░█▀█░█▀▀░█▀▀░█▀▀░█▀▄░▀█▀░█▀▄░░░█░█░█▀█░█░░░█▀▄░█▀█░█░█░▀█▀ ░█░█░█▀▀░█▀▀░█░█░█▀▄░░█░░█░█░░░█▀█░█░█░█░░░█░█░█░█░█░█░░█░ ░▀▀▀░▀░░░▀░░░▀▀▀░▀░▀░▀▀▀░▀▀░░░░▀░▀░▀▀▀░▀▀▀░▀▀░░▀▀▀░▀▀▀░░▀░

A small Unix system for people who build their own corner of the internet. Shell accounts, Gemini capsules, Gopher holes, IRC, plain text. No algorithms, no feeds, no analytics. Invite-only.

what's here

────────────────────────────────────────
recent posts
calvusrex — so many ideas for historical fiction stories keep popping into my brain…2026-07-16
calvusrex — And so it's Monday... **sigh** Sitting in my work office at a little af…2026-07-13
calvusrex — The weekend has flown by. Cannot believe it is Sunday already.2026-07-12
calvusrex — Blowing shit up to celebrate a holidy is asinine, and most who do it ar…2026-07-06
calvusrex — Making progress on Waystone Comm TUI browser. Had to change the name an…2026-06-30
bbj discussions
calvusrex — Going to see RUSH in October!2026-06-22
calvusrex — Need your help2026-06-21
calvusrex — WElcome to Offgrid Holdout!2026-06-15
current prompt

"what tool have you built for yourself?"

respond in your gemlog, phlog, or public_html.

what this place runs on

────────────────────────────────────────

You get a shell account on a shared Unix machine. That means a login, a home directory, and tools that have worked since the 1970s.

You publish on protocols the commercial web forgot:

gemini
Encrypted, minimal, no tracking, no javascript. Text-first publishing over its own protocol. You need a client: Lagrange, Deedum, Amfora.
gopher
Older than the web. Menus and text files. Still works. Still good. You need a client: Lagrange, VF-1, Lynx.
web
Yes, you also get a plain HTTPS page. No framework. No build step. HTML and whatever you put in it.

You talk to each other with:

twtxt microblogging in a text file.
bbj threaded discussion board, in the terminal.
irc real-time chat. irc.offgridholdout.org:6697 (TLS).
finger see who someone is. read their .plan file.
mail internal mail between members. alpine.

members

────────────────────────────────────────

Member capsules are readable in your browser via the Gemini proxy, or directly with a Gemini client. Gopher holes need a Gopher client.

balloon web · gemini · gopher
calvusrex web · gemini · gopher
madsweeney web · gemini · gopher

start here

────────────────────────────────────────

If you get an invite, this is the path:

week 1 set up your page. put your name on it.
week 2 write your first post. short is fine.
week 3 read someone else's post. reply to it.
week 4 update your .plan. finger your neighbors.

after that, you are officially a "Holdout".

join

────────────────────────────────────────

Off Grid Holdout is invite-only. Not because we're exclusive — because small is the point. If you want in, talk to a current member.