TIOBE - Java Coding Standard

Rule: StrictException6

Synopsis:	Avoid throwing null pointer exceptions
Language:	Java
Severity Level:	2
Category:	StrictException

Description:

Avoid throwing a NullPointerException - it's confusing because most people will assume that the virtual machine threw it. Consider using an IllegalArgumentException instead; this will be clearly seen as a programmer-initiated exception.

public class Foo {
 void bar() {
  throw new NullPointerException();
 }
}