The article says it is "most perilous." Another comment mentioned another blog, http://use-the-index-luke.com/no-offset http://use-the-index-luke.com/no-offset,

The article says it is "most perilous." Another comment mentioned another blog, http://use-the-index-luke.com/no-offset http://use-the-index-luke.com/no-offset, says to never use it. This is the syndrome I was getting at. An article attacks a shortcoming of an established way of doing things and then glosses over the deficiencies of its own alternative. The deficiencies of the original solution aren't a problem for most people, but the deficiencies of the new one are.