Re: Surrogate Key vs Production Key

From: Howard J. Rogers <hjr_at_dizwell.com>
Date: Mon, 18 Oct 2004 05:26:45 +1000
Message-ID: <4172c779$0$10345$afc38c87@news.optusnet.com.au>

Noons wrote:

> "Howard J. Rogers" <hjr_at_dizwell.com> wrote in message
> news:<41705a9c$0$24889$afc38c87_at_news.optusnet.com.au>...
>

>> 
>> I do wish you wouldn't get so heated.
>>

>
> Funny. I'm "heated", and "emotional" and all that.

Yes, you come across that way. You don't do it very often, but on one or two topics, when the mood takes you, you come across as seriously aggressive.

Take that as you wish. But preferably don't get defensive about it, since it's intended as an alert, not a criticism.

> And yet, I'm not the one that uses the words "sloppy" and
> "rubbish"

And I don't "ever" take words out of context, either. The words you quote were used to describe software and data. Not people or their attitudes. And the fact that software is or is not poorly written, or sloppily written, or used badly, resulting in rubbish data, bears not a whit on whether you are coming across as "heated".

> or takes on a patronising attitude. Ever.

I'd rather be patronised than fear I might be beaten up. And patronis*ing* rather than aggressive.

And pointing out the motes in others' eyes doesn't actually remove the particular beams in ones own.

>> worth getting that worked up about. But I do think that an appeal to
>> numbers ("the rest of the IT world uses synthetics") is not calculated to
>> win anyone over. The rest of the IT world also uses Windows.

>
> It's not "the rest". It's ALL major commercial applications.
> WITHOUT exception. There is a HUGE difference.
> It would be interesting if the supporters of natural keys
> for once gave up on the self-righteous thing and just
> looked at the reasons why.

*I'm* not being self-righteous about it. I'm just telling you my *experience*. Which is indicative only of my experience.

So, if you're talking to the rest of the world about being self-righteous, maybe you could do so in replies to someone else's posts?

> They might actually learn
> something very important about making commercial
> software.

I doubt it. One doesn't learn when fearing the teacher's temper.

HJR Received on Sun Oct 17 2004 - 14:26:45 CDT