IOException in Get.readVersions()

[strijbol . niko]

Hi,

The readVersions(int) method on Get (see 
https://hbase.apache.org/apidocs/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/client/Get.html#readVersions-int-)
 throws an IOException if the argument is invalid:

  public Get readVersions(int versions) throws IOException {
    if (versions <= 0) {
      throw new IOException("versions must be positive");
    }
    this.maxVersions = versions;
    return this;
  }

I am wondering why this is 1) a checked exception and 2) why it is an 
IOException and not something like an IllegalArgumentException. Since I was not 
sure if this is intended or not and what the rational is, I thought I'd ask 
first.

Thanks,
Niko