diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..35ad4b0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+*~
+terminal-url-open
diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 98fd166..e8a22e2 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -9,18 +9,17 @@ default: help
 help:
 	@echo " - help		- this text"
 	@echo " - user-install	- install the 'terminal://' handler for only $(USER)"
-	@echo " - lint		- run shellcheck"
 	@echo " - get-default	- see the xdg-settings default handler for 'terminal://' scheme"
 
-user-install:
+user-install: terminal-url-open
 	mkdir -p ~/.local/bin && \
 	ln -sf $(shell realpath $(SCRIPT_FILE)) ~/.local/bin && \
 	mkdir -p ~/.local/share/applications && \
 	ln -sf $(shell realpath $(DESKTOP_FILE)) ~/.local/share/applications/ && \
 	update-desktop-database ~/.local/share/applications
 
-lint:
-	shellcheck $(SCRIPT_FILE)
+terminal-url-open: terminal-url-open.go
+	go build -o $@ ./$<
 
 get-default:
 	xdg-settings get default-url-scheme-handler terminal
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 17762cb..4760ec4 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -8,6 +8,8 @@ Something simple like a [URI](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uniform_Resource_Ide
 
 ## install
 
+This requires a golang compiler.
+
 ```shell
 git clone https://github.com/vbatts/terminal-url-handler
 cd terminal-url-handler
@@ -29,18 +31,45 @@ i.e. [terminal-url-handler](terminal://~/src/terminal-url-handler)
 <a href="terminal://~/src/terminal-url-handler">terminal-url-handler</a>
 ```
 
+## Types of URIs 
+
+multiple cases of URIs, and we are not dealing with query parameters.
+No shell execution.
+
+- terminal:///home/user
+- terminal://host:/home/user
+- terminal://host/home/user
+- terminal://user@host:/home/user
+- terminal://user@host:port/home/user
+
+## default terminal?
+
+On most Linux desktops, the `x-terminal-emulator` is an [`update-alternatives`](https://www.man7.org/linux/man-pages/man1/update-alternatives.1.html) symlink to a Terminal app like `gnome-terminal` or whatever.
+
+To see alternatives for `x-terminal-emulator`, run:
+
+```shell
+$ update-alternatives --list x-terminal-emulator
+/usr/bin/gnome-terminal.wrapper
+/usr/bin/koi8rxterm
+/usr/bin/lxterm
+/usr/bin/uxterm
+/usr/bin/xfce4-terminal.wrapper
+/usr/bin/xterm
+```
+
+To change this, say to `xfce4-terminal`, run:
+
+```shell
+sudo update-alternatives --set x-terminal-emulator /usr/bin/xfce4-terminal.wrapper
+```
+
 ## development
 
 happy to take contributions or enhancements.
 
 This seems like something that ought to be built-in for most desktops. 
 
-### lint
-
-```shell
-make lint
-```
-
 ### XDG 
 
 all this business of `x-scheme-handlers` and desktop files, I am surprised there isn't a simple GUI that can help creating and indexing them.
diff --git a/go.mod b/go.mod
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..cc5cf4b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/go.mod
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+module github.com/vbatts/terminal-url-handler
+
+go 1.22.1
+
+require github.com/sirupsen/logrus v1.9.3
+
+require golang.org/x/sys v0.0.0-20220715151400-c0bba94af5f8 // indirect
diff --git a/go.sum b/go.sum
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..21f9bfb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/go.sum
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+github.com/davecgh/go-spew v1.1.0/go.mod h1:J7Y8YcW2NihsgmVo/mv3lAwl/skON4iLHjSsI+c5H38=
+github.com/davecgh/go-spew v1.1.1 h1:vj9j/u1bqnvCEfJOwUhtlOARqs3+rkHYY13jYWTU97c=
+github.com/davecgh/go-spew v1.1.1/go.mod h1:J7Y8YcW2NihsgmVo/mv3lAwl/skON4iLHjSsI+c5H38=
+github.com/pmezard/go-difflib v1.0.0 h1:4DBwDE0NGyQoBHbLQYPwSUPoCMWR5BEzIk/f1lZbAQM=
+github.com/pmezard/go-difflib v1.0.0/go.mod h1:iKH77koFhYxTK1pcRnkKkqfTogsbg7gZNVY4sRDYZ/4=
+github.com/sirupsen/logrus v1.9.3 h1:dueUQJ1C2q9oE3F7wvmSGAaVtTmUizReu6fjN8uqzbQ=
+github.com/sirupsen/logrus v1.9.3/go.mod h1:naHLuLoDiP4jHNo9R0sCBMtWGeIprob74mVsIT4qYEQ=
+github.com/stretchr/objx v0.1.0/go.mod h1:HFkY916IF+rwdDfMAkV7OtwuqBVzrE8GR6GFx+wExME=
+github.com/stretchr/testify v1.7.0 h1:nwc3DEeHmmLAfoZucVR881uASk0Mfjw8xYJ99tb5CcY=
+github.com/stretchr/testify v1.7.0/go.mod h1:6Fq8oRcR53rry900zMqJjRRixrwX3KX962/h/Wwjteg=
+golang.org/x/sys v0.0.0-20220715151400-c0bba94af5f8 h1:0A+M6Uqn+Eje4kHMK80dtF3JCXC4ykBgQG4Fe06QRhQ=
+golang.org/x/sys v0.0.0-20220715151400-c0bba94af5f8/go.mod h1:oPkhp1MJrh7nUepCBck5+mAzfO9JrbApNNgaTdGDITg=
+gopkg.in/check.v1 v0.0.0-20161208181325-20d25e280405/go.mod h1:Co6ibVJAznAaIkqp8huTwlJQCZ016jof/cbN4VW5Yz0=
+gopkg.in/yaml.v3 v3.0.0-20200313102051-9f266ea9e77c h1:dUUwHk2QECo/6vqA44rthZ8ie2QXMNeKRTHCNY2nXvo=
+gopkg.in/yaml.v3 v3.0.0-20200313102051-9f266ea9e77c/go.mod h1:K4uyk7z7BCEPqu6E+C64Yfv1cQ7kz7rIZviUmN+EgEM=
diff --git a/terminal-url-open b/terminal-url-open
deleted file mode 100755
index 5fe2654..0000000
--- a/terminal-url-open
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,6 +0,0 @@
-#!/bin/bash
-set -ue
-
-dir="${1#terminal://}"
-
-x-terminal-emulator -e "sh -c 'cd "${dir}" && \$SHELL'"
diff --git a/terminal-url-open.go b/terminal-url-open.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2389c8e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/terminal-url-open.go
@@ -0,0 +1,82 @@
+package main
+
+// multiple cases of URIs, and we are not dealing with query parameters.
+// No shell execution.
+// - terminal:///home/user
+// - terminal://host:/home/user
+// - terminal://host/home/user
+// - terminal://user@host:/home/user
+// - terminal://user@host:port/home/user
+
+import (
+	"flag"
+	"fmt"
+	"net/url"
+	"os"
+	"os/exec"
+	"strings"
+
+	"github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
+)
+
+var defaultTerminal string = "x-terminal-emulator"
+
+func main() {
+	flag.Parse()
+	if flag.NArg() == 0 {
+		logrus.Fatal("no URI provided!")
+	}
+
+	u, err := url.Parse(flag.Args()[0])
+	if err != nil {
+		logrus.Fatalf("failed to parse %q: %s", flag.Args()[0], err)
+	}
+	logrus.Infof("%#v", u)
+
+	if u.Host != "" {
+		logrus.Infof("need to use ssh to connect to %q", u.Host)
+		var user string
+		if u.User != nil && u.User.Username() != "" {
+			user = u.User.Username()
+		} else {
+			var ok bool
+			user, ok = os.LookupEnv("USER")
+			if !ok {
+				logrus.Fatal("could not determine username to ssh as")
+			}
+		}
+
+		host := u.Host
+		port := "22"
+		if strings.Contains(host, ":") {
+			args := strings.Split(host, ":")
+			host = args[0]
+			if args[1] != "" {
+				port = args[1]
+			}
+		}
+
+		cmd := exec.Command(defaultTerminal,
+			"-e",
+			fmt.Sprintf(`sh -c 'ssh -p %s -t %s@%s -- "cd %s && $SHELL -l"'`, port, user, host, u.Path),
+		)
+		logrus.Infof("local path shell command(simple): %s", cmd.String())
+		logrus.Infof("local path shell command(struct): %#v", cmd)
+		if err := cmd.Run(); err != nil {
+			logrus.Fatalf("failed to run the terminal in a local path: %s", err)
+		}
+	} else {
+		cmd := exec.Command(defaultTerminal,
+			"-e",
+			fmt.Sprintf(`sh -c 'if [ -d %q ] ; then cd %q && $SHELL ; else echo "WARNING: %q not found" && $SHELL ; fi'`, u.Path, u.Path, u.Path),
+		)
+		logrus.Infof("local path shell command(simple): %s", cmd.String())
+		logrus.Infof("local path shell command(struct): %#v", cmd)
+		if err := cmd.Run(); err != nil {
+			logrus.Fatalf("failed to run the terminal in a local path: %s", err)
+		}
+	}
+
+}
+
+// TODO maybe not _all_ terminals accept the same flags as gnome and xfce terminal. May need a case statement for generic situations.