Right. I've noticed in multiple areas of science that often the pioneers of some technique/theory knew how to do it properly, but lacked the right computational

Right. I've noticed in multiple areas of science that often the pioneers of some technique/theory knew how to do it properly, but lacked the right computational, or other, technology, and had to fudge it in some way they were clear about, but others aren't. People then persist with that unsatisfactory approach, or data produced with it, long after they shouldn't. Reading the original work is definitely worth risking a little wasted time.