For an in-depth article about bypass capacitors, go here

The 'prescription' of tantalums as bypass caps is something of a remnant from the past. For a long time, tants were the only low-ESR devices available and it is only relatively recently that low-ESR aluminium caps and high value ceramics have come on the market. Since engineers tend to be a conservative bunch, tants remained (and probably will remain for some time) the devices of choice.

The advantage of using buffers is that they isolate the µC from electrical noise and interference that may be picked up by the cable, reducing the chance of the controller 'going mad'. Also, ESD or severe interference may damage the buffer, but not the controller.

Regards,
Rob.