[lsc36]

I guess design patterns should never be applied. Those are simply optimal solutions to common design problems in OOP. When you encounter your own problem, derive your own optimal solution, and you call it some "pattern" if it happens to resemble one.

IMO pattern names are merely for communication purposes, like saying "abstract factory" instead of having to say "I have an interface F for creating instances of interface A, where different implementations of F can be chosen at runtime to create different instances of implementation of A". And also you are not required to call your factory "Factory".