Nah, "fail open/closed" means that in failure mode something is open. It's "good" when something is a circuit and what failed is a fuse, but it's "bad" when it's your API security. If it's a valve, it probably can be good or bad depending on the use case.

It doesn't mean "fail open" is always the desired/safe outcome. It goes back to 1872 air brakes on a train. The goal is to "fail in safe mode", sometimes it's open, sometimes it's closed.

From the top of my head, where "fail open" is the desired outcome:

- emergency doors

- industrial cooling

- pressure valves

- probably something in HVAC

Note that none of these are "computer security people".

> "fail open/closed" means that in failure mode something is open.

That sentence doesn’t logically parse. Failing open or closed is a concept with two outcomes, it doesn’t mean one or those two outcomes.