yeah coordinator is a must at the moment, as a training tool, it is used to boost network, because atm network doesn't have a lot of nodes, so it can not function properly. Here is a statement regarding the issue from David Sonstebo: "You don’t take the kid, put him on the bike for the first time, fuck the helmet and everything and put him on the steepest hill. Even though the intention is to learn him how to ride a bike, you just don’t do that. You put him on the bike, you put on training wheels, you give him helmet, you teach him how to be balanced and coordinated and wait untill kid evolves before you take away training wheels and helmet!"
I am a big fan of David Sonstebo, I think team behind IOTA is rock solid, but they do have a very futuristic vision, a lot of ppl dont realize that.