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The OES specifications

Every item of this volume as a card: its fields as the volume holds them. The app's fabula density adds facets, live examples and the local graph.

S · Structure

sections (14)

S:section/root The OES specifications

An OES, an organizational enumeration system, describes a domain by enumerating everything in it

id
S:section/root
type
section
summary
An OES, an organizational enumeration system, describes a domain by enumerating everything in it.
level
1
parts
S:section/the-short-version, S:section/1, S:section/2, S:section/3, S:section/4, S:section/5, S:section/6, S:section/7, S:section/8, S:section/9, S:section/10, S:section/changes, S:section/colophon
mentions
T:term/edition
anchor
the-oes-specifications
provenance
{"mode":"derived","sources":["specs/oes.md#L1-L9"],"confidence":1,"state":"known"}

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S:section/the-short-version The short version

one grammar, a dialect per domain, an organization's additions

id
S:section/the-short-version
type
section
summary
An OES describes its subject as a file system that is also a relational database: every volume (a company's Holotype, a person's holograph, a text's twin, a library's catalog) is a folder of plain-text files or one such file, every module a set of tables, every item a row with a path.
level
2
parent
S:section/root
mentions
T:term/macrocosm, T:term/minicosm, T:term/microcosm, T:term/edition
anchor
the-short-version
provenance
{"mode":"derived","sources":["specs/oes.md#L10-L21"],"confidence":1,"state":"known"}

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S:section/1 What an OES is

a domain enumerated as files, a database and a source to render

id
S:section/1
type
section
summary
An OES, an organizational enumeration system, is a system that organizes a domain by enumerating everything in it, as a file system that is also a relational database, made to be rendered.
number
1
level
2
parent
S:section/root
mentions
T:term/checks
anchor
sec-1
provenance
{"mode":"derived","sources":["specs/oes.md#L22-L38"],"confidence":1,"state":"known"}

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S:section/3 What MacroCOSM gives every MiniCOSM

the parts of the shared grammar every MiniCOSM inherits unchanged

id
S:section/3
type
section
summary
Every MiniCOSM inherits all of it, unchanged.
number
3
level
2
parent
S:section/root
mentions
T:term/minicosm, T:term/macrocosm
anchor
sec-3
provenance
{"mode":"derived","sources":["specs/oes.md#L55-L76"],"confidence":1,"state":"known"}

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S:section/7 The picture

the grammar, its MiniCOSMs, the language over them, the split

id
S:section/7
type
section
summary
the grammar, its MiniCOSMs, the language over them, the split
number
7
level
2
parent
S:section/root
anchor
sec-7
provenance
{"mode":"derived","sources":["specs/oes.md#L145-L163"],"confidence":1,"state":"known"}

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S:section/8 Editions

editions, revisions, format versions and the canonical pages

id
S:section/8
type
section
summary
An edition is a published state of one of these texts.
number
8
level
2
parent
S:section/root
mentions
T:term/macrocosm
anchor
sec-8
provenance
{"mode":"derived","sources":["specs/oes.md#L164-L174"],"confidence":1,"state":"known"}

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S:section/10 Open formats

open formats, the subject's files, the way out never sold

id
S:section/10
type
section
summary
This site exists so that the formats are open.
number
10
level
2
parent
S:section/root
anchor
sec-10
provenance
{"mode":"derived","sources":["specs/oes.md#L185-L195"],"confidence":1,"state":"known"}

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S:section/colophon Colophon

copyright, the canonical edition and its source

id
S:section/colophon
type
section
summary
The OES specifications — Copyright © 2026 Graham Smith.
level
2
parent
S:section/root
mentions
T:term/edition
anchor
colophon
provenance
{"mode":"derived","sources":["specs/oes.md#L212-L217"],"confidence":1,"state":"known"}

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T · Terms

terms (14)

T:term/cosm COSM

the family's name

id
T:term/cosm
type
term
summary
COSM is the family's name.
defined_in
S:section/2
convention
sentence
provenance
{"mode":"derived","sources":["specs/oes.md#L43"],"confidence":1,"state":"known"}

T:term/macrocosm MacroCOSM

the whole language: the shared grammar every MiniCOSM is written in

id
T:term/macrocosm
type
term
summary
the whole language: the shared grammar every MiniCOSM is written in
defined_in
S:section/2
convention
table
provenance
{"mode":"derived","sources":["specs/oes.md#L48"],"confidence":1,"state":"known"}

T:term/minicosm MiniCOSM

an OES for one domain, declared by a manifest

id
T:term/minicosm
type
term
summary
an OES for one domain, declared by a manifest: its volume layout, modules, kinds, fields, references, checks and renderers
defined_in
S:section/2
convention
table
provenance
{"mode":"derived","sources":["specs/oes.md#L49"],"confidence":1,"state":"known"}

T:term/microcosm MicroCOSM

one organization's extension on top of a MiniCOSM

id
T:term/microcosm
type
term
summary
one organization's extension on top of a MiniCOSM: the extra kinds, fields, checks or renderers it needs
defined_in
S:section/2
convention
table
provenance
{"mode":"derived","sources":["specs/oes.md#L50"],"confidence":1,"state":"known"}

T:term/paths-and-a-uri-form Paths, and a URI form

every part, module, kind, item and field has an address that respells its id…

id
T:term/paths-and-a-uri-form
type
term
summary
every part, module, kind, item and field has an address that respells its id as a location, mozilla-foundation/P/offering/creative-futures; qualified with the MiniCOSM and the volume's database name it is a URI, oes:<minicosm>/<database>/<path>
defined_in
S:section/3
convention
table
provenance
{"mode":"derived","sources":["specs/oes.md#L64"],"confidence":1,"state":"known"}

T:term/items-fields-and-references Items, fields and references

Items, fields and references, a row with a stable id and a kind (P:offering/ledger)

id
T:term/items-fields-and-references
type
term
summary
a row with a stable id and a kind (P:offering/ledger); its fields are columns; a reference is an id written in a field (owner: O:role/Founder), and every reference has two ends
defined_in
S:section/3
convention
table
provenance
{"mode":"derived","sources":["specs/oes.md#L65"],"confidence":1,"state":"known"}

T:term/the-envelope The envelope

the columns every item has: id, kind, name, summary, status, visibility, provenance

id
T:term/the-envelope
type
term
summary
the columns every item has: id, kind, name, summary, status, visibility, provenance (how it is known, from what, how surely), open questions and typed links; a MiniCOSM adds its own
defined_in
S:section/3
convention
table
provenance
{"mode":"derived","sources":["specs/oes.md#L66"],"confidence":1,"state":"known"}

T:term/open-questions Open questions

a value nobody has given yet

id
T:term/open-questions
type
term
summary
a value nobody has given yet, {pending: "…"}, written where the value would go, with who can answer it; never a guess
defined_in
S:section/3
convention
table
provenance
{"mode":"derived","sources":["specs/oes.md#L67"],"confidence":1,"state":"known"}

T:term/checks Checks

constraints on the whole volume, run on every write

id
T:term/checks
type
term
summary
constraints on the whole volume, run on every write; a write that breaks one is undone
defined_in
S:section/3
convention
table
provenance
{"mode":"derived","sources":["specs/oes.md#L68"],"confidence":1,"state":"known"}

T:term/saved-and-signed-versions Saved and signed versions

an immutable copy of the files at a moment, with a manifest of hashes

id
T:term/saved-and-signed-versions
type
term
summary
an immutable copy of the files at a moment, with a manifest of hashes; a copy the checks allowed, signed by the roles that govern it
defined_in
S:section/3
convention
table
provenance
{"mode":"derived","sources":["specs/oes.md#L69"],"confidence":1,"state":"known"}

T:term/the-private-public-split The private/public split

two formats, not one with a setting: the complete private description

id
T:term/the-private-public-split
type
term
summary
two formats, not one with a setting: the complete private description (the Holotype), kept by its subject, and its small public projection (the isotype), default-deny, released and signed by the subject
defined_in
S:section/3
convention
table
provenance
{"mode":"derived","sources":["specs/oes.md#L70"],"confidence":1,"state":"known"}

T:term/renderers Renderers

anything that turns a volume into another form

id
T:term/renderers
type
term
summary
anything that turns a volume into another form; renderers only read, and show a reader only what that reader may see
defined_in
S:section/3
convention
table
provenance
{"mode":"derived","sources":["specs/oes.md#L71"],"confidence":1,"state":"known"}

T:term/the-manifest The manifest

the machine-readable declaration of a MiniCOSM, one .cosm file

id
T:term/the-manifest
type
term
summary
the machine-readable declaration of a MiniCOSM, one .cosm file: what a program needs to read, check and render its volumes
defined_in
S:section/3
convention
table
provenance
{"mode":"derived","sources":["specs/oes.md#L72"],"confidence":1,"state":"known"}

T:term/edition edition

a published state of one of these texts

id
T:term/edition
type
term
summary
An edition is a published state of one of these texts.
defined_in
S:section/8
convention
sentence
provenance
{"mode":"derived","sources":["specs/oes.md#L168"],"confidence":1,"state":"known"}