JavaZone 2011 - Hibernate should be to programmers what cake mixes are to bakers: beneath their dignity.
Cake mixes consist of a mix of things you already have in your cupboard plus a load of unnecessary, potentially harmful preservatives. They cost more than making cake from scratch, the resulting cake tastes worse, they take away people's confidence in their ability to make their own cakes, and they don't even save you any time. Hibernate has the same misperceived benefits and the same draw-backs.
Gordon Ramsay wouldn't be caught dead using any cake mix. As professional programmers, we should be more sceptical of generic frameworks like hibernate.
Christin Gorman
Software developer at Steria with > 10 years of programming behind her in all sorts of projects, mostly within the oil industry.