It seems like the term was flawed from the start. "Anti" does not mean "bad".

zizee · on June 15, 2011

No, it means opposite. Patterns are "the right way to do things". So, the term anti-pattern means "not the right way to do things".

Terretta · on June 16, 2011

Patterns are recurring designs, so anti-patterns might merely be non-recurring designs. This isn't necessarily a value judgment.

compay · on June 16, 2011

The term entered widespread use after the AntiPatterns book was published. The authors were referring to "patterns of failure" commonly seen in software projects.

StrawberryFrog · on June 16, 2011

Nope, the AntiPatterns book defined it as something like "recurring patterns of failure, which look superficially attractive".

Terretta · on June 17, 2011

Edit: yes, I am extremely well aware of the conventional definition. I was deliberately offering an alternative spin in context to the parent.

Case in point: ORM can handle 80% of query plans (patterns). Some, it can't handle. They are not patterns, they are the opposite: unique and non replicable. That doesn't make them bad.

However, I disagree with headline. Just because ORM doesn't handle non pattern situations doesn't make the concept an anti pattern.