Talk:Robustness Principle

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I cannot believe that this criticism of "Postel's Law" is valid. It is not the application of Postel's Law that leads to the problem, it is the misapplication. That is, the statement of Postel's Law leaves considerable room for interpretive error, trying to understand what 'liberal' and 'conservative' should really mean. If you allow as 'liberal' what should not be allowed, then of course you will have the problem described: bugs that should have been detected and fixed go unnoticed.

It is important to notice that just as with many other aphorisms, Postel's Law is stated more compactly than precisely. This is to provide a convenient summary that sticks in the mind. The statement of Postel's Law must NOT be taken as a prescription for how to apply it.

Instead, one should remember the principle far older than even that font of wisdom, "The Mythical Man-Month", and remember NOT to take anything to excess.

The problem described in this article happens ONLY when the summary statement is taken to excess, or otherwise misinterpreted.

204.119.233.161 00:11, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

I agree, and I have added a deeper interpretation of the principle.--Nick 17:40, 23 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] History of the Principle

I hereby grant permission to incorporate any or all of the text from my history of the principle (currently just linked to in this article). --Nick 17:43, 23 March 2007 (UTC)