Behind the Change

When Brim began as a company, we intended to build a security-focused desktop application powered by our backend called Zed. The company’s main product was the app, so we called it the Brim app.

As we developed Zed, we started to realize we had something big on our hands. Zed’s data model, language, query engine, and storage formats provide revolutionary new ways to work with all kinds of data. In April 2021, we decided to pivot, making Zed the company’s flagship technology. Brim Security became Brim Data.

This change made us reevaluate the purpose of the app. We were now leading with the Zed lake, so we decided the app would support the lake. Users would be able to explore a lake’s data and manage its configuration with the app. It would be a GUI for Zed.

At this point, having the app named after the company was confusing. We needed a name that clearly tied the app to Zed. After many fun naming sessions, we played off the word “GUI” and landed on “Zui”: The Zed user interface.

What’s New

We’ve redesigned many of the components in the app for this release. Here is a screenshot of the query editor:

Upgrading

Brim v0.31.0 is the final release under the “Brim” name. The next update will include the rename. There will no longer be a Brim application; instead look for Zui.

Zui - Insiders

If you are excited about the new version and want to try it out today, download the Zui - Insiders app. It can run side-by-side with Brim, stores data in a different location, and runs Zed on a different port. It will receive automatic updates every weekday built from the tip of our main branch. This is our take on a beta program. If you find bugs or think of improvements, please chime in on the #zui-insiders Slack channel.