Re: Fabian Pascal and RDBMS deficiencies in fully implementing the relational model

On Thu, Jun 08, 2006 at 05:22:46PM -0500, Scott Marlowe wrote:
> On Thu, 2006-06-08 at 17:14, David Fetter wrote:
>
> > Pascal, Date, and Darwen have been alleging for years, with
> > increasing shrillness, that DBMSs should be based on set theory
> > and 2-value logic. I say "alleging" because they have not backed
> > up this idea with any actual software that others could test. SQL
> > DBMSs are based on bag theory[1] and 3-value logic[2]. Until they
> > come up with a testable system, or Hell freezes over, whichever
> > comes first, Pascal's book will make a good companion on your
> > shelf to books on Phlogiston[3] theory, or a decent doorstop,
> > whichever you prefer.
>
> Now you're just being ridiculous.
>
> Most of those books are nowhere near heavy enough to be a good door
> stop.

I'm sorry I exaggerated here. You're right, of course. Most of them
would make only half-way decent doorstops. Date's latest from
O'Reilly isn't even that.

> And I don't know what your problem with Phlogiston is, it's a
> perfectly cromulent thoery. (see
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cromulent#Cromulent)

The Simpsons is almost enough to make me get a working TV and watch
Fox on it, but not quite :)

Cheers,
D
--
David Fetter <david(at)fetter(dot)org> http://fetter.org/
phone: +1 415 235 3778 AIM: dfetter666
Skype: davidfetter

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