[bsedlm]

> a sufficiently motivated reader could learn it without having to learn it master-apprentice style

if that's the case, I would say they failed.

however, what they accomplished would certainly help jog the memory of somebody who knew the material once upon a time.

maybe it's a bit like looking at a zip file directly and uncompressing the contents on the fly in your head? (something about 'understanding' as a compression scheme)