v1.0.0
phetch is now v1.0.0! Major thanks to @kseistrup for design, testing, and documentation, @iglosiggio for supporting GILD, @Lartu for inspiration, and @antirez for re-introducing me to Gopher one year ago with his blog post, Gopher: a present for Redis.
phetch is a terminal Gopher client designed to help you quickly navigate the gophersphere. With a snappy, text-based UI, Gopher types distinguished by color, and built-in support for secure Gopher and Tor routing, phetch is perfect for catching up on the latest from sdf.org or kicking back and enjoying some Zaibatsu.
Download a binary release below for Linux, Raspberry Pi, or macOS, or see the Installation section of the README for instructions on how to install for Arch Linux with AUR (yay phetch), macOS with homebrew (brew install xvxx/code/phetch), or how to build from source.
I have fond memories of using telnet to connect to the local library when I was a kid, browsing their selection of books in an amber-colored, text-based interface. This was the mid-90s, so I was using some version of Windows, literally dialing into the library with Hyperterminal.
It was futuristic. And, I thought, lost in the past. But Gopher, a relic of that text-based era, lives on thanks to the work of some amazing folks, and today there are more Gopher servers than ever.
The protocol is simple, constrained, and bursting with opportunity. And while MTV may not have an active Gopher server anymore, you can easily run your own, or find a generous host like SDF or a tilde.
phetch is my attempt to bring a little bit of that retro-nostalgia back into my terminal. Sure, I can acccess Gopher just fine using lynx or through a web proxy like Floodgap, but where's the fun in that?
To get started just install and run phetch.
It's not perfect, but I've had fun using it, and I hope you do too!