Part of the problem is that a language like Java: 1. Is verbose by its very nature 2. Has language characteristics that push the developer in the direction of

Part of the problem is that a language like Java: 1. Is verbose by its very nature 2. Has language characteristics that push the developer in the direction of using design patterns at every opportunity. So what might be a 1000 line program in Ruby is a 3000 line program in Java (translated as directly as possible), but then the deficiencies of the language turns simple idioms in a powerful language into complex design patterns in Java. See: closures, lack of duck typing/deficient type system, etc.