> Also, focusing on protocol only makes one miss the rest of Gemini, which is the ecosystem and people who are having a great time using it. Sometimes, it feels to me like someone is at a party ranting about the music not being good enough while there is a smiling crowd dancing and having fun.

This is the biggest point, imo. We don't all have to like the same things, we don't have to all use the same tools, we don't have to belong to the same communities. There's room on the web for all of us.

Gemini appeals to me as someone who appreciates well designed constraints. The fact that HTTP+HTML can accomplish the same things is not only missing the point but is actively against the point.