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authorJeffrey Armstrong <jeff@approximatrix.com>2020-05-07 10:35:38 -0400
committerJeffrey Armstrong <jeff@approximatrix.com>2020-05-07 10:35:38 -0400
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downloadLR-87-a817aaade595cc09f09545f3154cd069f7d12ae5.tar.gz
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+# LR-87: A Gemini Client
+
+LR-87 is a simple implementation of a client for launching into the world of the
+Gemini protocol, a fun place somewhere between Gopher and the World Wide Web. The
+client is implemented entirely in Fortran.
+
+LR-87 can be launched with an initial address, or it will default to
+[gemini://gemini.circumlunar.space/](gemini://gemini.circumlunar.space/). The
+default interface assumes you are at a dumb terminal, so you'll be presented
+with a nice Fortran-esque input prompt after the first page of a site is displayed.
+The prompt supports paging, entering link numbers, going back, or quitting, and it
+is somewhat self-explanatory. The user should be aware that the command, such as
+"B" for back must be followed by the ENTER/RETURN key.
+
+Links are displayed in LR-87's default renderer as:
+
+`[ 1][ Gemini documentation]`
+
+The link is numbered, and it can be followed by entering the link number at the
+input prompt. Note that the link numbering *will change when page up or page down
+is performed*. If you page down, for example, the new link number 1 is the new
+first visible link, not the link labeled number 1 prior to page down. This
+insane behavior is merely the product of the default renderer, not the underlying
+code itself.
+
+## What's Not Supported
+
+LR-87 works, but it does _not_ remember certificates, store history or bookmarks,
+or support sending user certificates. It will also complain if you attempt to
+download a non-text file or try to access a non-Gemini address. These features
+might be added in the future, but don't hold your breath.
+
+## Compiling
+
+LR-87 requires a substantial number of Fortran 2003/2008 features. The software
+compiles fine with relatively modern versions of GNU Fortran (tested with versions 8
+and 9). [Simply Fortran](https://simplyfortran.com) projects are included for both
+Windows and UNIX-y operating systems.
+
+On Windows, users will need an OpenSSL implementation for linking. I suggest, but
+do not endorse, [this distribution](https://bintray.com/vszakats/generic/openssl),
+which seems to work fine.
+
+## Extending
+
+All drawing, status reporting, and user interaction is handled by derived types
+extended from the abstract "renderer" type, which handles parsing links and wrapping
+regular text internally. A new renderer would be relatively easy to generate if it
+implemented the abstract interfaces in the "renderer" type.
+
+The code currently contains one implementation, "dumb_renderer," that assumes the
+user is at a dumb terminal. It assumes a fixed 80x24 terminal without any escape
+sequences.
+
+## License
+
+LR-87 is Copyright (c) 2020 Jeffrey Armstrong <jeff@rainbow-100.com>, and the software
+is licensed under the JSON license. See LICENSE.txt for more details.