Q: When would you create static methods as opposed to instance methods? I understand that static methods allow you to use those methods without having to create an instance of that class, and that ...

Design patterns have evolved to solve problems often encountered in software applications. The factory method design pattern and the abstract factory design pattern are both creational patterns.

Here is a quote from Absolute Java, 1st Ed, by Walter Savitch:<BR>"Note that with a static method, the class name serves the same purpose as a calling object. (It would be legal to create an object of ...