Using the right exception subclass in ruby

Question

I have access to ruby's exception hierarchy (it's mentioned in both the pickaxe and the hummingbird), but I'm not sure which exception to use because I haven't found any information on what each of the terms mean.

Does using the right exception class matter?

Answer 1

It matters when creating your own exceptions. One important caveat is that exceptions which inherit from Exception rather then StandardError (common mistake) will not be caught by rescue (without any arguments).