Objects
Everything visible in openglacier is an object.
Why objects?
Digital ecosystems are made of many different technologies.
Devices.
Applications.
Storage systems.
Artificial intelligence.
Organizations.
People.
Although they appear different, they all share something in common.
They exist.
They evolve.
They communicate.
They collaborate.
In openglacier, every meaningful entity is represented as an object.
Objects provide a common language for understanding digital ecosystems.
A common representation
Objects abstract implementation details.
Whether a resource is:
- a NAS
- a smartphone
- an email account
- an AI model
- a calendar
- a company
- a Raspberry Pi
- a cloud service
it is first represented as an object.
The object remains consistent even if the underlying technology changes.
Objects are alive
Objects continuously reflect reality.
Their state evolves.
Their relationships evolve.
Their capabilities evolve.
Their activity evolves.
Objects are never static.
They remain present even when temporarily unavailable.
The ecosystem remembers them.
Presence
Presence is different from availability.
A disconnected device is still present.
An offline storage system is still present.
An inactive agent is still present.
A completed mission is still present.
Objects never disappear simply because communication has been interrupted.
Presence preserves understanding.
Every object has an identity
Every object can be uniquely identified.
Identity remains stable throughout the object’s lifetime.
Names may change.
Locations may change.
Capabilities may evolve.
Identity remains.
Relationships depend on identity.
Never on appearance.
Every object has a state
Objects continuously expose their current state.
Examples include:
- available
- unavailable
- busy
- synchronizing
- degraded
- paused
- completed
State represents reality.
It is never decorative.
Every object exposes capabilities
Capabilities describe what an object can do.
Not how it does it.
Examples:
A storage object may provide:
- Store
- Retrieve
- Search
An AI object may provide:
- Analyze
- Summarize
- Translate
A calendar object may provide:
- Schedule
- Update
- Notify
Capabilities allow collaboration between objects.
Every object emits events
Objects communicate through events.
An event describes something that happened.
Examples:
Storage became unavailable.
Mission completed.
Device connected.
Identity authenticated.
Agent started.
Events describe facts.
Never intentions.
Every object supports actions
Actions represent intentional interactions.
Unlike events, actions are initiated by individuals, agents or automations.
Examples:
Connect.
Disconnect.
Rename.
Synchronize.
Share.
Start.
Pause.
Actions modify the ecosystem.
Events describe the result.
Every object has relationships
Objects never exist in isolation.
They belong to a network.
A mission uses resources.
An organization owns identities.
A storage preserves files.
An agent assists an individual.
Relationships explain the ecosystem.
More effectively than technical documentation.
Objects are observable
Every object should answer simple questions.
What are you?
What are you doing?
What can you do?
Who depends on you?
What happened recently?
Can I trust your current state?
Objects exist to make complex ecosystems understandable.
Objects are honest
Objects never hide reality.
Unavailable objects remain visible.
Errors remain observable.
History remains accessible.
An object should never pretend to be healthy when it is not.
Honesty builds trust.
Objects are durable
Objects outlive technologies.
Replacing an email provider should not destroy the email object.
Replacing a NAS should not destroy the storage object.
Replacing an AI model should not destroy the AI object.
Objects preserve continuity while technologies evolve.
Objects are collaborative
Objects do not compete.
They communicate.
They exchange capabilities.
They share information.
They participate in missions.
Intelligence emerges from their collaboration.
Objects define the workspace
The workspace is nothing more than a living collection of objects.
Understanding objects means understanding the ecosystem.
Everything else is presentation.