Okay... So first of all I think the innovation couchbase and others are bringing is wonderful, and I think stuff spun off of such efforts may eventually eat Oracles lunch.<p>That said Oracle has never been about the DB entirely. Nobody buys Oracle for the DB. They buy it for the ecosystem and familiarity that surround the DB. Mostly it's about internal applications for businesses.<p>Big companies don't want rapid innovation. They want something that works for years and years and that the office workers that doesn't know about keyboard shortcuts (I met one on monday) won't have to relearn regularly. They want tried and true. They want a nice safe GUI interface.<p>So keep innovating for tommorow. NoSQL should evolve rapidly. But the way to beat Oracle is not evolving rapidly. It's making the best CRUD app possible currently, and selling long term support. It's training those office workers in something so that it's familiar, and showing how it's better then current projects. It's building a brand.<p>I believe software is eating the world, but some parts are going to be digested very very slowly. Hopefully not Bank software and COBOL slowly, but you never know.<p>Though personally, I love innovation. I love teaching people new things. And I think most people can learn, if the support is going to be there. The office worker who didn't know keyboard shortcuts? I taught her how to search in the browser, and basic cut and paste shortcuts.