Somewhat off-topic: what a cool publication, editor, journalists etc. to put out an article like this. And about an application protocol for IP, no less! Researched and with some storytelling woven in. From the About Us page:

MinnPost is an independent, nonprofit newsroom that produces thoughtful, in-depth journalism about civic and cultural affairs impacting Minnesota.

I’m just a hair too young to have dealt with gopher in any meaningful way, I went from bbs days to the web. The changes happened while I was in the military and I heard people talk about the web. Thought it was just bbs with some new terms. Played with gopher and Archie, Jughead, and Veronica after I got far enough in to understand the net just to see what else existed. Really cool to get some historical context on this stuff.