Memory should be a data format, not a multi-stage pipeline.
Paterson’s format is Markdown plus an optional SQLite vector index, packed into a zip file. The source of truth is readable prose; the embeddings are a disposable cache; the agent can use tools it already understands.
Most memory systems invert this. They make a proprietary pipeline durable and the user’s accumulated knowledge an implementation detail. Formats survive the model frontier. Mechanisms calcify.