Re: Things that Longhorn seems to be doing right

Neil Brown
2003-10-30T00:55:17Z

On Wednesday October 29, trelane@digitasaru.net wrote:
>
> Regardless, it's an interesting idea, and one which might be fruitful.
>
> I give you then two bits: our treatment of the tech and the reality of their
> tech:
>
> 00: ISVAPOR | TAKESEROUSLY
> 01: ISVAPOR | IGNORE
> 10: NOTVAPOR | TAKESERIOUSLY
> 11: NOTVAPOR | IGNORE
>
> If we come up with a working implementation and it *is* just vaporware, then
> we're ahead.
> We're way ahead.
>
> If we merely dismiss it as vaporware and it turns out to be,
> no net change.
...snip...
> Conclusion: best to take it seriously and work on it; those two cases
> are the most optimal.
>

Sounds like the same argument that is used in "Pascal's Wager" for
belief in God, and I seriously don't think the argument works in
either case. (note that I'm not making a statement about the
conclusion in either case, only about the arguement).

NeilBrown