Per Erik,



And per Thomas,



So now we seem to be considering the difference between lawyers and ..., well, you think of something that's the opposite of "lawyer" without being offensive. I submit that as long as neither party to a conversation is trying to deceive the other(s), there is no need for the lawyerly arts.

In any case I am reminded of a Shakespearean quote, "Brevity is the soul of wit." For that matter I am also reminded of another Shakespearean quote, "First let's kill all the lawyers."

This sub-thread started when I (apparently clumsily) tried to point out that an inexperienced person might try to reinvent the MAX232, but a more experienced person would simply be grateful that someone else had already done so. How ironic that this conversation evolved into this while discussing the coloquial evolution of the terms "professional" and "amateur."

Why use five 50 cent components when a single one dollar chip will do? Might I suggest that if you mean "competent" or "incompetent," that you use the words "competent" and "incompetent." The MAX232 is a perfectly good RS-232 chip, and they are perfectly good words. There is no need to redefine the words "professional" and "amateur." Especially since they already mean something else. In terms that might be more meaningful to engineers, there may be a correlation between the terms, but there is no causal relationship.

And now, since we are about as far off-topic as an originally on-topic thread can get, and since it is now the weekend anyway, I'll try to emphasize my point with an amusing riddle (Note that I said "try." Your results may vary).



P.S., Erik, I'm not sure who you are concerned that you might have offended, but I can assure you it wasn't me. Good luck.