Beware of exceptions

Paul Philion’s article 
 Beware the dangers of generic Exceptions
 deals with exceptions in Java. Java’s exception system (Exception) gives you a
 powerful, sophisticated way to handle errors that occur while a program is running.

Using this system well takes certain programming habits and techniques. Otherwise, exceptions, or more precisely tracking down the errors
 and handling them, can become a nightmare. One of those habits
 is knowing how to work with generic exceptions. The article explains the subject very well, and I highly recommend reading it closely.

More on exceptions (Dagblog, March 19, 2003 — Java exceptions in practice)