This thread called Debate: O/R Mapping or Code Generation is an all out war. Ted Neward makes yet another interesting statement about ORM:
As I've said before, ORM is the Vietnam of Computer Science; it's damnably easy to get into, and damnably hard to get back out of once you're in it, and you have a tendency to all of a sudden find yourself in the middle of a "situation" that's untenable and hard to live with. (For ORM, frequently this is complex querying, collections, and reporting.) I think Microsoft wants to make sure they've got a clear vision and possible exit strategy before they jump into this quagmire.
I personally don't have anything against O/R mappers, but I am definitely in wait-and-see mode and need more time to play around and see what's out there. I did like LLBLGen Pro but still need some time to get used to it. Another issue is that I actually feel very comfortable writing T-SQL, and favor writing my own stored procs. I've never felt the need to create a black box for myself between my code and the database. I especially don't like the “magic button“ effect of any code generator. But, I have used CodeSmith and wrote a few of my own templates for very specific purposes, and was quite impressed. Chris Sells created the term client-driven development and typically that is my approach to development as well. It's tough to see exactly what you need on the backend until you discover the object model you need for your client. Usually once I get there, I am more than happy to get into SQL Server and make things happen for myself, and when appropriate create one of those very cool typed-DataSets to go with my queries. :-)
