Open Evnt Ethos

We designed the Open Evnt format using these principles:

Don't assume

Every format guesses what events look like. Those guesses become walls. This one starts from a different place: we don't know what your event looks like. So we don't.

Derive, don't store

If you can figure it out from other data, don't keep a copy. Storing what you can calculate creates opportunities for inconsistency.

Single source of truth

Pick one place for each piece of information and put it there. When the same fact lives in multiple places, they go out of sync.

Be honest about uncertainty

It's better to be vague and correct than precise and wrong. The format must allow for uncertainty, and apps must handle it gracefully.

Future-proof

The format must be extensible, so that new features can be added without breaking existing apps.