Are Vertex Buffer Objects worth using in a purely quad/2d context?

Question

Or would it be better to batch immediate mode calls?

Answer 1

Ditching immediate mode is always a good idea, but this doesn't mean you have to go through the full stretch of Vertex Buffer Objects. For a long time there have been Vertex Arrays (which form the foundation of Vertex Buffer Objects). You'll find that Vertex Arrays make a lot of things way easier, even for the "just drawing a few quads" case.