So, stupid question from a non-EE, but why do certain ICs require additional components (many of which are fixed values) instead of building them in? For instance, I was recently using a MCP1702-1202E. It's a 1.2V 250mA voltage regulator. In the spec sheet, it states that 1.0 µF to 22 µF capacitors are required on the input and output pins, but a 1.0 µF capacitor is generally sufficient. I understand that for certain applications, this capacitor may need to be tweaked, but why couldn't there be a version of this IC that included the 1.0 µF capacitors instead of requiring that I solder on two extra pieces? There are a lot of other examples of this where I wonder why I have to add extra parts that have fairly standard values per the spec sheets, and it just makes me wonder (and causes my eye to twitch slightly). Other than, "Certain applications may require that these components be outside the norm," is there a good reason why there can't just be a "norm" version for standard applications?