Re: the cycle that never ends

Talking about Java (the language I know best, besides RPG):
- using plain JDBC, you would have to code calls to Driver routines by your own. Using RPG, you could use CLI instead of embedded SQL with very similar logic.
- in real life most Java shops are using object relational mappers (component libraries, most of them Open Source!!!) and you won't see any SQL statements in the code.
- there was a Precompiler for Java too, SQLJ but it did not survive.

I think your answer is a little one sided. I would rather say that in most shops where speed is no requirement ORM/JPA is used. But getting the models and the mapping annotations right can be really tough especially if you don't let the database be generated by the framework but using an existing database. On top of it (if you are using JPA) you have to deal with the different JPA libraries and with the different database drivers. Same code does not work for other libraries. And if you want speed you are doing native queries and map them manually and then you are back to doing the SQL yourself. Another "problem" is the caching. Some have one and some have even two caches depending on the implementation you use. And then there are the libraries which offer an SQL like API. From my xp: For simple cases with no speed requirements ORM frameworks are great ... else they are much more trouble than worth. I like frameworks which keep things simple like JDBI (which is also used by Dropwizard). No big overhead. Everything is transparent.

My 2cents.

Mihael