Oracle Open Sources TopLink Java ORM 41
Eric^2 writes "Oracle announced on Tuesday that TopLink will now be open source and a full-fledged Eclipse project. TopLink is an object-persistence layer for Java that maps Java objects to a relational database."
Re:If you aren't using Hibernate.... (Score:2, Interesting)
Hibernate is a very heavy OR mapping layer, and I've never had much joy using it. It detracts massively from what the database is truly capable of, in effect removing the power that SQL gives you by replacing it with a crippled Object query language. Hibernate is great, as is JDO, but they are both heavy weight tools that take away much of what a database gives you in the first place.
I find using JDBC far more powerful, since I can actually use my database without having to create hundreds of VIEW's on top of my actual tables. The fact that OR mapping layers take SQL out of my hands is the entire reason I started a clone of the EoD RI layer from Java 6 beta. So far it's been the only system I've worked with that allows me to model objects (rather than my database), but retains lets me use SQL directly.
Hibernate and JDO and such are great for new projects, but when trying to work with a legacy >200 table Informix database, they just doesn't cut it. The database has been modeled for SQL, not your lovely Object model (which winds up behind a business object layer anyway). In the end, deal with your database, or don't use one. They're hugely powerful systems, don't cripple them just because you don't understand how to make them work!
Re:If you aren't using Hibernate.... (Score:3, Interesting)
Anyhow, all that to say, Hibernate is awesome, but from a certain point of view, its similar to putting business logic straight in the JSP file (I disagree though)
Use the Java Persistence API (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:If you aren't using Hibernate.... (Score:2, Interesting)
I strongly, strongly recommend any java developers to look at Kodo (http://www.bea.com/kodo), it is an ORM with both JDO and EJB3 interfaces so it can do both
Anyway, I just owe them a debt of gratitude, our tech would not be the quality it is now if we had gone the hibernate route.. but that's just my opinion.. just go have a look at Kodo.