Hi Raghunathan,

By definition, professionals get paid and amateurs do not. There is no other literal distinction. However, in capitalist cultures (like yours and mine) the words have evolved to imply more. People think of professionals as proficient, expert, of a higher quality. Conversely they think of amateurs as being of a lower quality, worth less if not worthless. This is, I believe, a sad circumstance. Yes, professionals are reasonably more expert because they have more experience. On the other hand, incredible amounts of experience can be overcome by the passion to do something strictly for the enjoyment of the activity.

All of that being said, my original point was to observe that the hubrous of inexperience lends one to attack with joy the challenge of designing a circuit to replace the MAX232, while the more experienced person recognizes that the work has been done well, and is grateful for it.

How are things in India? I hope you and yours are all well.

Joe