Developer builds minimalist TCP-based internet protocol called weft in pure Python

Software developer Thomas Verhave created weft, a lightweight alternative network protocol built on raw TCP using only Python's standard library with zero external dependencies. The project features its own address scheme, a line-based markup format, a terminal browser, and an application-layer firewall, all contained within a few hundred lines of code. Inspired by a sarcastic remark about rebuilding the internet, Verhave designed weft around four principles: text-first pages, no client-side code, human-readable files, and a network small enough to understand entirely. The protocol deliberately borrows its simple request-response structure from the Gemini protocol, using just four status codes and no JavaScript, eliminating what Verhave sees as the surveillance and bloat of the modern web. Three linked servers demonstrate a working miniature inter-network, and while weft is not intended to scale, it serves as a proof-of-concept for a leaner, more transparent approach to networked communication.