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> In the real world there is no "other" component: When was the last time you drove an "other car" or purchased an "other vegetable"?
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I beg to differ. If you attempt to produce a list of car makes and models, there will be someone who drives a car that is not on that list.
Ditto for vegetables (do you really imagine any programmer is capable of producing a complete list of edible vegetables??).
Most attempts to categorize things in the real world are incomplete.
If you ask someone their country of birth, and offer a drop-down list, you'll almost certainly omit that country somewhere in the Balkans that existed for 3 months in 1926.
If you don't offer an "other" option, you are asking people to tell lies.
Michael Kay
Saxonica
