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I would be surprised if hammers didn't succumb to exactly the same type of competitions. Here are a few hammer review pieces, pitting metal against metal https

I would be surprised if hammers didn't succumb to exactly the same type of competitions. Here are a few hammer review pieces, pitting metal against metal https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-hammer/ https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-hammer/ https://www.gearhungry.com/best-hammers/ https://www.gearhungry.com/best-hammers/ https://www.thespruce.com/best-hammers-4150485 https://www.thespruce.com/best-hammers-4150485

JohnFen 3y ago
Those are comparing the same types of hammers from different manufacturers. My analogy is that different kinds of hammers don't compete with each other. A claw hammer, for instance, isn't competing with a ball peen hammer. They each are used for different kinds of tasks.
- circuit10 3y ago
  If there’s overlap in what they can be used for then there will be competition there
  - JohnFen 3y ago
    This is also replying to nordsieck, who made the same point. You are both correct, but I was using "competition" in a different sense. I was thinking in terms of how people often talk about these issues: as if there was a One Language To Rule Them All. That is the notion that I object to. When considering the best tool for a particular job, the different contenders are competing in a sense for that job. But I see that as not being the same as when people are asserting that a given language is always the superior choice independent of the task at hand. The responses to my initial comment really surprise me. I had no idea I was saying anything controversial, but apparently I am!
    - circuit10 3y ago
      Saying that languages compete isn’t the same thing as saying one language is objectively better than another. It just means that people might consider both options and weigh up the pros and cons of both. When people say that companies compete, they aren’t saying that one is objectively better than another, if anything it’s the opposite
- nordsieck 3y ago
  > My analogy is that different kinds of hammers don't compete with each other. Sure they do. If you're doing framing, you might prefer a rigger's axe or a framing hammer. If you're hanging an axe, you might prefer a mallet or a dead blow hammer. There's lots of overlap, and hence competition, between different hammer types.
  - qbrass 3y ago
    Just ask people what the round end of a ball peen is for. Few people know what peening is, fewer know how to do it, yet a ball peen hammer is still one of the most common hammers around. It's competing against other specialized hammers and winning because people simply have it already.

JohnFen 3y ago

Those are comparing the same types of hammers from different manufacturers. My analogy is that different kinds of hammers don't compete with each other. A claw hammer, for instance, isn't competing with a ball peen hammer. They each are used for different kinds of tasks.

circuit10 3y ago
If there’s overlap in what they can be used for then there will be competition there
- JohnFen 3y ago
  This is also replying to nordsieck, who made the same point. You are both correct, but I was using "competition" in a different sense. I was thinking in terms of how people often talk about these issues: as if there was a One Language To Rule Them All. That is the notion that I object to. When considering the best tool for a particular job, the different contenders are competing in a sense for that job. But I see that as not being the same as when people are asserting that a given language is always the superior choice independent of the task at hand. The responses to my initial comment really surprise me. I had no idea I was saying anything controversial, but apparently I am!
  - circuit10 3y ago
    Saying that languages compete isn’t the same thing as saying one language is objectively better than another. It just means that people might consider both options and weigh up the pros and cons of both. When people say that companies compete, they aren’t saying that one is objectively better than another, if anything it’s the opposite
nordsieck 3y ago
> My analogy is that different kinds of hammers don't compete with each other. Sure they do. If you're doing framing, you might prefer a rigger's axe or a framing hammer. If you're hanging an axe, you might prefer a mallet or a dead blow hammer. There's lots of overlap, and hence competition, between different hammer types.
- qbrass 3y ago
  Just ask people what the round end of a ball peen is for. Few people know what peening is, fewer know how to do it, yet a ball peen hammer is still one of the most common hammers around. It's competing against other specialized hammers and winning because people simply have it already.