Aaron Dancygier <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
Just look at the list of companies that use mysql. Would google and yahoo
use it if it werent up to par?
Corporate entities (i.e. corporate managers) make decisions that are not
always generated from the same motivations as the rest of us. Google and Yahoo
using mysql does make a great endorsement, yes. But that's all it is. As a
fan of philosophy and deductive reasoning, I have been getting great joy over
the past year or so in noticing and pointing out 'deductive fallacies' whenever
they are made in public. Politics is ripe with them as are internet SIGs.
For those unfamiliar, this leap in reasoning is known as Argumentum ad
Verecundiam fallacy ("Argument from respect/modesty", Latin - a.k.a. Appeal to
Authority) or perhaps it might even fall under Ipse Dixit ("He, himself, said
it", Latin) fallacy. Similarly, to point out MySQL as being a better choice
simply because more people use it (dare I remind you of the popularity of
windows xp or internet explorer?) is an Ad Populum fallacy. How's about
because it has been around longer? (I don't know if it has or not, but that
would be Ad Antiquatum fallacy)
In summation, a fallacy is something that inspires an unjustified leap in
drawing a conclusion based on something that is not logically deduced based on
the premises. In short, I prefer to stick to the facts - not popularity
contests or the like.
SW
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