But if you'd want to use an ORM , why not directly use Rails? An ORM (the only example listed by you or the author) does not a Rails app make. There are dozens

But if you'd want to use an ORM , why not directly use Rails? An ORM (the only example listed by you or the author) does not a Rails app make. There are dozens of ORMs of all types across every language; DHH did not invent the Active Record pattern and Rails' implementation of it is not the only viable option, even in Ruby (consider Sequel's ORM for example).