On Sun, 30 Jan 2005 17:58:49 -0700, Brandon Goodin <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> Thanks for your input.
>
> When someone wants DI/IoC we recommend Spring. They don't use the DAO
> framework at all. What they DO provide is transaction management and
> DI across various persistence mechanisms (jdbc, ibatis sqlmaps,
> hibernate, ...).
One of the reasons I like a simple stand-alone DAO framework (as opposed to just pointing people to Spring) is that then I can use it in any application such as desktop apps and with any framework such as Struts. Of course, a DAO framework is not that hard to write, but I feel that most developers don't understand the benefits of using one and end up misusing the DAO pattern in general.
> I know Clinton has worked on a replacement for the > DAO framework because we are all aware of it's shortcomings in light > of current technology practices. A prototype has been created. But, > the OSS implementation has been slow to come and i'm not sure if/when > it will make an appearance in the ibatis project.
I created my own DAO framework inspired by iBatis which is available via SourceForge. It contains most of the features I discussed in my first email: http://jingdao.sf.net
> So, i don't see a whole lot of desire in the team to refactor the DAO > framework. We want to simply let it be what it is and role out a new > product when the time is right.
Any idea when that will be? :)
> Also, i think there is considerable discussion to be had regarding > whether to use an existing IoC/DI container or build in the > functionality for it with a narrower scope than generic IoC containers > offer. Also, in the course of deciding to use an existing IoC > container or not the discussions needs to be had about which one we > would use. Personally, I made a decision not to use pico container due > to it's underlying philosophy and poor documentation. I have used and > been more intrigued by Spring and HiveMind.
I've worked with just about every IoC framework currently available. Each has its pros and cons. I like Pico simply because it's so small and simple, but I can understand how everyone has their favorites.
A DAO Framework is really just a specialized IoC container. I wrote an article about this last year:
http://www.jadetower.org/muses/archives/000080.html
The advantage of extending and branding one as a DAO framework, I feel, is that you can target a small and easily comprehensible application of IoC and make a real difference in the quality of the code being written.
-- jaaron
