[kyllo]

Java doesn't really give you a choice though, because so many of the standard library classes have exceptions baked in. Any code you write related to file I/O for example will have to have either a "throws" or a "try/catch" on it, or else it won't even compile.

[judk]

Checked exceptions are much closer to "error codes" than unchecked exceptions. Checked exceptions just loosen the constraint a bit and let you defer handling to anywhere the caller's remaining function scope (or explicitly continue the throw)