David: I would hope that I haven't built quite that bad of a reputation for apoplexia!
I admit that I do tend to respond to certain topics rather forcefully, but that is because I've seen too many systems just like the one you and Adam describe, and it annoys the hell out of me when I have to clean up the mess. I have often likened a job like that to trying to separate the toilet paper out of the sewage; at best it's a nasty, difficult job, at worst it's a nasty difficult job that also happens to be impossible. Then to hear (or read) someone put forth this kind of "solution" as "elegant" just makes me want to wring their neck...
To anyone reading this: Relations (db tables) <> OO Objects!!!!! Don't make that mistake, they are not even close to being the same thing. This is what C.J. Date called the "First Great Blunder" which Adam and I have discussed before...
Job security is nice, but in my experience, there are too many truly productive things that don't get done because so much effort goes into supporting junk systems.
I'm much more valuable to my company when we are actually swimming toward a goal as opposed to struggling to tread water. Ultimately it's my value to the company that determines how secure my job is.
