Sixth - system for data storage, computation, exploration and interaction

• This program is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU Lesser General Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or (at your option) any later version.
• Program author:
  • Svjatoslav Agejenko
  • Homepage: https://svjatoslav.eu
  • Email: mailto://svjatoslav@svjatoslav.eu
• Other software projects hosted at svjatoslav.eu

Goal is, so called bicycle for the mind.

A tool, that provides powerful, easy to use computing environment for solving wide range of problems.

See extensible, programmable computing environment examples. In each case you can install or develop plugins/extensions for every purpose imaginable.

I would like to create better general purpose environment with the following properties:

• Makes data and insights easy to discover, understand and manipulate/transform.
• Things are visual, realtime with immediate feedback.
• Extensively utilizes realtime 3D graphics and capabilities of human visual perception.

  “Virtual reality holds the key to the evolution of the human mind” Dr. Lawrence Angelo, The Lawnmower Man (1992)

• Behind the scenes, computations are done primarily in on versioned data in distributed, scalable, frexible computation engine.
• Cross device:
  • Easily switch and/or combine computers to work seamlessly on any tasks.
  • User interface, data, software, running proceses and available computing power is not contained or limited by boundaries of any single device.

• Formulated high-level vision / goal.
• In the process of implementing some of building blocks.
• System is nowhere near complete (given magnitude of effort required and my free time available). Contributions welcome ! :)

• Sixth - Parent project.
  • Sixth Data - Data storage and computation engine.
  • Sixth 3D - 3D engine - for user interface and data visualization.
    • Sixth 3D engine demos - Demonstration of Sixth 3D engine capabilities.

• Program - stored instructions for execution by computer.
• Process - Currently running program.
  • Process is self contained. Has a full copy of program code and every dependent library.
    • Memory used by processes is content addressed/deduplicated at low level in the system.
    • This allows:
      • Upgrading software installed in the system without breaking already running processes.
      • Easier migration of running processes between physical computers.
      • Possibility to suspend/resume arbitrary processes to permament storage.
      • Possibility checkpoint/revert running process.
      • Possibility to clone/branch running process.

• Why such name ?
  • In short: it's just a number.
  • Many years ago inspired by the ideas of Forth (programming language) I decided to create my own implementation Fifth (computing/programming environment).
  • Then I realized I miss type safe object oriented capabilities. So I updated the name to Sixth and switched to Java.