In reference to this previous post, which was inspired by a java patterns book, Holub on Patterns: Learning Design Patterns by Looking at Code, I was again looking for the grail. 

Holub uses a builder pattern approach to avoid exposing each private field through a getter and setter.  This approach is interesting but it quickly becomes complicated in the implementation as a series of interfaces and implementations become necessary and this leaves the casual observer wondering if the getter/setter method might be much simpler to understand.

Holub's assertion is that accessors are used mostly for visual designer created UI's.  This may be true to a large extent but the alternative seems pretty convoluted.  Holub also argues that accessors are very procedural which may also be true and that object oriented progroms become procedural at the margins where they must communicate with procedural systems like UI and database access.  However, in the OO middle the program should be objects which consist of an almost service stack like service object which provides methods in which to accomplish tasks (isn't this procedural?).

Conclusion:  I have headed the warning of not to go crazy with accessors and mutators but the alternatives don't have a good smell.