BASICS Standard

The record is not optional

BASICS begins from a single premise: the record is the unit of coordination. Every tool built under the standard must produce records that are self-describing, minimal, and structurally honest. A record that requires special software to read is not a durable record — it is a liability. BASICS enforces this at the framework level, not the application level.

Command and control belongs to the operator

The BASICS framework is anchored to this principle without exception. No BASICS-conformant tool may require network connectivity to perform local operations. No BASICS-conformant tool may default to remote storage without explicit operator election. Data belongs to the person or organization that created it, and the tool is a means of access — not a custodian. Every release of the BASICS Standard strengthens and clarifies this commitment, never retreats from it.

Conformance is machine-checkable evidence

BASICS replaces narrative certification with testable obligations. The three conformance tiers — Core, Field, and Industrial — each specify binary pass/fail mandatory requirements. Optional controls use maturity scoring. The purpose is accountability: a tool that claims BASICS conformance can be audited, challenged, and verified. No tier is achieved by assertion. Each release of the standard must preserve this verifiability and expand its coverage.

Governance runs on 100-day cycles

Every change to BASICS requires community review. Proposals enter a structured cycle: draft, review, trial implementation, then decision. Target: 100 days from draft to outcome. No requirement changes without a published migration impact assessment. Requirements sunset only with explicit replacement — never silently removed. This discipline is what separates a standard from a preference. Each release of BASICS must follow this process, including releases to the governance rules themselves.

Interoperability is an engineering discipline, not a promise

BASICS treats interoperability as a first-class engineering requirement. The Shared Core defines universal rules for command contracts, record formats, versioning, and inter-tool communication. The Software, Hardware, and Firmware Profiles specify how conformance extends from code to silicon. Operational Extensions provide formal pathways for tool-specific behavior without breaking the common base. Each release expands the scope of testable interoperability while maintaining backward-compatible stable identifiers.

Local-first, always

BASICS-conformant tools default to local operation. Sync, collaboration, and cloud capabilities may be added, but they are extensions of local-first behavior — not replacements for it. The reference implementation for v0.1.0 is Workpads, which stress-tests these commitments in production: KaiOS feature phones, intermittent SMS-only connectivity, mixed digital and paper workflows. BASICS evolves as its reference implementations reveal gaps, with each revision maintaining what prior versions guaranteed.