title: What's the difference between the element() and getFirst() methods in the LinkedList class?
body: <p><a href="http://download.oracle.com/javase/6/docs/api/java/util/LinkedList.html" rel="noreferrer"><code>LinkedList</code></a> has similar descriptions for the <code>element()</code> method and the <code>getFirst()</code> method (strangely - not the same words).</p>
  
  <p><a href="http://download.oracle.com/javase/6/docs/api/java/util/Deque.html" rel="noreferrer"><code>Deque</code></a> clearly states that the two methods are the same in terms of the return value and the exception.</p>
  
  <p>My question is - why have 2 identical methods? Is it for backward compatibility? Is one approach more efficient than the other?</p>