[drcode]

I'm sorry sir, but if my pilot is stuck in a thunderstorm and I don't think he knows what he's doing, I can't "request a different plane."

[jerf]

It's a metaphor, not a description or some sort of iron law of physics. If I was on Google App Engine right now and there was a competitor that I could switch too, then I damn well could be up, especially if I took the opportunity to keep both options actively available for myself. No matter how hard "switching planes in midair" might be, it's just a metaphor.

[eggnet]

Yes but if you survive the flight you can switch after you land.

[netsp]

That's not a fair comparison. You can't switch mid flight or mid cloud crash. But you can evaluate safety records every time you feel inclined and swap your airlines at some point.

If GAE fails to live up to the better-then-DIY-on-average promise, you can't leave.

[imajes]

or at least carry a parachute. business continuity plans should really be part of the spec for everyone who's making money from their app.

[nickb]

Does that account for 6 hours of downtime with minimal information as to what's going on? Good luck with that!