Re: In an RDBMS, what does "Data" mean?

In message <40b74ea7$0$1049$ed2619ec_at_ptn-nntp-reader02.plus.net>, Paul <paul_at_test.com> writes
>Dawn M. Wolthuis wrote:
>>> Newtonian Dynamics assumes certain axioms, which we now know to be
>>>slightly wrong.
>> If talking about mathematical axioms, they are not right or wrong --
>> they just are. It is the use of those axioms in some setting or
>>another that could be inappropriate, not useful, or lead one to draw
>> incorrect conclusions due to applying a poor mathematical analogy
>>(metaphor) to the situation.
>
>Well, OK, when I say the axioms are wrong I mean that the axioms don't
>quite give a theory on which we can base an accurate model of reality.
>(Though they may be good enough for an approximate model of reality).
>
>> So the mathematics is right, but the science is wrong -- and I think
>> that is a major point of this thread.
>
>My point is that the DBMS is only concerned the mathematical part, and
>theory proves that it does it perfectly. The science part is beyond the
>scope of the DBMS - making sure that is OK is up to the database users.

So, what you're saying, basically, is every time the users have a problem "it's an implementation thing", despite the fact that it may well be down to a screwy axiom? What you're saying is that you couldn't care less whether your axioms are correct or not?

Or, to put it more bluntly, you don't know whether your model correctly models the real world, and you don't care whether your model correctly models the real world, yet you loudly trumpet that it is the only model that can model the real world ... excuse me while I puke ...

Surely you owe it to your users to at least try and make sure the foundations of your theory are securely anchored in the real world, rather than building castles in the air and then blaming users when their real applications built on those castles come tumbling to earth in an awful heap.

Sorry, I don't want this to come over as nasty, but that last paragraph of yours that I quoted is basically just abdicating any responsibility on the part of mathematicians as to whether the theory is useful in any shape or form whatsoever; and worse, blames the users for incompetence if they can't get it to work.

Cheers,
Wol

-- 
Anthony W. Youngman - wol at thewolery dot demon dot co dot uk
HEX wondered how much he should tell the Wizards. He felt it would not be a
good idea to burden them with too much input. Hex always thought of his reports
as Lies-to-People.
The Science of Discworld : (c) Terry Pratchett 1999