Patterns mess: Abstract Factory versus Factory Method versus Builder, Adapter versus Bridge versus Composite versus Decorator versus Facade versus Proxy, etc. At first I would like to mention that there is difference between all patterns I mentioned, but my point is that this difference is so insignificant that it wasn’t worse dividing all these patterns.I think that Abstract Factory, Method, and Builder are all about the same: constructing objects with some method(s) and using inheritance technique to build different types (families) of object. The same is about Adapter, Bridge, Decorator, Facade, and Proxy in terms of GoF. I would reserve Proxy
term for remote proxy in distributed environment, as it used now. Again for me all these patterns as presented by GoF are about intensive use of encapsulation. I personally think that existance of such amount of similar patterns is misleading.
Artem's Blog 