What is iBATIS? - iBATIS in Action - page 43

The configuration files aren't entirely compatible across the platforms at this
time, but there are plans to make that more of a reality. More important, the con-
cept and approach are very portable. This allows you to be consistent in the design
of all of your applications. i BATIS works with more languages and more types of
applications than any other framework, regardless of the design of the applica-
tion. If consistency across your applications is important to you, then i BATIS will
work very well for you.

2.3.7 Open source and honesty

Earlier we called this section a “sales pitch.” The truth is, i BATIS is free, open
source software. We don't make a dime on it whether you use it or not. You've
already bought the topic, so we've made as much money as we're going to. That
said, one of the greatest advantages of open source software is honesty . We have no
reason to stretch the truth or lie to you. We'll be very up-front and say that i BATIS
isn't the perfect solution for all problems. So let's do something that is rarely
done in commercial software documentation. Let's discuss some reasons why you
may not want to use i BATIS , and suggest alternatives where appropriate.

2.4 When not to use iBATIS

Every framework is built around rules and constraints. Lower-level frameworks
like JDBC provide a flexible and complete feature set, but they are harder and
more tedious to use. High-level frameworks like object/relational mapping tools
are much easier to use and save you a lot of work, but they are built with more
assumptions and constraints that make them applicable to fewer applications.
i BATIS is a mid-level framework. It's higher level than JDBC , but lower level
than an object relational mapper. That puts i BATIS in a unique position that
makes it applicable to a unique set of applications. In the previous sections we
discussed why i BATIS is useful in various types of applications, including small,
rich client applications and large, enterprise, web applications—and everything in
between. So when does i BATIS not fit? The next few sections detail situations
where i BATIS is not the best solution and offer recommendations for alternatives.

2.4.1 When you have full control…forever

If you are guaranteed to have full control of your application design and
database design, then you are a very lucky person indeed. This is rare in an
enterprise environment or any business where the core competency is not
software development. However, if you work at a software company that develops