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In the most recent essay, titled “The 18 Mistakes That Kill Startups”, Paul identifies (as you might expect from the title) the common causes of startup failure.

I’d like to focus on point is #17:  Choosing The Wrong Platform

I agree with Paul that picking a wrong platform can indeed sometimes kill a startup, but I’m not yet convinced that this is always the case.  History is replete with startups that picked what were widely considered to be the “wrong” platform and still survived to tell the story (and make a ton of money in the process). ..

But, this is not my primary point of contention with the article.  Little harm is done by identifying wrong platform selection as a potential mistake that startups should try and avoid (in fact, I think it helps to raise awareness of the importance of this decision).  My issue is with how Paul advises startup founders go about actually picking a platform.

Paul Graham:   “How do you pick the right platforms? The usual way is to hire good programmers and let them choose. But there is a trick you could use if you're not a programmer: visit a top computer science department and see what they use in research projects.” 
 
I agree with the first half.  A great way to pick a platform (if you’re not a programmer yourself) is to hire great programmers (not just good ones) and let them choose.  But, I don’t think visiting a computer science department and seeing what they use in research projects is an effective strategy.  Here are my issues with this particular approach:
...

Welcome to the official online archive of Computer Gaming World magazine, where you can read and download digitized versions* of the first 100 issues of the magazine, beginning with the first issue in November 1981, and then see covers of all the rest of the magazine's run through the final issue in November 2006.

Founded in 1981 by Russell Sipe, Computer Gaming World began life as a small, self-published, independent magazine for the then small community of computer game hobbyists (it was, in fact, the first magazine dedicated to the hobby...

We believe a fork is necessary, and justified, both to allow regular people a place to work under the direction of experts, and in which personal accountability--including the use of real names--is expected.  In short, we want to create a responsible community and a good global citizen.

IE 7 is a huge improvement over IE 6. There is evidence of really good effort and innovation here - but there are also traces of the old IE that just do not fit. It seems like the IE team was pressured to release the tool (because of what Firefox is bringing out) before they had a chance to rethink and redo everything. Hopefully the shortcomings will be cleaned up in IE 8 - and that we won't have to wait another five years before it comes out!

The bigger question is how does IE7 compare to Firefox 2.0 and is it enough to hang on to IE's huge market share? This is a tough question to answer... but in terms of performance, cohesiveness of features and availability of add-ons - Firefox 2.0 is in better shape right now.

Internet Explorer 7 is an absolute no-brainer: If you use Windows, you should almost certainly upgrade immediately: IE 7's security features are top-notch and its functional improvements are nicely designed and greatly appreciated. For the short term, certain people may run into occasional Web site compatibility issues with IE 7, but I think those problems will fade quickly. Certainly, most major Web sites have already been upgraded to work correctly with Microsoft's latest Web browser. I've had a field day in the past making fun of IE, but with IE 7, the browser has finally turned the corner. This is one product that Microsoft should be quite proud of. My only question, really, is what took them so long? Seriously, download it now. Highly recommended.