Java's checked exceptions were an experiment. While Java borrows most of its try/catch exception handling from C++, the notion of "checked" exceptions, which must either be caught or explicitly thrown, are a Java addition. By and large, this experiment has failed. You won't find checked exceptions in Java-influenced languages like Ruby or C#.

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(I had intended this to be a simple blog post, but it turned out to be too long for that. At least this gives me a chance to try out radio's "story" feature.)