Rather hilarious commentary on state of technical manuals in 1980s (from a trade magazine in 1985), lightly edited google translation:
Quote
It is known that some use microchips, others write books or articles about this process. In keeping with the fashion for various tests, I tried to compose a test for early detection of penchant for writing in this area. So, if you answer all the questions, you will surely know if you should write.
1. Is it necessary to know to which pins the power is connected to use the microchip? Required - 0 points, optional - 1 point. 2. Is it necessary to know its load capacity to use a logic chip, for example, a bus driver? How else? - 0 points. Somehow useless - 1 point. 3. If a chip with an open collector output has a maximum allowable voltage at this output of 6 V, can 15 V be applied to it? Of course not - 0 points. I applied and still works - 1 point. 4. Do you know how you can use the schematic diagram of an operational amplifier to apply it? It's impossible - 0 points. Why use them? - 1 point. 5. Which operational amplifier has higher slew rate of output voltage: the one for which it is 0.5 V / μs, or the one for which it was omitted? I wish I knew - 0 points. Is it so necessary to know? - 1 point. 6. Which RAM with a capacity of 1Kx1 is better for the user: with the organization 64x16 or 32x32? What's the difference? - 0 points. I know, but I won't tell anyone - 1 point. 7. Is it worth writing about how you managed to develop a microcomputer using KR580 chipset [MCS80 clone] without using the clock generator, system controller, interrupt controller? It's not literate - 0 points. And if the author did not have these chips in the cupboard - 1 point. 8. Should it be considered normal that for about half of the chips distributed centrally in 1986, there is no information in the corresponding reference books (for example, out of 44 types of operational amplifiers, there is information only about 18)? This is an outrage - 0 points. Let's wait another five years - 1 point.
If you got 0 points in total, you are probably an electronic equipment designer; if 8 points, you are a born author of literature on the use of microcircuits; if from 1 to 7 points, then you need to study a lot to become either a designer or a writer.
