The use of the meaning of jots and tittles is kind of the same as in the dictionary, but different. As @TRomano has pointed out it can mean markings for typesetting, however C is notorious for using what the author in your excerpt is terming small symbols that have very significant meanings.
The same would be true for punctuation in writing. Commas (','), periods ('.'), question marks ('?'), exclamation points ('!') all convey different meanings. Consider the differences between
Hello.
Hello!
Hello?
The so called "jots and tittles" referred to by the author of your passage can be thought of as (a kind of) punctuation for the C language.
For example
. (period character)
is used to reference part of a data structure
something_struct.name
a = something_struct.name;
however, if one only has a pointer to the structure and not the actual structure one would use
a = pointer_to_something_struct -> name; (spaces added for clarity)
To define a block
{ ... } (curly brackets/braces)
if (my_condition){
do something;
} else {
otherwise do something else;
}
other languages like Python implicitly use indentation instead.
For conditional compilation ( C is a compiled language )
# (hash character)
#include
#ifdef
#ifndef
Each "line" of code ends with
; (semicolon)
One of the intentions of the curtness of the syntax was to avoid keystrokes and it's low-levelness was a result of basically being a step up from assembly language (as low as you can go). It also borrows concepts from Unix.
Most of the more "modern" languages are built on C (probably since C was there first): Python and Ruby are examples of this.
C is a great language, however, it is very low level and if you want an abstraction, you have to make it yourself(!) It is therefore very pedantic, which might not be to everyone's taste.
With all due respect for the series of books, C is not for dummies, and the reference to jots and tittles is as appropriate or inappropriate as if it was used to refer to punctuation in grammar.
what with relatives and everything
could also be written as:
what with relatives and all
It means: Considering relatives and others that they know, each person being acknowledged are expected to result in sales of more than one book.
This is a common view when low sales are anticipated. Direct sales might be low, but they may talk others into buying.
Best Answer
If you have an appointment the third Monday of the month -- then you count Mondays. If you have an appointment the third week of the month and the month started early in the week, then you count as if the month started on Sunday. If the week started late in a week -- ask.
English is confusing when it comes to time and dating. Different countries and regions handle it differently.To me this Monday is Feb 27th and next is March 6th. To my husband, next Monday is Feb 27th.
The most simple fix is to be specific. I will see you on the 14th of March.
On edit: If you were running a scientific experiment or a report and the time frame was three weeks, count 21 days from the time you started. If it isn't specific, still count 21 days and check to see if things are coming to fruition.