I believe that productivity of a software development lyfecycle can be achived twofold:
BUTTOM-UP:
such thing come to mind:
- wizards
- code(classes/methods) refactoring
- easy of use of development tools
- Intellisense
TOP-DOWN:
- blueprints
- architecture/design refacturing
- lyfecycle tools(analysys, design(ie UML), testing, deployment, code coverage tools, FxCop and the like)
- patterns and other code re-usability mechanisms
- frameworks (like the Application Blocks)
In essence, the BUTTOM-UP approach helps adoption and personal satisfaction for a developer, while the TOP-DOWN assures the overall project -ilities(testability, ... you know the drill).
The BUTTOM-UP helps in getting small tasks getting done faster, while the other cuts down on errors on the foundations of a project.
That doesn't say which one is better, or which produces more or saves more time, that is probably dependent on the size of the project.
In the .NET vs Java world you could say that Java has a more TOP-DOWN ways of seeing things - J2EE is a blueprint and then all the JSRs - while .NET heavily depends from the combination of the framework and the developer tools. While both started at the soft extremes, they are now both moving to cover their weak spots, Java to get more developer friendly and .NET towards more the TOP-DOWN view on productivity.
I believe the race is on.