth'. In it I describe communities which give voice and shape to different definitions and roles for technology within the polycrisis: permacomputing, computing within limits, collapse informatics, salvage computing, slow tech, redundant technology, low-tech, feminist technology, convivial computing, disability driven development and more.

https://researchportal.lsbu.ac.uk/en/publications/the-image-at-the-end-of-the-world-communities-of-practice-redefin

With contributions by so many amazing people! Including @ccl @alcstrt @anglk @amelia @decentral1se @cmos4040 @p_p @mara @reni @diacritter @constant @snisioi @rra @320x200 @wendy @kattrali @praxeology @michal @viznut @sister0 @pixouls @msavoritias @jonuriarte @smmrcr @hellocatfood @neauoire @rek @dougschuler @solderpunk @titipi @xocffoeg @aaaannet and more!

#happy #phd #permacomputing #lowtech #feminist #tech #smolweb #sustainability