I am 71, a retired computer programmer who last worked on a Cray YMP using UNIX and I wrote programs in C about 1990. I have been retired now for 15+ years. I spend some time of the DirecTV forum and the DBSTALK forum discussing Directv HD-DVRs. I had a used eSATA and I was going to mount it on a new HD-DVR, but for some reason I decided that I wanted to look at the recordings on disk. I did not know it was coded in LINUX and it was XTS (real time). Anyhow I downloaded Ubuntu Linux (for free) and made my PC into a dual boot PC, ie MS Vista or Ubuntu Linux. It was tricky getting a "clean superblock" on the eSATA, but after several trys I got it to work okay. I did a ls -lat and found the data directory and I did another ls -lat to see the previous recordings. All this got me to thinking about "old times" and I decided that I would get a few books and run some c. I had hoped that I would remember more, but I am sad to say that I didn't. So I am a old old novice novice C programmer. I am afraid that means I may be asking a lot of "not too smart" questions.
Best Wishes to ALL!!

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Welcome to the forums :)

One thing to note: "not too smart" questions > "not thought out" questions > "no detail provided" questions :twisted:

Hi Oldbamaguy, nice to meet you :D

Thanks to all!!
I was about 3/4 of the way through this message and I hit (escape)
which returns you to "command mode" if you are in vi, but here
you just lose whatever you have typed in.
I'm about 75% of the way through "C for Dummies" Volume 1 (550 pages)
and about 50% through "Absolute Beginner's Guide to C" (about 400 pages)
I'm on the UNIX side and I'm typing in all the examples , compiling them and running them. Just using vi (the UNIX editor) is a mighty challenge.
I have run into a few differences between the various "flavors" of C.
All the C stuff makes sense to me even though I couldn't tell you what to type
before I read the chapter.
It is still fun (however the NFL preseason approaches - August 8, it starts I think).
I wonder whether I will stick with C or just forget the whole thing??
Best wishes to all!!

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