• Re: C structure portability, naughty Python

    From Lawrence D?Oliveiro@3:633/10 to All on Monday, January 05, 2026 21:45:25
    On Mon, 5 Jan 2026 13:25:51 +0100, Carlos E.R. wrote:

    Carlos E.R. wrote this post by blinking in Morse code:

    What's the difference between C++ and C#? (I don't know how to
    pronounce that one).

    C-sharp. (Get it? Get it?)

    Mmm... no, I don't think I get it. Maybe something cultural in it.

    I keep reading it as ?C-hash? ... as in ?making a hash of C? ...

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.2
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Lawrence D?Oliveiro@3:633/10 to All on Monday, January 05, 2026 21:45:57
    On 5 Jan 2026 18:10:08 GMT, Niklas Karlsson wrote:

    C-pound ...

    ?Cœ??

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.2
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Niklas Karlsson@3:633/10 to All on Monday, January 05, 2026 23:28:43
    On 2026-01-05, Lawrence D?Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> wrote:
    On 5 Jan 2026 18:10:08 GMT, Niklas Karlsson wrote:

    C-pound ...

    ?Cœ??

    # is often spoken as "pound" in the USA. Notably when instructing
    someone to enter things on a phone keypad.

    Niklas
    --
    This year's Corporate Technology Expo was no different than the ones for years previous. [...] The scene was a three-hour, seemingly unending procession of PowerPoint slides with enough laser pointers to take down an incoming ICBM.
    -- http://thedailywtf.com/Articles/MUMPS-Madness.aspx

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.2
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Lawrence D?Oliveiro@3:633/10 to All on Tuesday, January 06, 2026 00:14:49
    On 5 Jan 2026 23:28:43 GMT, Niklas Karlsson wrote:

    On 2026-01-05, Lawrence D?Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> wrote:

    On 5 Jan 2026 18:10:08 GMT, Niklas Karlsson wrote:

    C-pound ...

    ?Cœ??

    # is often spoken as "pound" in the USA. Notably when instructing
    someone to enter things on a phone keypad.

    I have no idea why.

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.2
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Charlie Gibbs@3:633/10 to All on Tuesday, January 06, 2026 00:23:56
    On 2026-01-06, Lawrence D?Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> wrote:

    On 5 Jan 2026 23:28:43 GMT, Niklas Karlsson wrote:

    On 2026-01-05, Lawrence D?Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> wrote:

    On 5 Jan 2026 18:10:08 GMT, Niklas Karlsson wrote:

    C-pound ...

    ?Cœ??

    # is often spoken as "pound" in the USA. Notably when instructing
    someone to enter things on a phone keypad.

    I have no idea why.

    In days of yore, "#" was often used by dealers in bulk products
    as an abbreviation for pounds weight. For instance, a sack of
    chicken feed might consist of "50# laying mash".

    --
    /~\ Charlie Gibbs | Growth for the sake of
    \ / <cgibbs@kltpzyxm.invalid> | growth is the ideology
    X I'm really at ac.dekanfrus | of the cancer cell.
    / \ if you read it the right way. | -- Edward Abbey

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.2
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Lawrence D?Oliveiro@3:633/10 to All on Tuesday, January 06, 2026 00:57:38
    On Tue, 06 Jan 2026 00:23:56 GMT, Charlie Gibbs wrote:

    On 2026-01-06, Lawrence D?Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> wrote:

    On 5 Jan 2026 23:28:43 GMT, Niklas Karlsson wrote:

    On 2026-01-05, Lawrence D?Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> wrote:

    On 5 Jan 2026 18:10:08 GMT, Niklas Karlsson wrote:

    C-pound ...

    ?Cœ??

    # is often spoken as "pound" in the USA. Notably when instructing
    someone to enter things on a phone keypad.

    I have no idea why.

    In days of yore, "#" was often used by dealers in bulk products as
    an abbreviation for pounds weight. For instance, a sack of chicken
    feed might consist of "50# laying mash".

    Most of us used ?lb?.

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.2
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Chris Ahlstrom@3:633/10 to All on Tuesday, January 06, 2026 06:21:36
    Niklas Karlsson wrote this post by blinking in Morse code:

    On 2026-01-05, Lawrence D?Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> wrote:
    On 5 Jan 2026 18:10:08 GMT, Niklas Karlsson wrote:

    C-pound ...

    ?Cœ??

    # is often spoken as "pound" in the USA. Notably when instructing
    someone to enter things on a phone keypad.

    Call Morgan & Morgan! #LAW!

    C-hashtag!

    --
    #OBBO

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.2
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Scott Lurndal@3:633/10 to All on Tuesday, January 06, 2026 15:29:57
    Lawrence =?iso-8859-13?q?D=FFOliveiro?= <ldo@nz.invalid> writes:
    On 5 Jan 2026 23:28:43 GMT, Niklas Karlsson wrote:

    On 2026-01-05, Lawrence D?Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> wrote:

    On 5 Jan 2026 18:10:08 GMT, Niklas Karlsson wrote:

    C-pound ...

    ?Cœ??

    # is often spoken as "pound" in the USA. Notably when instructing
    someone to enter things on a phone keypad.

    I have no idea why.

    That's not surprising.

    Give me 10# of potatoes, please.

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.2
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From John Ames@3:633/10 to All on Tuesday, January 06, 2026 08:14:14
    On 6 Jan 2026 06:24:00 GMT
    rbowman <bowman@montana.com> wrote:

    In days of yore, "#" was often used by dealers in bulk products as
    an abbreviation for pounds weight. For instance, a sack of chicken
    feed might consist of "50# laying mash".

    Most of us used ?lb?.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Number_sign#Usage

    "When ?#? is after a number, it is read as "pound" or "po
    unds",
    meaning the unit of weight.[54][55] The text "5# bag of flour" would
    mean "five- pound bag of flour". This is rare outside North America."

    Most of us don't live in New Zealand.

    That's been obscure even in the US for many a year, frankly - but the
    legacy pronunciation of # survives to this day.


    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.2
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Charlie Gibbs@3:633/10 to All on Tuesday, January 06, 2026 18:57:03
    On 2026-01-06, John Ames <commodorejohn@gmail.com> wrote:

    On 6 Jan 2026 06:24:00 GMT
    rbowman <bowman@montana.com> wrote:

    In days of yore, "#" was often used by dealers in bulk products as
    an abbreviation for pounds weight. For instance, a sack of chicken
    feed might consist of "50# laying mash".

    Most of us used ?lb?.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Number_sign#Usage

    "When ?#? is after a number, it is read as "pound" or "pounds",
    meaning the unit of weight.[54][55] The text "5# bag of flour" would
    mean "five- pound bag of flour". This is rare outside North America."

    Most of us don't live in New Zealand.

    That's been obscure even in the US for many a year, frankly - but the
    legacy pronunciation of # survives to this day.

    I suspect that this is because "pound" is (at least somewhat)
    easier and faster to pronounce than the others. As we all know,
    convenience trumps just about everything else - remember the
    "baud" vs "bps" confusion.

    --
    /~\ Charlie Gibbs | Growth for the sake of
    \ / <cgibbs@kltpzyxm.invalid> | growth is the ideology
    X I'm really at ac.dekanfrus | of the cancer cell.
    / \ if you read it the right way. | -- Edward Abbey

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.2
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From John Ames@3:633/10 to All on Tuesday, January 06, 2026 11:03:04
    On Tue, 06 Jan 2026 18:57:03 GMT
    Charlie Gibbs <cgibbs@kltpzyxm.invalid> wrote:

    That's been obscure even in the US for many a year, frankly - but
    the legacy pronunciation of # survives to this day.

    I suspect that this is because "pound" is (at least somewhat)
    easier and faster to pronounce than the others. As we all know,
    convenience trumps just about everything else - remember the
    "baud" vs "bps" confusion.

    Seems plausible - may also have to do with phone-tree systems and how intelligible "hash" is or isn't over a muffled line, vs. a word that
    begins and ends with hard consonants.


    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.2
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Charlie Gibbs@3:633/10 to All on Wednesday, January 07, 2026 06:33:45
    On 2026-01-06, John Ames <commodorejohn@gmail.com> wrote:

    On Tue, 06 Jan 2026 18:57:03 GMT
    Charlie Gibbs <cgibbs@kltpzyxm.invalid> wrote:

    That's been obscure even in the US for many a year, frankly - but
    the legacy pronunciation of # survives to this day.

    I suspect that this is because "pound" is (at least somewhat)
    easier and faster to pronounce than the others. As we all know,
    convenience trumps just about everything else - remember the
    "baud" vs "bps" confusion.

    Seems plausible - may also have to do with phone-tree systems and how intelligible "hash" is or isn't over a muffled line, vs. a word that
    begins and ends with hard consonants.

    I hadn't thought of that angle. Indeed, aeronautical radio
    phraseology has evolved to deal with just that sort of problem.

    --
    /~\ Charlie Gibbs | Growth for the sake of
    \ / <cgibbs@kltpzyxm.invalid> | growth is the ideology
    X I'm really at ac.dekanfrus | of the cancer cell.
    / \ if you read it the right way. | -- Edward Abbey

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.2
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From The Natural Philosopher@3:633/10 to All on Wednesday, January 07, 2026 09:48:29
    On 06/01/2026 18:57, Charlie Gibbs wrote:
    remember the
    "baud" vs "bps" confusion.
    IIRC the are not , strictly, the same thing...

    --
    It is the folly of too many to mistake the echo of a London coffee-house
    for the voice of the kingdom.

    Jonathan Swift



    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.2
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From John Ames@3:633/10 to All on Wednesday, January 07, 2026 09:00:57
    On Wed, 07 Jan 2026 06:33:45 GMT
    Charlie Gibbs <cgibbs@kltpzyxm.invalid> wrote:

    Seems plausible - may also have to do with phone-tree systems and
    how intelligible "hash" is or isn't over a muffled line, vs. a word
    that begins and ends with hard consonants.

    I hadn't thought of that angle. Indeed, aeronautical radio
    phraseology has evolved to deal with just that sort of problem.

    Many's the time I've had to resort to the NATO phonetic alphabet when
    trying to get a customer to type something in over the phone.


    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.2
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Chris Ahlstrom@3:633/10 to All on Wednesday, January 07, 2026 12:23:02
    John Ames wrote this post by blinking in Morse code:

    On Wed, 07 Jan 2026 06:33:45 GMT
    Charlie Gibbs <cgibbs@kltpzyxm.invalid> wrote:

    Seems plausible - may also have to do with phone-tree systems and
    how intelligible "hash" is or isn't over a muffled line, vs. a word
    that begins and ends with hard consonants.

    I hadn't thought of that angle. Indeed, aeronautical radio
    phraseology has evolved to deal with just that sort of problem.

    Many's the time I've had to resort to the NATO phonetic alphabet when
    trying to get a customer to type something in over the phone.

    Like "It all went tango uniform"? A real "charlie foxtrot"?

    --
    Rincewind had generally been considered by his tutors to be a natural wizard
    in the same way that fish are natural mountaineers. He probably would have been thrown out of Unseen University anyway--he couldn't remember spells and smoking made him feel ill.
    -- Terry Pratchett, "The Light Fantastic"

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.2
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Niklas Karlsson@3:633/10 to All on Wednesday, January 07, 2026 20:55:50
    On 2026-01-07, John Ames <commodorejohn@gmail.com> wrote:

    Many's the time I've had to resort to the NATO phonetic alphabet when
    trying to get a customer to type something in over the phone.

    I use it habitually, if I'm speaking English. But with a slight
    modification: "S for sugar". I found that no matter how much I
    emphasized siERRa, they nonetheless put Z for zero.

    Niklas
    --
    [It] contains "vegetable stabilizer" which sounds ominous. How unstable are vegetables?
    -- Jeff Zahn

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.2
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Charlie Gibbs@3:633/10 to All on Thursday, January 08, 2026 04:57:24
    On 2026-01-07, rbowman <bowman@montana.com> wrote:

    On Wed, 7 Jan 2026 09:48:29 +0000, The Natural Philosopher wrote:

    On 06/01/2026 18:57, Charlie Gibbs wrote:

    remember the "baud" vs "bps" confusion.

    IIRC the are not , strictly, the same thing...

    My point exactly.

    They usually were back in the 1200 baud days. Then things got
    complicated.

    Not even then. When I got my first 1200-bps modem, my .sig
    block said, "600 baud and proud of it!" When I moved up to
    a 2400-bps modem, that statement still applied.

    --
    /~\ Charlie Gibbs | Growth for the sake of
    \ / <cgibbs@kltpzyxm.invalid> | growth is the ideology
    X I'm really at ac.dekanfrus | of the cancer cell.
    / \ if you read it the right way. | -- Edward Abbey

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.2
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Carlos E.R.@3:633/10 to All on Thursday, January 08, 2026 14:01:45
    On 2026-01-07 18:23, Chris Ahlstrom wrote:
    John Ames wrote this post by blinking in Morse code:

    On Wed, 07 Jan 2026 06:33:45 GMT
    Charlie Gibbs <cgibbs@kltpzyxm.invalid> wrote:

    Seems plausible - may also have to do with phone-tree systems and
    how intelligible "hash" is or isn't over a muffled line, vs. a word
    that begins and ends with hard consonants.

    I hadn't thought of that angle. Indeed, aeronautical radio
    phraseology has evolved to deal with just that sort of problem.

    Many's the time I've had to resort to the NATO phonetic alphabet when
    trying to get a customer to type something in over the phone.

    Like "It all went tango uniform"? A real "charlie foxtrot"?


    I tried to use that over the years several times here, but nobody
    understands it, unless they are HAMs or aviators. I have to use a local variant based in the name of the provinces of Spain.

    --
    Cheers, Carlos.
    ES??, EU??;

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.2
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)