Damien Katz

Doesn't this article make a case for why document based databases like CouchDB and Notes are better suited for most business applications?

The piece author and the Slashdot commenters are actually talking about two different issues. The author is discussing user interface and operation issues, while the Slashdot crowd are talking about data storage. On the one hand, users want and need their document-centric way of accessing and updating their data. On the other hand, the way that data is stored is going to make a huge impact on what they can do with that data.

For example, I've recently moved to Europe, and Quicken doesn't support my new currency. I now need a new tool to maintain my finances. Do I use Excel, or do I use a database? With Excel, I have easy data entry, some financial calculation ability, and tons of formatting. But I can't easily manipulate my data to do things like end of month reporting. With a database, I can manipulate the data any way I choose, but data entry is difficult, and final formatting isn't great either.

Like the author states, we need some sort of hybrid tool. Excel 2007 maybe?

"Doesn't this article make a case for why document based databases like CouchDB and Notes are better suited for most business applications?"

I think it does. The author (Joe Gregorio) recently started at IBM and hints at the end of the article:

So that covers the side of the technology that faces the customers, and you may be asking, if document-centric is so useful for user-interface, then why not put that into the developers hands also? Funny you should mention that...

Wild guess: I'm betting there is a project at IBM to build new user-oriented RAD XML database on top of DB2 and Websphere.

Anonymous Coward, you've completely perplexed me with the Slashdot references. Was Joe's article linked to from Slashdot?

Oh, pfffttt! I see you're talking about the Slashdot article referenced in Joe's post. Sorry.

Damien, I assume that you are familiar with Joe's writing. This one from last year seems to describe something very close to couchdb.

http://www.xml.com/pub/a/2005/09/21/atom-store-web-database.html

and Joe would also appreciate a python api ;-)