Thirty minutes - that's all you'll need
The new criteria for evaluating object-relational products for .NET seems to be "Can I install and start using it within 30 minutes?"
And that's a completely reasonable expectation. There is no doubt the technology has matured. But if we ever hope for the adoption rate for OR Mapping to climb we have got to build tools that are easy to install (and use for that matter). How many countless lost souls searching for object-relational deliverence in the barren wilderness that is ADO.NET and DataSets have been thwarted at the last moment before salvation just because they couldn't install the product and start working with it in a reasonable time?
And I must say that Versant is doing their part to advance the state of the art to make object-relational mapping accessible to the masses. Their product is easy to install and has fantastic Visual Studio integration. Check it out for yourself. Heck, it bet you could be using object-relational mapping in 15 minutes!!!
The minutes are counting down: Tick-tock. Tick-tock. Tick...