> Intro
Here we are again, there has been quite a few updates since the project announcement back in 2025.
For those that know of the project since before, will probably remember MacDomain - that has retired from the public mainstream web and has since been rebranded as Arc.
In short, VesperNet provides, at the time of writing, a small alternative network / web ecosystem which is separated from the public mainstream web. It is powered by an alternative root DNS server, whatever domains / zones put into it is what becomes accessible. As such there are two websites to kick things off, found just below here.
VesperNet (.org)
Available both on the public, mainstream internet as well as behind the vesper network.
This website acts a little bit more like an informational hub / organizational website. It will tell you a little about the website and operations as well as basic setup instructions when it comes to the DNS itself, or why not try the HTTP proxy instead just for testing purposes? Either works, both are not required.
VesperNet (.net)
Available both on the public, mainstream internet as well as behind the vesper network.
This website acts as a service portal of sorts, which also allows creating a VN account (one account, many sites), which in turn can be extended with PPP options. Actual landlines are not supported.
>> WIP Post
I am still in the process of moving (apartment to house) and cleaning (apartment), so this post will be edited / updated through March whenever I have enough time. There are many things not yet documented, but I believe this is as good a start as any.
> Why?
A genuine interest in creating and testing things that are mine, using / mixing old and modern technologies in ways they probably weren't meant to.
> Provided Services
To get started, there are some services on the network one should be aware of,
Domain Registrar
This service is one of the cornerstones of the project, it is one of the few services that are not tied to the "global" VN accounts at this time. The service allows users to register and manage domains on the network. Packed with some neat features in an otherwise small package.
Web Hosting
Basic service to get users started if they wish to create websites and play with HTML and/or Gopher.
Provides a healthy 1.4MB of storage for that purpose, this is not a file storage / dump service. Users are also provided a subdomain as well as the option of linking their own domain registered via the domain registrar.
Search Engine
This allows searching indexed websites on the network, there is a crawler that runs every now and then. The crawler honors robots.txt and respects the privacy set by site owners.
Web Directory
Not that different from the old DMOZ project, VesperNet is small so an actual web directory makes sense. Anonymous submissions are, of course, allowed.
E-Mail
POP3, SMTP, Webmail - every registered user gets a @mail.com, with the possibility to add additional mailboxes via vanity domains. There are some useful features provided by this service.
Usenet
Unfederated and standalone, provides a basic set of newsgroups, easily expanded upon requirements.
> Notable Websites found on VesperNet
domains.com, search.com, webatlas.com, arc.net, news.net, mail.com
Here we are again, there has been quite a few updates since the project announcement back in 2025.
For those that know of the project since before, will probably remember MacDomain - that has retired from the public mainstream web and has since been rebranded as Arc.
In short, VesperNet provides, at the time of writing, a small alternative network / web ecosystem which is separated from the public mainstream web. It is powered by an alternative root DNS server, whatever domains / zones put into it is what becomes accessible. As such there are two websites to kick things off, found just below here.
VesperNet (.org)
Available both on the public, mainstream internet as well as behind the vesper network.
This website acts a little bit more like an informational hub / organizational website. It will tell you a little about the website and operations as well as basic setup instructions when it comes to the DNS itself, or why not try the HTTP proxy instead just for testing purposes? Either works, both are not required.
VesperNet (.net)
Available both on the public, mainstream internet as well as behind the vesper network.
This website acts as a service portal of sorts, which also allows creating a VN account (one account, many sites), which in turn can be extended with PPP options. Actual landlines are not supported.
>> WIP Post
I am still in the process of moving (apartment to house) and cleaning (apartment), so this post will be edited / updated through March whenever I have enough time. There are many things not yet documented, but I believe this is as good a start as any.
> Why?
A genuine interest in creating and testing things that are mine, using / mixing old and modern technologies in ways they probably weren't meant to.
> Provided Services
To get started, there are some services on the network one should be aware of,
Domain Registrar
This service is one of the cornerstones of the project, it is one of the few services that are not tied to the "global" VN accounts at this time. The service allows users to register and manage domains on the network. Packed with some neat features in an otherwise small package.
Web Hosting
Basic service to get users started if they wish to create websites and play with HTML and/or Gopher.
Provides a healthy 1.4MB of storage for that purpose, this is not a file storage / dump service. Users are also provided a subdomain as well as the option of linking their own domain registered via the domain registrar.
Search Engine
This allows searching indexed websites on the network, there is a crawler that runs every now and then. The crawler honors robots.txt and respects the privacy set by site owners.
Web Directory
Not that different from the old DMOZ project, VesperNet is small so an actual web directory makes sense. Anonymous submissions are, of course, allowed.
POP3, SMTP, Webmail - every registered user gets a @mail.com, with the possibility to add additional mailboxes via vanity domains. There are some useful features provided by this service.
Usenet
Unfederated and standalone, provides a basic set of newsgroups, easily expanded upon requirements.
> Notable Websites found on VesperNet
domains.com, search.com, webatlas.com, arc.net, news.net, mail.com
