As views are the only means to navigate data natively in a Notes database, they're still relevant in that sense. As a user interface, which I think is what you're trying to rationalise, the web-based and other mediums being the norm, views themselves are becoming a programmatic access mechanism. Let me explain.
You have to do a lot of work to improve the usability of a standard view for the web. I think IBM should have looked at this approach and improved upon it rather than abandon its evolution completely.
Views are the cornerstone for Mobilite. We just re-interpreted the interface for the medium, that is to say, it's not just mobile, but "small touch interfaces" that we're involved with. The infinite scroller is a common requirement in the Mobile era. Obtaining the data is usually driven by views, simply for speed and simplified ordering it offers. You have FTSearch but this has no ordering. Again an easy fix for IBM to implement I would think.
Surprisingly scrollers themselves are not done well for HTML5, and we have had to tune it ourselves with frameworks that are only now starting to deal with it. You will eventually be able to use JS frameworks with much more ease to present data in a variety of ways, thus relegating Domino views as an access mechanisms.
Nothing wrong with the traditional approach, except that it's a method that IBM has left behind for Xpage controls. I believe if it works for the customer and they pay you for it, then mission accomplished.
As views are the only means to navigate data natively in a Notes database, they're still relevant in that sense. As a user interface, which I think is what you're trying to rationalise, the web-based and other mediums being the norm, views themselves are becoming a programmatic access mechanism. Let me explain.
You have to do a lot of work to improve the usability of a standard view for the web. I think IBM should have looked at this approach and improved upon it rather than abandon its evolution completely.
Views are the cornerstone for Mobilite. We just re-interpreted the interface for the medium, that is to say, it's not just mobile, but "small touch interfaces" that we're involved with. The infinite scroller is a common requirement in the Mobile era. Obtaining the data is usually driven by views, simply for speed and simplified ordering it offers. You have FTSearch but this has no ordering. Again an easy fix for IBM to implement I would think.
Surprisingly scrollers themselves are not done well for HTML5, and we have had to tune it ourselves with frameworks that are only now starting to deal with it. You will eventually be able to use JS frameworks with much more ease to present data in a variety of ways, thus relegating Domino views as an access mechanisms.
Nothing wrong with the traditional approach, except that it's a method that IBM has left behind for Xpage controls. I believe if it works for the customer and they pay you for it, then mission accomplished.