I'm on the programming side of this issue (as a matter of skills and experience) but find myself in agreement with the author. I frankly never took the time to

I'm on the programming side of this issue (as a matter of skills and experience) but find myself in agreement with the author. I frankly never took the time to gain the deep understanding of relational technologies -- a singular exception to my usual approach to software which is to read primary sources and gain fundamental understanding. (This is something that I have recently started to remedy.) Perhaps its the inevitable corporate association of an RDBM that lends the subject an unattractive image in the mind (as opposed to a sexy new language, framework, or paradigm)? I am frankly at a loss to explain this to myself, given that the theory, technology, and applications of the subject are certainly quite interesting and challenging!