Surprisingly, the Microchip 23LC1024 is available in SOIC package while the 25LC1024 is available in SOIJ package (a bit wider). I am wondering why they use different packages for similar chips. In fact, I was planning to use the same PCB layout for both types of chips and then decide which one and how many to solder, depending on the usage. The solution is probably to make pads a bit longer, but why this difference ? Thank you.