Let's be frank: no one likes to be told that something that has worked and worked well for years is broken. But that is where Java architects and developers find themselves today in the face of the evidence that JDBC Type 4 drivers do not adequately support the modern Java application stack.
Using Hibernate? Running in a virtualized environment? Deploying into a JVM not running on top of Windows, UNIX, or Linux? Any one of these choices or requirements introduces a challenge that most JDBC Type 4 drivers fail to overcome. That's why, just like letting go of that old CRT television (the kind with the antenna on the back and dials on the front), it's time to part ways with Type 4 and consider JDBC Type 5.
Developer.com has posted an excellent article on this subject by our own Jonathan Bruce entitled, "JDBC Type 5 Drivers Needed to Overcome Type 4 Limitations". It's a nice follow-up to the recent webinar he and Jesse Davis delivered on this topic as well.
It's not easy to let go of the past - especially when it's been so good to you. But here we are, over 12 years out from when JDBC Type 4 drivers were first defined. If you don't still write code and build applications the way you did in 1997, then ask yourself why you still do data access the same way that it was done back then and consider JDBC Type 5.