Spring is like BASF

I am a big fan on Spring Framework and I have been using it in various projects I have been the architect on for past few years. Its IOC container is just the beginning. AOP support and Template framework for JDBC, LDAP, JMS, JCA, JNDI, Security, OSGI, and even Integration Testing support makes Spring a powerfuly integration middleware framework no matter what other open source or commercial frameworks you are using in the technology stack of your application.

I always joke with my colleagues and friends that Spring is like BASF whose motto is "We don't make a lot of products you buy; we make a lot of products you buy better".

Same is the case with Spring Framework, it doesn't try to be everything to everybody. But the seamless integration of the framework into any other framework whether it's Hibernate, JPA, JMX , or dynamic scripting languages makes Spring's unofficial motto as "We don't make lot of the frameworks you use in your enterprise applications; we make lot of the frameworks you use in your enterprise applications way better!".

And the vision and roadmap SpringSource team is moving forward with in regards to Spring Framework is a proof that Spring is here to stay and it will dictate how Java EE middleware architecture will evolve in next few years.