it's easy to say vulnerabilities don't matter... when responsible disclosure results in fixes for those specific relevant systems for which actual executable Proof of Concepts were designed. The authors have the skill and knowhow to do this for new systems, and the surrounding knowhow and skills are not gained by merely reading the whitepaper that focusses on the exact nature of the side-channel. Similarily a paper from the field of say physics, will not hold your hand by having a huge appendix filled with the physics courses, exercises, ... the authors enjoyed as a student...