I think the source of the OP's pain can be traced to the fact that while Java is reasonably competent as a programming language, it's complete and utter crap as

I think the source of the OP's pain can be traced to the fact that while Java is reasonably competent as a programming language, it's complete and utter crap as an operating system. It replaces the finely honed tools of a modern operating system with it's own inferior versions, the process model is replaced by threads, shared libraries are implemented as "Beans" and come with an impressive armature of support infrastructure that could be dispensed with in favor of a simple configuration file. Sadly, it is the faults of java that pre-adapted it to success in a corporate environment; it creates an impression of vast complexity in even simple tasks and allows for large budgets and swollen headcounts that translate into more power for the leadership of projects in which it is used.