Prototype Bench

The Prototype Bench is the surface for things that are not yet systems. A prototype goes on the bench when it is interesting enough to run but not durable enough to commit. It stays there until it either graduates into a named system or is retired with a note explaining what was learnt.

The bench exists because the lab needs a place to be honest about failure and about half-finished work. Things on the bench are real — they run, they have inputs and outputs — but they are not promised to anyone, including the lab itself.

How a prototype is described

• What it does, in one sentence.
• What input it reads and what output it writes.
• What would have to be true for it to graduate.
• What would have to be true for it to be retired.

When a prototype graduates or is retired, the changelog records it.