Fallacies of Distributed Computing

 

I came across this Wikipedia page:

Fallacies of Distributed Computing

It lists the fallacies as:

• The network is reliable;
  
• Latency is zero;
  
• Bandwidth is infinite;
  
• The network is secure;
  
• Topology doesn't change;
  
• There is one administrator;
  
• Transport cost is zero;
  
• The network is homogeneous.
  
• We all trust each other.
  

These are all good things to keep in mind while you design a distributed system, but I think the use of the word "fallacy" is a bit overstated. I've seen a lot of designs (and existing systems) where some of those items have been neglected, but the reason is not because the author had "mistaken beliefs". 

Even for someone new to distributed systems, if you asked them "Is the network reliable?", they will rightly know that it is not.  If their first designs do not properly account for this, it is not because they had mistaken beliefs, but more due to their inexperience or oversight.

The same is true for the remaining items: if you asked someone the specific question, you will likely get the right answer, though their designs may still be lax in that area. 

If you forgot to pay your electric bill, I would not conclude that you have the false belief that electricity is free.