Checked exceptions in Java suck.  The more I use Java, the more respect I have for Anders Hejlsberg.

http://www-128.ibm.com/developerworks/java/library/j-jtp05254.html

"Bruce Eckel, author of Thinking in Java (see Resources), says that after years of using the Java language, he has come to the conclusion that checked exceptions were a mistake -- an experiment that should be declared a failure. Eckel advocates making all exceptions unchecked, and offers the class in Listing 2 as a means for turning checked exceptions into unchecked ones while preserving the ability to catch specific types of exceptions as they are propagated up the stack (see his article in the Resources section for an explanation of how it can be used)."