AEON Conventions Overview

Overview

AEON conventions define standardized interpretation rules layered on top of AEON core.

AEON core defines only:

• syntax
• structural semantics
• canonicalization rules
• assignment event semantics

Conventions define how structured data should be interpreted or processed by cooperating systems.

Conventions allow AEON to support:

• measurement interpretation
• document metadata
• contextual annotations
• security envelopes
• domain-specific semantics

without changing the core language.

Design Principles

AEON conventions follow several principles.

Core Minimalism

AEON core remains small and stable.

Conventions provide higher-level meaning without expanding the language itself.

Explicit Adoption

Conventions are never assumed.

A document must explicitly declare which conventions it uses.

Layered Semantics

Multiple conventions may apply to the same document.

Each convention defines interpretation rules for a specific domain.

Processor Neutrality

AEON parsers are not required to understand conventions.

Conventions are interpreted by higher-level processors.

Declaring Conventions

Conventions are declared in the document header metadata.

Example:

This declaration informs consumers which interpretation rules may apply.

Single Convention

Multiple Conventions

Declaration Rule

convention and conventions are mutually exclusive.

A document must not declare both.

Implementations may internally normalize:

as:

This normalization must not appear in serialized documents.

Convention Naming

Conventions follow a structured naming scheme.

Examples:

This format provides:

• clear ownership
• version stability
• predictable evolution

Third-party conventions may also exist:

Convention Scope

A convention may define rules for any of the following areas:

Metadata

Document-level metadata.

Example:

Context Annotations

Interpretation hints for data.

Example:

Data Interpretation

Standard representations such as measurement labels, collection semantics, or temporal semantics.

Example:

Security

Integrity, signatures, encryption.

Example:

Convention Interaction

Multiple conventions may appear in the same document.

Example:

Each convention operates independently unless a specification explicitly defines dependencies.

Example dependency:

Convention Compliance

Consumers may apply convention declarations in different convention modes.

These modes describe how a processor handles declared conventions. They are distinct from AEON transport mode and from any strictness rules defined by the core syntax or value specifications.

Strict Convention Mode

The processor must understand all declared conventions.

If a convention is unknown, processing fails.

Permissive Convention Mode

Unknown conventions are ignored.

Only known conventions are applied.

This allows forward compatibility.

Convention Versioning

Conventions are versioned.

Example:

New versions should:

• preserve compatibility where possible
• introduce new features without breaking older processors

A new incompatible revision should increment the version number.

Example:

Convention Documentation

Each convention specification should define:

1. purpose
2. scope
3. vocabulary
4. processing rules
5. interaction with other conventions
6. examples

This ensures interoperability across independent implementations.

The aeon.gp.convention.v1 document provides a compact authoring template for new convention specifications.

Convention Processing Model

The general AEON processing pipeline becomes:

This layered model ensures that AEON remains usable even when conventions are unknown.

Convention Extensibility

The convention system allows communities to create domain-specific standards.

Examples:

These conventions can define domain rules while maintaining compatibility with AEON core.

Relationship to Profiles

Profiles define security or processing policies for sets of conventions.

Example:

Profiles may restrict:

• allowed algorithms
• required conventions
• processing behavior

Profiles therefore operate above conventions.

Summary

AEON conventions provide a flexible mechanism for extending the language ecosystem without expanding the core specification.

They enable interoperable interpretation layers for:

• document metadata
• contextual annotations
• data semantics
• security mechanisms
• domain-specific standards

while preserving AEON’s design goal of a minimal and stable core language.

AEON Core defines structure, conventions define meaning, profiles define policy, and processors define behavior.